HOUSE OF LORDS - CARTESIAN DREAMS
Out 18th September 2009 / Frontiers Records

Ever since their reunion, House Of Lords have had a hard time recapturing the sonic bombast of their first three albums. This is in no small part due to the absence of original keyboard player Gregg Giuffria, whose majestic synth tapestries dominated the House Of Lords sound from day one.

So how does the band fare on this new album, without even having a keyboard player in the line-up?  Pretty good actually. While the overall sound is more guitar oriented, the band still capture enough of their classic sound not to alienate the fans of the first hour.

Opening track “Cartesian Dreams” comes closest to the sound of Sahara. Power ballad “Sweet September” is one track in particular that would have benefited from a thick keyboard coating.
“Bangin” illustrates the current, harder edged direction of the band. “A Simple Plan” and “Never Look Back” again have more elaborate keyboard contributions. “Joanna” has a classic AOR chorus. Somewhat reminiscent of Toto, only with balls.  The song writing is consistent throughout, with a couple of standout tracks like the title track and “The Bigger They Come” (check those solos!). Guitarist Jimi Bell delivers an impressive calling card, his concise leads are among the most electrifying I’ve heard all year.

Even without Giuffria, House Of Lords remain an act to be reckoned with, as this fine album amply demonstrates.

Rating - 88%
Review by Joost
 

I have to admit I missed out on Danger Danger first time around. Being young and stupid, it can happen to the best of us… Over the last couple of years, I’ve discovered singer Ted Poley’s solo work, so my curiosity was piqued for this album.

 Listening to Revolve, it’s as if time has frozen in 1989. Big choruses, big riffs and big guitar solos all mesh together in an upbeat album that’ll leave a smile on your face. Play this album in the dreary winter months and you’ll swear you’re on a beach sipping a pina colada!

Tracks like “Ghost Of Love”, “Hearts On The Highway” and “Keep On Keepin’ On” will take you back to the heady days of Miami Vice, spandex and fun.  Of course there’s ballads as well. “Fugitive” is a bit subdued, but “Never Give Up” is typical AOR fare. Slightly pompous in a Survivor kind of way, it does expose Poley’s weaknesses as a singer.

Sure, Poley may not be the greatest singer around and maybe relative newbie Rob Marcello isn’t quite as proficient as Andy Timmons, but very few bands manage to capture the vibe of the eighties with their current releases. Danger Danger pull it off. Guess I’ll have to check out their older stuff as well!

Rating - 87%
Review by Joost

After several patchy releases, a misguided Dokken reunion and dodgy solo albums, George Lynch has breathed new life into Lynch Mob. Not necessarily a reason to rejoice, after all 1999’s ‘Smoke This’ was a dire release, not even a shadow of the classic first two Lynch Mob albums.

 The good news : this new album is a lot better than ‘Smoke This’. Sure, as the opening track 21^st Century Man hints at, George would love to be considered a contemporary artist, but at the same time the song is built around a typical Dokken riff.

 Most of the songs sit halfway between contemporary and seventies heavy rock. For some reason Bad Company occasionally comes to mind. I guess returned singer Oni Logan has something to do with this. Semi-ballad Lucky Man is a perfect example.  Time Keepers is a track that would not be out of place on Dokken’s Dysfunctional album. Quite a nice solo on this one.  Tracks like Revolution Heros, The Phacist and Madly Backwards pick up the pace and help keep the album interesting. We Will Remain is the first song to really capture a hard rocking eighties vibe, and may well have the best solo on the album. Definitely a stand out track.  Unlike most albums that fizzle out towards the second half, this one manages to build up and keep the attention for the duration.

 While Lynch is still a guitarist to be reckoned with, his playing is no longer as breathtaking as it used to be. He doesn’t disappoint, but neither does he deliver the fireworks like he used to. A track like My Kind Of Healer should have a solo that takes no prisoners, but unfortunately leaves the listener wanting.

George’s tone has changed, but not really deteriorated in the process. After the sludgy fuzziness of some of his releases this is as close to his classic tone as we should hope for. The rhythm section does a great job, Marco Mendoza in particular. Steve Coogan (no not the Alan Partridge Steve Coogan - Ed) is a solid, if inconspicuous, drummer.

After George’s misguided attempts at down tuned droning mediocrity, this album is quite refreshing. With a little more guitar pyrotechnics the score would have been higher though.

Rating - 83%
Review by Joost

For the uninitiated Michigan native Sean Baker is a guitarist whom anyone into the glory shred days as performed by the likes of Racer X will get an immediate kick out of.  Picked up by Lion Music after a independently self released debut, Baker’s Dozen as the name implies sees lead guitarist Sean Baker and his band deliver 13 slices of intense guitar instrumentals. 

Now before many of you stop reading right here believing this to be a purely notes per minute exercise, hang on; for that conclusion is further from the truth than you might imagine. Just one listen to the album shows that Sean Baker knows an instrumental chock full of his virtuoso lead work is nothing without solid backings.  Much like label mate Joe Stump, Baker has delivered a highly listenable and enjoyable album which a number of twists and turns but with the metal factor on an almighty 11 pretty much throughout.  Yes there are brutal displays of guitar virtuosity, but there is also a plethora of pummelling riffs that run from 80’s Shrapnel heyday through to intense workouts on a par with the likes of Pantera.  Without the lead guitar this album will please many a metal head thanks to its sheer musicality, yet with the lead work it goes to then next level.   For the icing on the cake throw in a sprinkling of guest performers in the guise of the aforementioned Joe Stump, Rusty Cooley and former Racer X guitarist Bruce Bouillet.  Up against these big hitters Baker shows himself to be their equal and hopefully the exposure that Lion can bring will see the Baker profile rise as he is a talent and then some. 

Special mention should also go to the Orchestra – namely Cmak Ashtiani (guitars), Lawrence Wilson (drums) and David Donigian (bass) who provide a wonderful backdrop for Sean to do his stuff over.  The production of the album is serviceable, quite raw and natural sounding for the drums (no worry of drum samples here) with an open quality that manages to avoid much of the sterile nature of so many guitar hero albums.  So in conclusion, a lot to enjoy, very little to dislike and one for guitar heads to check out asap.

Rating – 85%

With members linked to Firewind, Helloween and Metalium, amongst others, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is yet another Euro Power Metal sausagefest. Fortunately, sometimes appearances can be deceptive. Outloud is a lot more hard rocking than head banging.

Tracks like album opener “What I Need”, “Wild Life” and “Out In The Night” are blessed with a catchy chorus and will get your foot tapping along in no time. You can’t help but smile at the Bon Jovi inspired keyboard parts in “Tonight”. Sounds like metal man Bob Katsionis is a closet David Bryan fan. Of course there are a couple of big ballads. “This Broken Heart” may not be the most creative title, but it’s a textbook example of the power ballad with some hints of Vandenberg in the melodies