Dark Sky - Believe It

1. Rock Me
2. Stay Young
3. Masih Ada Rindu
4. In The Name Of God
5. Pray For The World
6. On And On
7. Magna Quaedan Spectare
8. Gimme A Try
9. Believe It
10. Tell Me Why
11. Jane
12. Living In Paradise
13. Call Me
14. Eternity

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Total Playing Time: 57:13 m:s

Review date: 21/01/2001

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The opener, "Rock Me", immediately hits you with a very Europe (ala Final Countdown) slice of keyboards. This distinctive keyboard style has you thinking about Joey Tempest & Co. throughout the tune. The strong start is continued on another melodic rocker called "Stay Young". The next song, Masih Ada Rindu, is ballad sung in Malaysian. Well, if a German band are going to sing in English, why not Malaysian as well!

 "In The Name Of God" is another keyboard laden tune that develops into a mid-paced rocker. The lyrics have a bit of a cheesy whiff to them, but it isn't easy writing lyrics in a foreign language. The religious theme continues on the equally impressive and similarly paced "Pray For The World". "On And On" is a fairly sparse affair where the vocalist does the majority of work and the backing in minimal. This is a good contrast to the more densely packed rockers.

"Magna Quaedan Spectare" is suitably orchestral, but brief instrumental which flows into "Gimme A Try". "Gimme A Try" is a chunky rocker with a few little touches that remind me of The Scorpions. The title track, "Believe It", is a mid-tempo romp that, with it's combination of The Scorpions and Europe, typifies what Dark Sky are all about.

"Tell Me Why" is a upbeat acoustic ditty that changes the atmosphere right from the first few bars. This is followed by a rather predictable ballad called "Jane", which I wouldn't describe as a low point, but which doesn't match the class displayed elsewhere on the album. The band immediately redeem themselves with the catchy "Living In Paradise". That catchiness is continued on "Call Me" where the chorus sounds familiar right from the first listen making it the most immediate tune on offer. The final tune is a ballad called "Eternity" which has a suitably epic feel.

Impressive songs and good production combine to make this a good debut and definitely one worth checking out.

Return - Live

1. Change The Attitude
2. Having Fun
3. Friends Will Be Friends
4. Sing Me A Song
5. Medley - United In A Scream/Be Good/Still Waiting
6. The Loner
7. Take This Heart
8. Life Must Go On
9. Half A Man
10. Bye Bye Johnny
11. Can You Forgive Me
12. Medley - To The Top/Heaven And Hell/The Day After
13. Main Man (Bootleg Bonus)
14. Straight Across My Heart (Bootleg Bonus)
    

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Total Playing Time: 73:26 m:s

Review date: 12/1/2001

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When you record a live album you can either go for the warts and all version or you can go into the studio and perform numerous overdubs. The CD leaflet assures us that the album is of the former kind and presents an accurate portrayal of how Return on stage.

The album kicks off with bright and breezy "Change The Attitude", before the band crack up the guitars for getting down to the main objective - "Having Fun". Both "Friend Will Be Friends" and Sing Me A Song" are slow tunes.

With 5 album's worth of material to plunder, the band do a couple of medleys to give the fans plenty of reminders of their past material. The first one is a rocking affair which culminates with the Diamond Dave sounding "Still Waiting".

"Take This Heart", "The Loner" and "Half A Man" are all ballads, which make me think that a good supply of lighter fuel would be a good idea at a Return concert. The slow rocking of "Life Must Go On" splits these up. There is a bit of a Whitesnake feel on display.

The band should be shot for coming up a title as naff as "Bye Bye Johnny". Still the crowd seem happy enough singing along to this one. The simple combination of vocals and acoustic guitar give "Can You Forgive Me"  a good atmosphere and makes it stand out from some of the other ballads.

Then it is the second medley. It starts of with a catchy melodic rocker called "To The Top". Whilst listening to album for the first time I found myself mindlessly singing along halfway through this medley. It took longer than it should have from me to realize that that the "Heaven & Hell" was in fact the Sabbath tune from one of my favorite albums of the same name. Their choice of cover version certainly helped me warm to the band after that. The first bootleg tune, "Main Man", is a pulsating tune that recalls "Ready & Willing" era Whitesnake. By this stage it shouldn't be a surprise when I say the band close the album with a ballad.

Return clearly put on a good live performance the night this concert was recorded and are to be commended for issuing a truly live album rather than doctoring it in the studio. If you're an existing fan of a band it is always nice to hear the differences in songs that the band have introduced in their live performances.

I enjoy listening to my first introduction to Return and I'd describe it as a pleasant, rather than exciting experience. For me the album is a little too ballad heavy, especially as some those ballads have a few Eurovision-like tendencies.

Damned Nation - Grand Design

1. Stonecold Woman
2. Hiding from the World
3. Heart On The Run
4. Fortune-Teller
5. Desperate Call
6. Eyes Of A Stranger
7. Hands Of Time
8. Going Crazy
9. Scream Of Anger
10. Love Reaction
11. Dance In Darkness

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Total Playing Time: 51:54 m:s

Review date: 24/12/2000

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Eventually the album was transferred into my car (most Mood Swings reviews are formulated on the drive to and from work) and on that first morning listening to the album it was like listening to a different album. I listened to the album and was suitably impressed. Writing the review of the album got put on hold yet again.

Finally, with a little spare time over Christmas, I'm listening & writing the review. Damned Nation haven't changed the basic formula I heard on the previous album. They're still purveyors of melodic hard rock. Indeed many of my comments from the last album apply again here.

"Stonecold Woman" starts the album off well enough, but it a song I'm sometimes more enthusiastic about than others. The few doubts about the opener are dispelled by "Hiding From The World" where the band seem to move up a gear in term of melody and quality. The band move a little away from the hard rock of the openers with the Harem Scarem style AOR of "Heart On The Run".

It is almost as if the band have been building up to Fortune-Teller. This slice of Rainbow-ish melodic hard rock is the highlight of the album for me. The connection to the next song, "Desperate Call", is that this time I'm reminded of another Purple spin-off, Whitesnake. The band attack "Eyes Of A Stranger" with more aggression, yet maintain a sense of melody. The riff heavy "Hands Of Time" reminds me of Eye Witness. As with the previous slower tune, "Going Crazy" has a hint of Mr Coverdale about it.

Just as I'm about the accuse "Scream Of Anger" of being average Euro-Rock, a decent chorus rides in to save the day. With "Love Reaction" the redeeming chorus isn't in evidence. However, the band are back on track with the slow burner closer, "Dance In Darkness".

I listened to this for a hell of a long time before writing this review and the album, a few initial doubts dispelled, has stood the test of the prolonged review period. Damned Nation create classy melodic hard rock and this album follows on where the previous one left off. This genre of rock isn't going to win any prizes for originality or invention. So when you decide to pursue a career in this area you've got to be good. And that is exactly how I'd describe Damned Nation - they're a tight unit with considerable talents in all departments.  Their chosen genre of rock makes them easy targets for criticism, but if you're like me and enjoy melodic hard rock - well just sit back & enjoy listening to the music.

Position - Nobody's Hero

1. Nobody's Hero
2. In My Heart
3. Out Of Reach
4. Take The Time
5. KT
6. Philly Stomp
7. Johnny Blues
8. LR 2000
9. Drivin On
   

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Total Playing Time: 33:55 m:s

Review date: 27/12/2000

Email: positionnj@aol.com 

Listening to the opening two tracks and indeed the final two tracks takes me back to the days of the NWOBHM. Although the music isn't an exact match, lead singer Lil Al Bufano sounds like Biff and NWOBHM stalwarts Saxon are the first band that spring to mind when thinking of comparisons. These four songs are all out and out rockers. Second track, "In My Heart", is my favorite from these. A little bit of acoustic guitar is thrown in giving another dimension to the song. The third track, "Out Of Reach", has a decidedly  moody start before developing into a good power ballad where this time the music and the vocals combine to sound very like Saxon.

After the trio of opening rockers "Take The Time" is a bit of a shock to the system. It's a slow country rock tune that reminds me of Neil Young. The variety continues on "KT" which is a riff-based instrumental that has plenty of guitar histrionics and the very short "Philly Stomp" metal/punk shout rather than song. "Johnny Blues" lives up to its name by being  a mid-paced blues rock song.

The best way to describe the album as a whole is "a sandwich", with a bit of a surprise filling between the slices of traditional HM bread. Being mainly an AOR fan, my favorite track is "Out Of Reach" and I would have liked to see a few more tracks in a similar vein to stretch the album beyond the rather short playing time of 33 mins, although I do realize that recording budgets etc may be main reason for the album's brevity.

Hit The Ground Runnin' - Control Yourself

1. Control Yourself
2. Back Again
3. Shanghaid
4. Lost
5. Still Life Lover
6. Born To Be With You
7. Pain
8. Holding On
9. I.C.V.
10. Dirty Girl
11. Surrounded By Fire
    

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Total Playing Time: 48:36 m:s

Review date: 28/09/2000

Email: smashent@home.com  

Blair Ramsey - Lead Vocals

HTGR released their first album, "Sudden Impact", back in 1988. They recorded 4 master tracks for a follow up album, but called it quits amid legal hassles in 1990. Ten years later they released the pre-production demos from those "Control Yourself" sessions on MP3. The interest that was generated inspired the original members to reform the group and the band are currently recording a third album.

The band's origins back in the 80s give a clue as to what they are going to sound like. On my first listen through REO Speedwagon was the first name that came to mind, but that was mainly because of one track. On repeated listens I felt that "a less refined REO Speedwagon" was the about the only comparison I could think of, but then Aviator popped into my head. So HTGR's music is the type that falls between AOR and hard rock. Let's call it "hard AOR" just to put a tag on it.

"Control Yourself" is a big rocker to start off proceedings. There are a few lighter sections, but the overall impression is given by the crunchy guitar playing, especially on the guitar solo. The band continue the uptempo start with another uptempo romp. This is where the Aviator comparison started to form. The album has a raw feel to it overall. For example, on this track the cymbals are just a tad too noticeable for my personal tastes. "Shanghaid" is rather standard pseudo-metal offering that retains just enough melody to stop it getting slammed by me. If you heard "Lost" on the radio you'd swear it was Reo Speedwagon. It is back to Aviator for "Still Life Lover" which has enough hooks to counteract the lyrics which would have been perfectly acceptable in the 80s, but now seem slightly corny.

"Born To Be With You" has got a pseudo rock 'n' roll feel in a Billy Joel kind of way. The synth sound and the vague 'new-wave' make "Pain" a definite 80s sounding track. Still, it is high on melody and very acceptable. "Holding On" is a semi-ballad and this style never fails to conjure up the name of Journey. For "ICV" and "Dirty Girl" the band decide to turn up the wick and rock out more than on previous tracks with unspectacular results. After those couple of duffers the band get very much back on track with "Surrounded By Fire" which is a great slice of hard AOR that leaves you wanting to hear more from the band.

The band have reformed and put out this album pronto. With a couple of duff tracks and a production that could be more refined, I can't give this full marks, but these are really only minor concerns because the band have delivered an album of good hard AOR. Once you hear this album I think your appetite will be suitably wetted for the new album that the band are currently recording.

Treason - Code Of Silence

1. Last Stand
2. Cycles
3. Supercool
4. Spinning
5. State Of Grace
6. Deff Bendir
7. Kali Ma
8. Holy Water
9. Visual
10. Cold Tears
11. Lethal (Bonus Track)

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Total Playing Time: 49:20 mins

Review date: 28/09/2000

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With the exception of Heart, those are a list of people not closely associated with AOR or melodic rock and that maybe gives a clue as to where Treason are coming from. This is melodic rock, but with a contemporary twist. When it came to thinking of comparisons for Treason Voice of Reason era Harem Scarem was the first one that floated to the surface, not because of the sound, but the approach to creating a contemporary Melodic Rock album. The also happen to hail from Seattle which I guess is bit clue as to where they are coming from.

"Last Stand" starts the album off with a big sound that highlights the band's dark style, but don't worry this isn't an out and out grunge-fest. That darkness is very much evident on "Cycles" which plods along in a Pearl Jam kind of way. If the first two tunes don't do much for you (and that is case for me), then "Supercool" is much better prospect. This one steps up the pace and adds more of sense of melody, giving us the best tune on the album. The band do their best Tangerine Dream impressions at the start of "Spinning" which is a mellow ballad. This song highlights the deep rich quality of the vocals that are impressive throughout the album. On the downside the tune does feature an annoying drum machine clicking sound during the verses that had me wondering if there was a fault with my CD player, but I guess it does give the song a more contemporary feel. "State Of Grace" is another mid-tempo number similar in style to the opening two numbers, but with a more memorable chorus. As is becoming the norm on the album the swirling keyboards are brought in to fill out the sound and give the choruses more impact. "Deff Bendir" is suitability off the wall instrumental that seems to take on a new dimension when listened to using headphones. "Deff Bendir" leads into "Kali Ma". If the preceding instrumental gets your brain ticking, then "Kali Ma" will finally make it click that it was King Crimson that you were struggling to think of. These two tunes add a new dimension to the album and add a sense of depth. For "Holy Water" it is back to more traditional rock fare with a by comparison mundane mid-tempo rocker. "Visual" has the band back on more solid ground. 'Cold Tears' is duet with Heart's Ann Wilson fulfilling the female role. Unsurprisingly this is a slow ballad very much in the style of Heart and is one of the album highlights. "Lethal" is billed as a bonus track which I usually find means 'avoid!'. But with Treason "Lethal" really is a bonus. It is a slow burning rocker that takes off with one of the best choruses on the album.

As a result of bypassing on the August update to the web site I've had longer than normal to listen to this before writing the review. In that time I've gone from initially thinking it was a fairly OK melodic rock album, to picking up only on the more 'Seattle' side of things and wondering if I'd ever listen to it after writing this review. After a good few more listens, the album has grown on me again and I'm sure I'll be listening to it after this review has been completed and posted online. This is an album that manages to give the sometimes tired world of melodic rock a kick up the arse. 

Joe Lynn Turner - Holy Man

1. No Salvation
2. Holy Man
3. Anything
4. Honest Crime
5. Wolves At The Door
6. Angel
7. Something New
8. Freedom's Wings
9. Love Is Blind
10. Midnight In Tokyo
11. Babylon
12. Closer
13. Too Blue To Sing The Blues

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Total Playing Time:  57:43 m:s

Review date: 22/09/2000

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The album kicks of with all guns blazing on "No Salvation" which reminds me of the JLT era Deep Purple tune "Fire In The Basement". The title track is more "Deep Rainbow" with the guitar player joining in and doing a good Ritchie Blackmore impersonation. The pace slackens for "Anything" and the blues element gets turned up a notch on this mid-tempo ramble. "Honest Crime" and "Wolves At The Door" are both guitar based blues rock, with "Wolves At The Door" having a predicable blues theme of being in debt. "Angel" is a slow to mid-tempo tune with an injection of melody making it more AOR-like. For the next three tunes, "Something New", "Freedom's Wings" and "Love Is Blind", it is back to the blues-based rock, with "Freedom's Wings", whilst not being stunning, an slight improvement over the past few tracks. With a title like "Midnight In Tokyo" it just has to be Deep Purple/Rainbow and it is, giving one of the more memorable tracks on the album. The Rainbow theme continues on "Babylon" which actually reminds me more of RJD era Rainbow. "Closer" is the nearest the album gets to an AOR tune, but the chorus isn't definite enough to give the song that extra lift it needs. "Too Blue To Sing The Blues" has bit of a swing about it and again echoes Purple's previous output.

Joe Lynn Turner has a great voice and I'm a fan of his singing, but on this album, there just aren't enough good songs for JLT to add his touch of magic to. The tunes with the Purple and Rainbow influences are the ones that work best for me. Next time, I'd like to see Joe take his time writing and recording the songs and then perhaps we'll get the songs to match the quality of Joe's voice.

Air Pavilion - The River/The Life

1. The River/The Life
2. The Flood
3. Great Flow
4. Holy River
5. The Canyon (River Of Dreams)
6. End Of The River
7. Stream In A Tube
8. The Road (To Rome)
9. Remembering (instrumental)
10. Overture - The River/Our Lives

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Total Playing Time: 50:43 m:s

Review date: 12/08/2000

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This is the second album, following the "Sarrph Cogh" debut from the band formed by Japanese guitarist and composer - Tak Yonemuchi. The lineup consists of Kelly Hansen (Unruly Child/Tangier/Hurricane) on vocals, Tak on guitars, Tom Croucier on bass, Jay Schellen (ex-Signal) on drums and Yuko Hirose on keyboards & vocals. Tom's bother, Juan (ex Ratt), produces the album. A fairly impressive lineup of AOR luminaries.

The album opener and title track caught me unawares on the first few listens. The six and a half minute track is just about the most gentile album opener I've heard in a long time. Yes were the first band that came to mind when I initially heard the tune. This slow lumbering tune definitely is a surprising choice as an opener. It might have more impact tucked away mid-album, but if you take the time to listen, it really is a good song. Appetite suitably wetted, "The Flood" starts. Oh my God! What have they done! An uptempo pomp/progressive romp that reminds me of progressive rockers Magellan. I assume to convey emotion, the vocals drag out certain words in the lyrics which I find annoying. There is an absence of melody and the song seems like a race between all the instruments.

"Great Flow" is better, with a more sensible pace and more melodic vocals. That annoying vocal style I mentioned earlier returns with a vengeance on "Holy River". The frantic activity and lack of melody returns in "The Canyon". More annoying vocals on "End Of The River". This is the heaviest tune on the album and at times the whole thing sounds a bit mindless.

Eloy are a reference point for some of the keyboard dabbling on "Stream In A Tube", which also has a female backing vocalist and a jazz improvisation in an attempt to breath some life into it. "The Road (To Rome)" is a simple piano ballad, that whilst it isn't that spectacular in absolute terms, fairs well against the competition provide by the rest of the songs on the album. If nothing else it highlights the fact that Kelly Hansen has a good voice if used correctly.

"Remembering" is the expected uptempo instrumental that proves the players are all very capable. "Overture" starts off with orchestral string-style keyboards, then piano before turning electric. The song continues where the opener left off.

As you've guessed by now, this one doesn't do that much for me. The album starts and finishes well, but in between there isn't much to hold my interest. Considering the wealth of talent involved, I can't help but feel that this should have turned out a hell of lot more interesting.

Brian McDonald - Wind It UP

1. Wind It Up
2. Head Back Home
3. Words Come So Easy
4. I Don't Wanna Want You Touch
5. When The Lightening Strikes
6. The Night Heaven Falls Down
7. The Rhythm Of Money
8. Somewhere On The Highway
9. If I Could Only See You Now
10. Just A Heartbreak Away
11. Amnesty
12. The Hope One Child Can Bring

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Total Playing Time: 50:14 m:s

Review date: 12/08/2000

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Whenever you borrow heavily from other artists the one hope you've got, to stop critics flaming you for plagiarism, is to create a top notch product to win them over. When I heard the MTM sampler from last year with a the title track from this album on it, I was less than convinced.

With my flame-thrower at the ready, I put this album in the player and prepared to give it a scorching. To my surprise I've ended up liking the album. If you haven't guessed so already by the mention of the two main influences, the album is full of catchy arena rockers with pristine production.

"Wind It Up" hits you with big vocals and a big chorus on this opening track. And yes, the Def Lep influence is present. Brian really sets the scene for the rest of the album on the two opening tracks. "Head Back Home" is an uptempo AOR tune, but this time with the Winger influence present. If the first couple songs have maybe lacked that killer touch then "Words Come So Easy" increases the infectiousness factor, giving the first genuinely memorable tune. "I Don't Wanna Want Your Touch" is a ballad that could have been lifted off Hysteria. For "When The Lightening Strikes" it's back uptempo.

"The Night Heaven Falls Down" is a big sugary ballad. In this area of potential boredom, the great vocal harmonies keep the listener interested. "The Rhythm Of Money" has a big guitar sound when they kick in. This tune is bit on the catchy side and one of my favorites on the album. The dominant influences get pushed to the side for "Somewhere On The Highway" which sounds like Nelson meet Foreigner which is a good combination in my book. Nelson could well come to mind again when listening to "If I Could See You Now".

Whereas previously the Winger influence has always been mixed with a little Def Lep, it gets to shine through on its own on "Just A Heartbreak Away" and "Amnesty". Yes, "The Hope One Child Can Bring" is the predictable closing ballad.

This album doesn't exactly push forward the frontiers of melodic rock and a cynical old reviewer like me might well be tempted to dismiss it as mere plagiarism. In fact, the whole project oozes so much class that it is difficult to do anything other than enjoy the music.

Kharma - Wonderland

1. Free Yourself
2. Wonderland
3. Knowing You
4. Burn Forever
5. In Chains
6. Standing Alone
7. Part Time Lovers
8. Angel Eyes
9. Ray Of Sunshine
10. Spell On You
11. Don't Close Your Eyes
12. Hold On
13. Wings Of History

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Total Playing Time: 66:24 m:s

Review date: 12/08/2000

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This one was a released a while ago and you've probably seen quite a few reviews around the net already. Most reviewers seem to describing the sound as a combination of Styx and Foreigner. I'll throw another name into the ring - Uriah Heep - I was certainly reminded of the "Sonic Origami" album I've reviewed. The band play pomp AOR with plenty of keyboard to fill out the sound.

Opener, "Free Yourself", grabs your attention with the fresh clean sound that the album has throughout. The organ heralds "Wonderland" and it is used in conjunction with piano to good effect. The pomp overtones, song structure and Goran's Dennis De Young style vocals all combine to remind of Styx. Guitars and vocal give "Knowing You" a good opening before it develops into a melodic rocker than bounces along, with the organ parts giving the first Heep touch. The piano and vocals that start the semi-ballad, "Burn Forever", give a Styx feel that gets stronger as the song progresses.

For "In Chains", the stabbing keyboards and strong vocal harmonies give a Foreigner feel which continues on the mid-tempo rocker, "Standing Alone". For the first 30 secs it sounds like "Part-Time Lovers" is going to develop into a Southern Rock tune, but instead it's Uriah Heep, especially when the organ kicks in. So far the band have hardly put a foot wrong, but the high standards are dropped by the monotonous ballad "Angel Eyes". Despite a very Jethro Tull start, "Ray Of Sunshine" has more in common with Heep & Styx.

"Spell On You" is the song that is going to make the biggest impact on first listen. It's a speedy number with a great memorable chorus. For "Don't Close Your Eyes" the Foreigner blueprint get re-examined. With all this pomp activity, it you'd imagine it's only a matter of time before a tale of princes and kings turns up. "Hold On" is meets those expectations. "Wings Of History" is a slow, almost Eurovision-like, ballad that closes the album in a predictable fashion.

Sometimes it good to look back at what has gone before, indeed the band discuss this very subject on that closing song - Wings Of History. The band take that pomp-AOR sound from  yesteryears, give it the "Scandi treatment" and the result is an album full of classic-sounding songs that still manage to sound fresh. Whither the songs will turn out to be classics, rather than classic sounding it another matter, only time will tell. For the moment, what we have here is a album full of some the best pomp-AOR that has released in quite some time.

Storyteller - Corridor Of Windows

1. What She Wants
2. In Your Arms
3. Hello Heaven
4. Why Cry
5. Like It Or Not
6. Wait Till You Find Me
7. Corridor Of Windows
8. She Sherea
9. Never
10. Where Is Daniel
11. Private Eye
12. White Liar

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Total Playing Time: 54:48 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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Two keyboard players in the lineup gives a clue. Yes, this is a keyboard driven album. As such it harks back to the AOR music of the 80s and acts like White Sister. A more current example is Departure.

"What She Wants" is a big hooks melodic opener with hints of Kansas in the keyboard sound. "In Your Arms" is an improvement over the opener. The pomp influences come to the fore musically, together with some very AOR style vocals. "Hello Heaven" is a huge keyboard driven ballad where some fanfare style keyboards remind of the band's pomp tendencies. "Why Cry" is  fast paced rocker with big vocals and harks back to 80s AOR - a sure fire winner! Uptempo pomp rocker, "Like It Or Not" struggles to compete with  the preceding track. An atmospheric opening heralds "Wait Till You Find Me" which has shades of Eloy about it, but is more pomp than progressive.

The band seem to take their time, and don't rush things like on some of the previous tracks, on title track, "Corridor Of Windows". The result is the best track on the album where the keyboards and guitars feel perfectly blended. A more straight ahead 80's AOR tact is adopted on "She Sherea". "Never" features a heavier approach to what has gone before and as such is a welcome touch of variety. The keyboards are still there, but this time the guitars take central stage. The band seem to have kept all the variety to the end of the album. "Where is Daniel" has an orchestral start before it becomes an acoustic guitar based ballad. "Private Eye" is another track with more balls than some of the other tracks. Unfortunately, it sounds muted to me, maybe due to the production. "White Liar is a pomp meets AOR rocker that reminds me of Magnum's "Just Like An Arrow"

This keyboard dominated album has grown on me. The prolonged writing period shows a little, but doesn't really detract from the overall enjoyment of the album. All the variety is crammed in at the end, maybe spreading it out a little more would have created a more well rounded album. However, that doesn't stop me saying that this is a must for all fans of pomp influenced AOR.

Raine - Peace

1. Rainmaker
2. I Am
3. Everytime
4. Without You
5. 2 AM (Hang Out Here)
6. Miracles
7. Lost Angels
8. What I'd Rather Be
9. Inside Out
10. I Believe
11. Never Alone

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Total Playing Time: 53:18 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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Raine were previously known as Rainmaker, but changed their name whenever previous vocalist Simon Saxby left to be replaced by American David Lindland. The other members are Jay Stone on guitars, Rennie Xosa on bass and Ben Powell on drums.

Opener, "Rainmaker" kicks of with a heavy drum beat, then the bass. It takes a while for Raine to hit you with the guitars, but it is worth the wait. The opener is a good melodic hard rock tune with some impressive vocals. I can say that after a few listens, because it took me a while to adjust to David Lindland's higher register vocals, which I'm not normally a fan of. On "I Am" the hooks are bigger and this is a definite singalong candidate by the time the second chorus arrives. "Everytime" has a slow ballad style beginning before transforming onto a hook infested mid-tempo rocker and then alternating between the two. These pace changes add some nice depth to the song. 

The guitars are turned up for the big rock of "Without You". "2 AM (Hang Out Here)" is ballad which has a slightly raw feel to it which gives a sense of emotion to the song. A gentle piece of piano kicks off "Miracles" before it develops into a soaring AOR ballad. "Lost Angels" is a Steve Perry/Clif Magness tune which unsurprisingly bears a passing resemblance to Journey, albeit Journey in one of their more rockin' moods.

"What I'd Rather Be" & "Inside Out" are a couple of is a hard rockers that maybe don't quite match up to the rest of the material on offer. "I Believe" is another ballad that is handled with class, especially on the big chorus. The band finish off with a mid-tempo AOR rocker in the Journey vein.

Raine combine AOR and hard rock in a convincing package that includes some neat song writing touches. After the first couple of tracks I though we were going to be in for an album full of mid-tempo rockers, but, in fact, Raine provide a varied diet in terms of feel and tempo. A diet that will appeal to many melodic rock fans.

House Of Shakira - III

1. Pellucid Part 1
2. Alien
3. Wings
4. In Your Head
5. Nearly Orgasmic
6. Black And Blue Skies
7. Splitting Hairs
8. Miracle
9. Rainbows And Butterflies
10. Time That Passed
11. Unspoken
12. I Am
13. Unforgiven
14. Pellucid Part 2

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 57:10 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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Another of HOS's notable moments was a performance of a Journey song ("Separate Ways" ?) at one of the Gods concerts. Journey are certainly an influence, but the band combines this with a few heavier elements to create a HOS sound that doesn't sound too derivative.

Pellucid Part I is the expected tribal start to the album. The hard edged rocker, "Alien", is a poor start to the album which features a tired sounding "We'd like to welcome you" opening line. "Wings" incorporates a definite Led Zep influence and the song gets better as it progresses. It takes the Van Halen-ish "In Your Head" to bring a sense of melody and a decent chorus to the listener. Now I'm paying attention. "Nearly Orgasmic" goes for a more mellow approach and is impressive. The Zeppelin influence is very much to the fore again on "Black And Blue Skies" which is musically good, but is let down by a lackluster chorus.

"Splitting Hairs" is a very mellow ballad that takes me by surprise almost every time I hear it, especially after the previous rocker. This is a simple acoustic guitar driven ballad. "Miracle" is another mid-tempo rocker that always has me thinking about why don't I like this album more. "Rainbows And Butterflies" helps provide the answer. Although it is reasonably good tune, for me it is lacking some vital ingredient to make it really click. "Time That Passed" is another big power ballad. For "Unspoken" it is back to melodic hard rock that is helped by a big hook laden chorus. "I Am" is a dark moody mid-tempo affair and typical of what I remember the debut album to be like. I've got the feeling it is one of those tracks that will improve with more listens. "Unforgiven" is uptempo semi-acoustic AOR that is one of the album's stronger tracks. Pellucid Part II is more dark moody rock.

The Tribal/African gimmicks have gone, allowing the band to concentrate on writing a more consistent set of songs. When they are good, they're very impressive (Miracle, Unforgiven), at other times they totally fail to impress me. The good tracks just about out weight the average ones. One thing I should say is that this album is not an immediate proposition and at the moment it is only the more immediate AOR moments that have caught my attention.

Vertigo - Vertigo

1. Denial
2. Crucified
3. Prophet
4. Why?
5. Belt
6. Whatchagonnado?

7 - 12 (radio edit versions)

Album Cover:

n/a

Total Playing Time: 35:44 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

Email: vertigokc@hotmail.com 

The band worked very hard to get me a copy of this CD to review - even sending me a second copy when the first failed to arrive as a result of my recent house move. When a copy did arrive and I opened to package, the data sheet listed the band's influences as Head PE, Korn, NWA, Machine Head, DMX, System of a Down, Morphine, Bone, Clutch, Slayer, Pantera, Limp Bizkit and Fear Factory. My first reaction was - "Shit! I hate all those bands! (those I've heard of)". A quick listen confirmed that this wasn't going to be an easy review to write, as, apart from anything else, I simply don't have that many reference points in this type of music to compare the band to and gauge how they measure up. Setting aside the fact that this doesn't suit my personal taste in music, what is on offer?

This is ultra modern heavy metal blending trash, techno and rap-metal. 

"Denial" start off sounding like Slayer before the rap kicks in. For the chorus, the Slayer/Pantera growl takes over. And so the song progresses alternating between these styles. Whilst listening to the radio in the car recently I heard Limp Bizkit for the first time performing a song from the "Mission Impossible 2" soundtrack. Clearly this type of music is becoming more accepted by the mainstream. Going back to listen to Vertigo, it sounded to me as if the band aren't that far off the mark. All the tracks follow the pattern established on "Denial". It is fairly brutal assault on your senses and not for the faint-hearted.

Most AOR/Melodic Rock fans are going to hate this with a vengeance. Fans of modern metal are probably going to love it. I'm going to let the music do the talking, chicken out of giving this a rating, and instead provide a sample of the opening track, "Denial", to let you make up your own mind.

J Smith and HighWatt - MP3 demo CD

1. Come On Everybody
2. Hold On
3. Don't You Know

Album Cover:

n/a

Total Playing Time: 11 mins

Review date: 12/07/2000

Email: jsmithandhighwatt@hotmail.com  

J Smith's first foray into the world of music was as a drummer. Later he moved on to the guitar.  This led to singing and song writing. J Smith sings, plays all the instruments and records the results using his home studio. To get some wider feedback and to promote the project, he posted "Don't You Know" at MP3.com in May of this  year.

"Come On Everybody"  is an uptempo tune about getting to the end of the working week. This party rock tune has got a kind of a glam feel about it and gets my vote as the best tune. "Hold On" has a Kiss meets Motley Crue vibe. "Don't You Know" is a hard rock tune with a hint of a blues in the guitar playing, reminding me vaguely of Free.

J Smith is obviously a man of talent as the has created and recorded these tracks single handed. In the short note that accompanied this it said "when I'm asked why I do this I just say I enjoy it very much". What better reason is there and MP3.com is the perfect place to showcase such music. Unfortunately, this type of music isn't in vogue at the moment and moving the project forward, to say a record deal, could prove difficult.

John Taglieri - Leap Of Faith

1. Leap Of Faith
2. Shangri-la
3. Reason To Believe
4. First Night
5. I Found You
6. The Two Sides Of Love
7. Can't You See
8. One More Tomorrow
9. High Road
10. Hold Me Close Tonight
11. Need To Hear
12. Here Without You

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 51:24 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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John has been in a few local bands, played numerous gigs and worked on many recordings in his home area as either lead guitar player, vocalist/front man, drummer, percussionist, bassist, or keyboard player. This talented multi-instrumentalist has created "Leap Of Faith" virtually single-handed. John plays most of the instruments, sings & wrote the songs and even released the album through his own record label. However, during the time this was waiting to be reviewed, I've read that the album will be released by A2 Records in the UK.

Opening track, "Leap Of Faith" is an uptempo semi-acoustic rocker, similar in style to Bon Jovi. This is an excellent start to the album and certainly grabs your attention right from the beginning. The good start is consolidated by another semi-acoustic gem, "Shangri-La". "Reason To Believe" slows the pace slightly, but again works well. "First Night" is a heart-warming love story in the form of an acoustic guitar semi-ballad.

The pace gets picked up on "I Found You" and even further on "Two Sides Of Love" which has a more full on sound. "Can't You See" is a big AOR-style ballad that reminds me of Styx. This is followed by another ballad - this time a duet with wife, Michelle. After two successive ballads, "High Road" is a rockier number. "Hold Me Close Tonight" is another, most successful, rocker. For "Need To Hear" it is back to the more semi-acoustic approach seen earlier. "Here Without You" is a slow-paced album closer.

John is clearly comfortable with the type of music he is playing and this shines through on the album. The result of his labor is an album to be proud of.

400 Horses - 400 Horses

1. Guilty As Sin
2. Too Close For Comfort
3. Is That What You Want
4. Over & Done
5. Information
6. Let It Go
7. That's What I Like
8. Wanna Make Love To You
9. Don't Give A Damn

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 35:47 m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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One song really sums up what 400 Horses are all about - "That's What I Like". The lyrics proclaim - "That's what I like, no doubt about it. That's what I like, just Rock n Roll! ". 400 Horse take the attitude of GnR, add the swagger of Aerosmith and the bluesy feel of Little Caesar.

Opener "Guilty As Sin" is an uptempo GnR-style blast. On "Too Close For Comfort" the band add the swagger of Aerosmith, albeit without quite the same air of confidence that Aerosmith have perfected over the years. "Is That What You Done" continues the theme. "Over & Done" lets a little bit more GnR creep in. The jangly funk guitar of "Information" adds a little variety to the formula and sees them almost get that Aerosmith swagger down to a tee. "Let It Go" is a straight ahead romp. "That's What I Like" is the band's take on Kiss's "God Gave Rock n Roll...". A party tune, that is simplistic but enjoyable. It's a close call, between it and "Information", but this gets my vote as the best tune on the album. "Wanna Make Love To You" is the tune which brought Little Caesar to mind. "Don't Give A Damn" sees the Kiss influence come back into play.

Sometimes you just want to listen to some straight forward party rock. 400 Horses are the band for that occasion. I would have liked the album to last a little longer than the 35 mins long playing time to help keep the VFM factor up.

Lunar Tool - demo tape

1. To The Moon
2. Cheggers Smokes Pot

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: - m:s

Review date: 12/07/2000

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The band describe their music as "kind of funky psychedelic grooves combined with electronic sounds and hip-hop, plus a hint of rock". A diverse set of influences includes James Brown, George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Public Enemy, De-La-Soul, Super Furries, Stevie Wonder, Beastie Boys & Gomez. After listening to tape and then going back to re-read the bio to write this review, I can hear a few of those influences coming through.

First track, "To The Moon", floats in on a sea of funky guitars. The mid-tempo verse gives way to the speeded up, more forceful stance of the chorus. I detected some distinctly Jimi Hendrix influenced guitar happening on this track as well. "Cheggers Smokes Pot" once again has a "funk thang goin' on". This largely instrumental track has got just about everything thrown in, including the kitchen sink - hip-hop samples, what sounds like a siren and a lead synth part that is a dead ringer for "Telstar", all superimposed on the funky/blues guitar backdrop. A few reference points from my own record collection would The James Taylor Quartet, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hawkwind.

This is a bit of a departure from the normal style of music reviewed here at Mood Swings and the first listen was a bit of a shock, albeit a pleasant one. I listened to this quite often between the other albums reviewed this month and found it let me approach the more conventional Mood Swings albums with a new perspective.

At the end of the day, the band's approach might just be that bit too contemporary to make me go out and buy an album by the band, but, based on this demo, I think the band have enough ideas to create an interesting and worthwhile album.

Through The Storm - Demo Tape

1. Wait For An Answer
2. Circle
3. Through The Storm

Album Cover:

n/a

Total Playing Time: n/a

Review date: 15/06/2000

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My expectation weren't that high when I plunked the cassette in the machine and hit play. There was surprise waiting for me because this demo contains some good old fashioned British style hard rock which I haven't heard that much of recently. The raw feel of the recording is not surprising, but what does surprise on first track, "Waiting For An Answer", is the big hard rock sound that includes a sense of melody. Rich's vocals rasp like he's screamed his lungs out the night before at a gig down the local rock club, but I like them and they fit the music perfectly. "Circle" is more uptempo rocking and is bloody annoying because it reminds me of something else, but I can't think what. This song sounds a little more polished and focused. I could imagine a band like UFO churning out something like this on stage. The band's signature tune, "Through The Storm", has almost a Metallica riff at the start before returning to the UFO meets Saxon meets Tygers Of Pan Tang style of the previous tracks.

TTS aren't breaking any new ground and I suspect they are perfectly happy not doing so. A 3 song demo tape is always are pain to listen to repeatedly because you're just getting into the groove when it's over and you've got to wait for the tape to rewind for a repeat of the same few songs. That rewind and repeat play process has happened quite often for TTS which is a good sign. A full length CD would solve this situation, so I hope some record label is reading this.

Chapter 23 - Flying In The Face Of Conventional Wisdom

1. Big Top
2. Shake Down
3. Come What May
4. Mr C
5. Cold Steal & Neon
6. Shoot The Moon
7. Catch 22
8. Can't Stand The Weather

Album Cover:

n/a

Total Playing Time: 46:07 m:s

Review date: 05/06/2000

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The band's style is best described as progressive AOR with a high keyboard content. With two keyboard players in the band I guess it is no surprise that the Chapter 23 sound relies heavily on this instrument. If you're looking for comparisons then fellow Canadians Saga are the closest I can think of.

Opener, "Big Top", does little more than welcome you to the album. "Shake Down" is an improvement and a lot more memorable. An uptempo catchy tune that reminds me of pomp rockers Styx. The organ and piano really drive "Come What May", which is back into Saga territory. "Mr C" has an AOR start, takes on more progressive elements as it continues, yet keeps that AOR feel thanks to the chorus. The vocals thus far have fallen into the "OK" category with Pierre Lauzon on lead, however keyboard player, Allan Wilmore, is let loose on "Cold Steel & Neon". As a lead vocalist Allan makes a great keyboard player, as his bad Neil Diamond impersonation doesn't help this tune. "Shoot The Moon" has Pierre back on lead vocals, although the instrumental passages grabbed me more than the vocal sections. A lighter slower feel is evident on "Catch 22". The band save their best tune for last. "Can't Stand The Weather" is the longest tune on the album at 7:43 m:s, but is nicely structured and finishes off the album with panache.

"Shake Down", "Mr C" and "Can't Stand The Weather" are the standout tracks & prove the band have plenty of potential. The other songs just don't get that little bit of special help required in the vocals department to lift them. One for Saga or Kansas fans to check out.

Seven Ltd - Reset Devices

1. Endless Goodbye
2. The Infinity Of Your Smile
3. Shine Your Light On Me
4. Seven
5. Worlds Apart
6. Man Behind The Mask
7. So I Can See
8. Feel You Love
9. Matter Of Trust
10. The Candle

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 46:02 m:s

Review date: 19/05/2000

Email: info@vinnyrecords.com  

Opening track, "Endless Goodbye", is an uptempo pop-rock track with a Westcoast feel lurking in the background, which sets the scene nicely for a good portion of the album. However, on the second track, "The Infinity Of Your Smile", a progressive influence makes itself heard. The keyboards & Westcoast foundation has a progressive element built on top of it, reminding me of A.C.T., who released an album on MTM last year. "Shine Your Light On Me" raises the level of Seven Ltd's game up a notch, by combining the pop-rock with a good chorus, creating a track that makes the listener sit up and take notice.

The progressive influence really makes itself known on "Seven" which launches with considerably more force and at first had me wondering if I was still listening to the same album. The song develops nicely into the album's most muscular track. This is followed a ballad called "Worlds Apart" that displays a Westcoast, almost pop, vibe. "Man Behind The Mask" fits in with my description of the first couple of tracks. I found "So I Can See" to be a rather non-descript.

"Feel Your Love" is radio friendly uptempo rock that has the same feel to it as Van Halen's "Jump". "A Matter Of Trust" & "The Candle" close the album with a pair of Westcoast meets pop ballads that keep the listener interested to the end.

This is a good debut for the band. Whenever they get around to the follow-up, it will be interesting to see which style wins in the battle between progressive vs. pop that appears to be being slugged out underneath the surface on this debut.

Von Groove - Drivin Off The Edge Of The World

1. Drivin Off The Edge Of The World
2. I Can't Find My Groove
3. South Of Zero
4. Stone Soldier
5. Slide
6. Blue Murder
7. Control
8. Jack The Riffer
9. Cold To You
10. I Found Heaven

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 42:56 m:s

Review date: 19/05/2000

Email: roswell@sympatico  

Having done a lighter album on "Test Of Faith", my initial impression of "Drivin...." was that the band went into the studio to record an more aggressive album and that their sense of melody got left at the studio door in their zest to toughen up. This impression lasted for quite a few listens and I actually took a break from listening to this for a while. The title of the second track, "I Can't Find My Groove", seemed to sum everything up.

The title track kicks of the album in a big Zeppelin-esque fashion ala Kingdom Come. I've already mentioned the second track, "I Can't Find My Groove", and once I dismissed it as a heap of annoying noise and got on with listening to the rest of the album my enjoyment increased tenfold. I often start playing this album at the third track onwards. "South Of Zero" is propelled along by a bluesy riff and this time they include a decent chorus. Having redeemed themselves on the previous track, "Stone Soldier", sees the album truly back on the rails. This big melodic rocker is precisely the type of music I love. "Slide", "Blue Murder" and "Control" keep the pace up, albeit not quite in as much style as "Stone Soldier". When a melodic hard rock band attempt an instrumental it is usually time to go out, have a piss, boil the kettle or whatever. However, in this case, having given it a cool title in "Jack The Riffer", Von Groove do a credible Rush impersonation and produce an amazingly good track that keeps you entertained throughout. Having displayed their Led Zep influence at the start, "Cold To You" shows a touch of Rainbow (Dio era arabesque meets Joe Lynn Turner commercial era). "I Found Heaven" closes the album with a straight forward melodic hard rocker.

Once "I Can't Find My Groove" is over and done with the band do in fact find their groove and the album settles down to become a good solid hard rock album. With the exception of "Stone Solder" the melody and the hooks got a little lost in the desire to toughen up the sound. The result is an album which you're going to, for the most part, enjoy listening to, but which maybe won't whisper "Play Me" in your ear quite as often as it should.

FleshGordon - Demo CD

1. Sandy 
2. Dark Visions
3. Rockit Baby

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 13:30 m:s

Review date: 19/05/2000

Email: flesh4gordon@aol.com 

The first track, "Sandy", wasn't quite what I expected. This is a dark brooding track that at first reminded me of the Drew Barrett album I reviewed not so long ago. After a few more listens Billy Idol is another name that floated to the surface. This slow burner of a track works it's way into your brain and becomes compelling. Second track, "Dark Visions", continues were "Sandy" left off. That dark brooding atmosphere is still present, but there is more of a rock edge on display with a more beefy sound and a more urgent delivery. For the final track the brooding atmosphere gets kicked out in favor of a more straight forward hard rock approach for this uptempo track. This track certainly rocks out big time, but doesn't feel like it fits in with the other two tracks.

The first two tracks are a nice mixture of hard rock substance and dark Goth-like flavoring, whereas the third track heads off down an anonymous hard rock alley. I hope the band can work on the very solid foundation laid down on this EP because I always like to hear bands that draw from influences outside the traditional hard rock arena to create something refreshing.

Vanden Plas - Far Off Grace

1. I Can See
2. Far Off Grace
3. Into The Sun
4. Where Is The Man
5. Iodic Rain
6. I Don't Miss You
7. Inside Your Head
8. Fields Of Hope
9. I'm In You
10. Kiss Of Death
     

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 59:54 m:s

Review date: 31/03/2000

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After reading the reviews I was expecting a Dream Theater influence and, in fact, that is what raised my interest in the band in the first place. However, I didn't expect it to so dominant. Imagine Dream Theater with a more song orientated and more straight forward musical approach. Forget about there being maybe a few other influences thrown in there because I can't find them.

It sounds as if the band have set out to recreate "Images & Words Vol. II". It seems pointless describing individual songs because I'm sure most Mood Swings readers will have at least heard a couple of Dream Theater songs and will be able to imagine how this album sounds. This type of behavior might be expected on a debut when a band is trying to find it own style, but not on a third album. It is only on the bonus track, "Kiss Of Death", where the formula gets broken when the band adopt a style more like Stratovarius than DT. A good part of the time the variation happens within songs rather than between songs, the result being that quite a few of the songs sound similar.

Taking on Dream Theater at such close quarters is a dangerous policy, because despite the fact that the songs are well written and well performed, the overwhelming conclusion after listening to the album is that although it is a valiant effort, the chemistry that makes Dream Theater so special just isn't here. 

Chaotic Past - Yer-In

1. Tube
2. Summer Street
3. Hector
4. Room 28
5. They Saved The Face
6. Stability Song
7. Comadome
8. Ole Brown Door
9. Restless Whole
10. Empty House
11. Cartridge
12. Bondage Between The Mountains
     

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 45:16 m:s

Review date: 31/03/2000

www.chaoticpast.com 

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Chaotic Past consists of Chris Neumann of vocals, bass, Moog and harmonica, Sam McCall on guitars, backing vocals and keyboards, and Ross Kantor on drums/percussion and backing vocals.

This is a really strange one to get your head round. Chaotic Past have thrown a bucket load of styles into melting pot to create their own sound. Every time I listen to this I pick out another element. First off, I heard the modern/post-grunge thing and the blues, which made the album feel disjointed. Then I picked up on the Metallica bits, then the metal bits, then the progressive bits, and so it goes on. It takes a while, but eventually it all fits together.

"Tube" kicks off the album in an electrified-Hootie kind of a way. As a result the bluesy start of "Summer Street" comes as a surprise. The song has mostly a Southern Rock feel, but the chorus is decidedly more modern sounding. On "Hector" punk does battle with metal, with metal gaining the upper hand thanks to the guitar solo. The drums, bass and guitar riffs of "Room 28" say Metallica, but the vocals speak of something altogether more modern. "They Saved The Face" almost has me beat - Rush-style drums and bassline, blues and almost spoken vocals. Suddenly after all that chaos comes some fuzzy guitar sitting on top of lightly strummed blues guitar with a Hammond-style keyboard backing it up. However, the chorus of "Stability Song" keeps it sounding contemporary. For me it is the album's highlight. "Comadome" reminds me of Tesla's acoustic jam album. "Ole Brown Door" sounds like more Metallica before developing into a jazzy blues verse and a heavy and grungy chorus. "Restless Whole" is one of the quieter moments and has a sparse spooky vibe about it. On "Empty House" we get a trad-blues chorus and grungy verse. Then with about one and a half minutes to go the guitarist cranks it up in true HM style, before it is back to the trad-blues for the ending. "Cartridge" jumps around a variety of styles from quiet acoustic to a punk-style noise-fest, with some good guitar work in there as well. The almost 7 mins "Bondage Between The Mountains" mixes progressive elements with slow blues and includes a overblown guitar workout to keep metalheads happy.

 When I first played this I hated it. It sounded like a real mish-mash of styles and it sounded way too 90s (maybe that should be 00s now) for my personal tastes. After a few listens "Summer Street" and "Stability Song" sounded good and eventually the rest of the album started to appeal more. This isn't immediate and  in merging all the different sounds together, the 'hooks' have gone missing on some songs. The blurb that accompanied the album says that "the music is often compared to Supersuckers, Black Sabbath, The Who, Soundgarden, The Black Crowes meets Smashing Pumpkins, U2 goes grunge." Hell, I've never even heard of the "Supersuckers". To me blues rock means Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray 
Vaughan, etc, but to a new generation it will maybe mean Chaotic Past. 

101 South - 101 South

1. Freeway Ride
2. Run Like A Tiger
3. We Took The Wrong Road
4. Boat Out On The Water
5. Nowhere To Run
6. Your Razor Is Sharp
7. Casualty Of Love
8. She Walks On Water
9. You're So Cold
10. Nobody Moves A Mountain
11. There's A Train Coming
12. Live For The Moment
     

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 51:59 m:s

Review date: 31/03/2000

Email: rscraig@aol.com, greglynnhall@aol.com 

101 South is a side project by Harlan Cage mainman Roger Scott Craig. He has drafted in Gregory Lynn Hall on vocals, Chris Julian and Billy Liesegang on guitars and Hans Geiger on drums. I reviewed Harlan Cage's debut album back in 1996 just after Mood Swings came into existence and somehow that album didn't quite 'click' with me. Four years on and it is time to touch base again, not with Harlan Cage, but with a side project.

This album sees Roger Scott Craig staying in familiar territory. Like Harlan Cage this is keyboard driven AOR with a few pomp overtones. Asia meets Survivor is a good way of describing the sound.

"Freeway Ride" is an uptempo rocker that reminds me of Drive She Said on their slightly heavier , and less appealing, moments. Casualty Of Love is another example of this which starts like Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" and develops into a Bad Company feel. The band quickly rectify the situation with "Run Like A Tiger" on which the lyrics and music combine to remind me of Survivor doing a film soundtrack song. The keyboard driven mid-tempo AOR style of this song sets the precedent for most of the rest of the album. Other examples which standout are the "We Took The Wrong Road", "The Razor Is Sharp" which displays the Asia feel I mentioned at the start and "Nobody Moves A Mountain" which alternates between a gently pulsating verse and a more forceful chorus. On "There's A Train Coming" there seems to be a feeling of more space and this adds variation to the formula, creating one of the album highlights. The combination of Gregory Lynn Hall's voice and the musical style when I heard the first ballad, "Boat Out On The Water", had me reaching for the cover to check if it was written by Mark Spiro. "She Walks On Water" is the second ballad and is equally as impressive as the first.

Despite the fact that I generally like this type of keyboard orientated AOR (Survivor, Asia, Mark Mangold etc), after my first few listens I wasn't that impressed with 101 South. However, I stuck with the album and I'm glad I did. Writing this review was relatively easy and that's always a good sign. I've really grown to like this album, and although the couple of slightly rockier tracks don't work for me personally, they don't detract from the fact this is a good album that gets better with each listen. In fact, it makes me think I should have been paying more attention to what Harlan Cage were up to over the past couple of years.

Axminster - Axminster

1. All Tied Up
2. Only A Stranger
3. Love's For Suckers
4. Life's A Knockout
5. Hold Me Closer
6. Shame
7. Eye On You
8. Crack N A Shotgun
9. Teenage Livin'
10. Dirty Magazines
11. She's Got Money
12. Rock & Roll Infection
     

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 46:39 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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Axminster are a bluesy rock 'n' roll band that don't really care about which musical genre they fit into. I'm reminded to bands like UFO and Tesla. They're a good old fashioned ballsy hard rock band.

Drums thumping and guitars blazing herald "All Tied Up". This is high octane rock and roll AC DC style. "Only A Stranger" is less frantic and more melodic, with a Van Halen meets Motley Crue feel. "Love's For Sucker" is a sassy blues tune with a hint of Aerosmith meets Firehouse to it. From sassy blues to bluesy rock 'n' roll boogie for "Life's A Knockout".

"Hold Me Closer" is big slow number featuring plenty of fretwork. For "Shame" it is back to AC DC mode. Similarly "Eye On You". "Crack N A Shotgun" at first sounds like more of the same, but gets rescued by a surprisingly melodic pre-chorus.

AC DC clones Krokus spring to mind during "Teenage Livin'". "Dirty Magazine" might not be the most inspired theme for a rock song, but it's a nice example of blues hard rock boogie. On "She's Got Money" the band reinforce their party rock tag. As you might have expected Axminster keep the pedal to the metal for closer "Rock & Roll Infection", but remember to thrown in some melody for the chorus.

8084 - So Far

1. Too Late For Love
2. Hideaway
3. Badman
4. Hold On
5. Surrender
6. Fire
7. Thunder In Her Heart
8. Lonely At The Top
9. She Comes To Me
10. Lover's Feel
11. Call Me
     

Album Cover:

Total Playing Time: 47:14 m:s 

Review date: 17/03/2000

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Not surprisingly this album has an 80s AOR feel to it. Think of acts like Nightranger, Aviator, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite and Journey.

With "Too Late For Love" 8084 come out with all guns blazing before dropping down for the verse and back up for big chorus. I grew up loving this style of music and it's difficult for me to resist the charms of well executed melodic hard rock/AOR. "Hideaway" has a bluesy swagger to it and reminds me of Journey. I think the band released "Badman" as a single a few months ago. It bounces along with plenty of energy and is certainly the type of tune that would have you turn up the radio. The pace is kept up with "Hold On" which is another good AOR tune.

 With 4 pretty rockin' number under their belt the band opt for a semi-ballad, "Surrender", for song number 5. This type of song never fails to remind me of Journey. Both the rock out of "Fire"  & the Hirsh Gardener penned "Thunder In Her Heart" pass without being really worthy of comment. The power balladry of "Lonely At The Top" revives my interest. "She Come To Me" and "Lover's Feel" are more uptempo AOR. The mid-tempo AOR rocker "Call Me" finishes the album on a more positive note.

Back in the 80s there were a multitude of bands playing this style of music. Many have fallen by the wayside, but 8084 have emerged at the other side of the dark days of grunge to be able to show us that are still going. In fact, the band are current working on an album of new material. For the moment, I'm happy to be reminded of that golden era for AOR - the 80s. 

Millennya - Time Has Come

1. Faded Prints
2. Crazy Man
3. Truth
4. Don't Wanna Be Here
5. Dance Macabre
6. Heaven & Hell
7. Storyteller
8. Fooling Myself
9. Black & White
10. No Guts
11. Long Hard Fall 

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Total Playing Time: 40:09 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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"Faded Prints" starts the album off with an impressive vocal harmony that reoccurs throughout the song. The song sets the scene for much of the album - progressive style verses and AOR style choruses.  An excellent start to the album. A bit of Dream Theater style riffing kicks off "Crazy Man" before the drums take on almost a dance/jazz feel reminding me of The Scorpion's "Eye To Eye" album. Out of the middle of this a big chorus leaps out of the song to grab your attention. The progressive content is increased for "Truth" which squeezes in a quirky bassline and some offbeat piano in between another big chorus.

"Don't Wanna Be Here" is slows the pace down, but is spoilt somewhat for me by the strained sounding vocals on the chorus. "Dance Macabre" lifts the pace again before "Heaven and Hell". Whereas many progressive bands tend to over instrument their material, Millennya let this stark beautiful ballad flow naturally with mostly just piano accompaniment. Definitely one of the album highlights.

The stunning vocal harmonies that I mentioned at the start of the review crop up again on "Storyteller". "Fooling Myself" is a mid-tempo almost pomp rocker with another great chorus. Eloy sprang to mind when listening to "Black & White". "No Guts" is one of the more obviously progressive tunes and this trend is continued on closer "Long Hard Fall".

Millennya have shown a bit of initiative and created what I'll describe as "catchy prog". Whereas many progressive bands wouldn't recognize a good chorus if it smacked them in the head, Millennya have shown them how it should be done. The last band I remember trying something like this was A.C.T. Somehow the A.C.T. album didn't quite work for me, but Millennya have been more successful. After listening to this album, I'm intrigued as to what direction they will take next time out- will it be more progressive or AOR?

Dakota - Three Live Time Ago

1. Settle Down
2. Magic
3. Crazy For Your Love
4. Possession
5. You Can't Live Without It
6. When The Rebel Comes Home
7. Lady
8. Workin' Hot
9. Changes
10. One Step
11. It Get Easier
12. Restless
13. If It Takes All Night
14. Billy Boy *
15. Dear Love *
16. You Can Be*
17. Bad  Dreams *
    

* - bonus studio tracks

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Total Playing Time: 73:43 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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 "Settle Down" is lightweight rock to start the concert and is suitably uptempo to get the crowd in the mood. "Magic" is slightly jazzy and also lightweight. Styx come to mind. "Crazy For Your Love" is Westcoast and the first track to really come alive thanks to a good chorus. "Possession" ventures further into Westcoast/soft rock territory.

"You Can't Live Without It" is a big ballad with Jerry on lead vocals and Bill doing a fine job of complementing him. "When The Rebel Comes Home" moves uptempo and is the first track that really reminds me of present day Dakota. It could fit onto "Little Victories" very well. I was expecting a ballad with a song called "Lady". Instead we get a rocking slice of early 80's AOR. "Workin' Hot" has been revived for the latest studio album.

There is more Styx-style action on "Changes" which starts slowly, but turns out to have quite a rocky chorus. "One Step" features some lightweight jazzy AOR that  takes me back to the early 80s. The jazzy influence continues on "It Gets Easier".

I've mentioned Styx a few times already and "Restless" is yet another tune that reminds me of them. The band announce "If It Takes All Night" as their latest single on Columbia Records. Yeah, the good old days when the major record labels had AOR acts on their rosters.

 "Billy Boy" is a gentle tune with kicks off with a slightly country feel before becoming more jazzy. "Dear Love" continues the in similarly gentle mode. "You Can Be" sounds like a pop single from that late seventies period. As if to reinforce just how lightweight the band were at this early stage "Bad Dreams" is a slow ballad.

Listening to this album has certainly been an education and given me an insight into the background to modern day Dakota. There is no denying that listening to the material 20 years after it was first recorded it sounds a little dated in places, however I don't think any more so than that of their counterparts. On the sound front, the recording is remarkably good considering it's vintage. Considering that the early Dakota albums aren't available on CD, this album is pretty much an essential purchase for all Dakota fans.

Dakota - Little Victories

1. Don't Count Me Out
2. Hearts On Fire
3. Brother TO Brother
4. IOU
5. The Deep
6. Praalude
7. Little Victories
8. Let Go
9. Go Easy
10. Rescue Me
11. Wish
12. Next In Line
13. Friday On My Mind
14. Workin' Hot
     

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Total Playing Time: 53:25 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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On this album Dakota stick pretty much to the formula established on that album - AOR meets Westcoast meets mainstream. As with TLSM, the combination of keyboards and Jerry's voice make a couple of the tracks remind you of Billy Joel. Dakota toughened up their sound slightly on TLSM and I think they've continued that here, as guitarist Jon Lorance has more work to do than previously.

"Don't Count Me Out" is a piano led start to the album that comes across as a rockier version of Billy Joel. "Hearts On Fire" is an improvement with the guitars much more to the fore. "Brother To Brother" is a duet with Bill Champlin (Chicago). Not unsurprisingly it is a funky/jazzy uptempo tune in typical Westcoast fashion. "IOU" continues where the opener left off. This track was written whilst Jerry was recovering from a car accident.

Dakota seem very at home on mid-tempo AOR rockers and "The Deep" is a prime example. This is one of tracks were the guitars seem to be more prominent compared to TLSM. "Praalude" is a  short piano into to title track "Little Victories". In typical Dakota style this a keyboard based AOR tune with intelligent lyrics.

I occasionally hit the next button on the remote when "Let Go" starts as it doesn't do that much for me. "Go Easy" sees the band return to form. A change of feel occurs on "Rescue Me" which has a jazzy style that really makes me sit up and listen properly again. "Wish" and the slightly pacier "Next In Line" stick pretty much to the established Dakota formula, maybe a little to much. Yes, it is that "Friday On My Mind". Nevertheless an enjoyable, but perhaps unnecessary, cover version. The band end the album with a new version of "Workin' Hot", no doubt inspired by the live album to be released at the same time as "Little Victories". With the exception of "Friday On My Mind" I think the last few songs seem to sound a little too similar. That's about the only criticism I have.

Not that many bands are creating pure AOR these days, Dakota are one of the few and they are masters of their craft. "Little Victories" hasn't quite captured my imagination quite as much as "The Last Standing Man" did back in 1997. Maybe my expectation were higher this time around.

Danger Danger - The Return Of The Great Gildersleeves

1. Grind
2. When She's Good, She's Good
3. Six Million Dollar Man
4. She's Gone
5. Dead Drunk & Wasted
6. Dead Dog
7. I Do
8. My Secret
9. Cherry Cherry
10. Get In The Ring
11. Walk It Like You Talk it
     

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Total Playing Time: 51:59 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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Like COT, DD have released an album in 2000 and are looking to move their sound forward. Whereas COT opted for the dance/rap angle, DD have opted to include a few grungy elements to signal to music fans that they aren't a bunch of AOR dinosaurs rehashing past glories in the hope of making a few easy dollars.

Opener "Grind" is a big melodic rocker that immediately grabs your attention. Despite a change of singer & a grunge album, "When She's Good, She's Good" shows that the cock rock mindset isn't too far away. "Six Million Dollar Man" starts with a sample from the old TV series of the same name, before coming bang up to date with DD sounding not unlike Believe/VOR era Harem Scarem.

The tempo changes completely for "She's Gone" which sounds very like Foreigner's "Girl On The Moon", especially at the start. There is plenty of variety on here as illustrated by the next track, "Dead Drunk & Wasted", which has a Motley Crue/Poison feel. Next up Pull era Winger gets the DD treatment on "Dead Dog". "I Do" is a hook laden slice of uptempo rock that will please existing DD fans.

More variety, this time in the form of the lightweight summery semi-acoustic "My Secret", which gives the album a new dimension and is a good alternative to the expected sugary power ballad. It starts like Thin Lizzy before becoming Starz - that's "Cherry Cherry". It's party rock that sounds very familiar, even on the first listen. There is a GnR sneer to "Get In The Ring", which I think is one of the weaker tracks due to the shouted chorus being repeated too often. The album finishes in flurry of uptempo, heavy, even punk-ish, activity with "Walk It Like You Talk It".

DD manage to make this album modern sounding whilst keeping a sense of melody. I found it fairly easy to pick out definite comparisons for quite a few of the tracks. The result is that the album doesn't come across as having a coherent DD sound throughout. That's not really a problem, or a criticism, it just makes the album seem not very original sounding. However, let's not go there, if you're like me you won't have heard that many truly original sounding AOR album recently.

Crown Of Thorn - Destiny Unknown

1. Intro
2. Birds On A Wire
3. End Of The Century
4. Buried Alive
5. Missionary Remedy
6. Here She Comes
7. Lonely Is The Rose
8. Crying Game
9. Heaven Tonight
10. Time
11. Long Way  Home
12. Runaway
     

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Total Playing Time: 49:17 m:s

Review date: 17/03/2000

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"Intro" is a healthy dose of amusing cynicism about entering the year 2000 which sets the tone for much of the lyrical content of the album. "Birds On The Wire" is an uptempo semi-acoustic rocker which is an excellent start to the album with it's big hooks and big chorus. The verses of "End Of The Century" have a dance style rhythm and 'rap' vocals. Fortunately these are held together by a another rockin' big chorus.

On "Buried Alive" COT come over all Beastie Boys like. This is 'rap-metal with attitude' and has a discordant element running throughout. The band take a more traditional route on "Missionary Remedy". It has got a driving backbeat propelling it along, giving the song a 'ZZ Top techno' feel. "Here She Comes" is taken from the soundtrack to a film called "The Guilty". It is a pop style ballad that Savage Garden or Roxette would be proud of. The Bon Jovi overtones of the mid-tempo rocker "Lonely Is The Rose" heralds more familiar ground for COT.

The hip-hop drums at the start and semi-spoken vocals of "Crying Game" take the listener into a more experimental arena. Not so "Heaven Tonight". It features the  big hooks and memorable choruses that fans of "Lost Cathedral" may well be wondering about. On the slow track "Time" that ZZ Top feel crops up again. This track and the following "Long Way Home" exist, but go anywhere in particular. The album fades out with a ballad called "Runaway".

I've been listening to this quite a bit and to be honest when I added up the score when writing this review I was a bit shocked that it wasn't higher.  Taken on an individual basis (as I tend to do when scoring an album) some the more experimental tracks didn't cut it for me. However, I'd still describe the whole album as 'good'. I'm happy that COT aren't playing it safe and simply churning out "Lost Cathedral 2". A worthy addition to the collection of any COT fan, but I'd recommend everyone else should get "Lost Cathedral" first, before checking out this one.

Brett Walker - Lift Off

1. Rain In My Heart
2. Not About To Give In
3. Everybody Loves To Win
4. No One Left To Blame
5. You Were Meant To Fly
6. Long Way Down
7. Far Cry
8. Don't Mean Much
9. Walking In My Sleep
10. It Looks A Lot Like Rain
11. Fooled Again
12. It's Coming Back To Me
13. Travelin' Blues
     

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Total Playing Time: 51:04 m:s

Review date: 02/02/2000

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On this album Brett performs all of the vocals and instruments, apart from the drums which are performed by Tommy "Mugs" Cain, David Prater and Pat Leon. On the songwriting front, John Purdell, Jeff Paris, Carl Dixon and Timothy Drury help out with co-writes. Style wise, this is lightweight semi-acoustic pop-rock with a more AOR feel than the previous album. The second tune is all about the pressure within the music industry for an artist to follow a musical direction that is fashionable and trendy. Well, Brett's own views on the subject are that you should follow your heart and he has resisted the urge to change style or to pander to those who would like to see a carbon copy of the debut.

One of the places where I find time to listen to music these days is in the car and the majority of my time with this album has been in the car on the journey to and from work. It is a short journey and I've been listening to the album in batches of 2 or 3 songs. Listening to the album this way I was impressed. However, when I bought the album into the house and sat down to listen to is all the way through, it suddenly struck me how similar many of the songs sound. The majority of the tunes could be described as semi-acoustic mid-tempo fairly laid back tunes. There a few variations on the theme as some tunes have bit more of an edge to them (Rain In My Heart, Everybody Loves To, to name a couple). Moving the opposite direction, the gentler songs never quite become ballads, things just slow down and the arrangement gets sparser (No One Left To Blame & Walking In My Sleep). 

However, it you take the songs on an individual basis ( or in groups of 2 or 3 as I did when listening on my way to work), there aren't many that fail to impress. "Far Cry" is a tune that is an instant winner and is the highlight of the album for me. "It Looks A Lot Like Rain" is another good song that was actually written for a country artist, but which fits in with the rest of the album. "It's Coming Back To Me" is a good song which Brett describes as one of his favorites from all the songs he has written. Other tunes worthy of a mention are the Beatles/Cheap Trick influences opener "Rain In My Heart" and the "You Were Meant To Fly" & "Long Way Down" duo which both have a bit more urgency about them.

If you nip in, an grab a listen to a couple of songs every now and then, you're going to enjoy the album. However, longer listening periods will give a 'ho-hum' reaction.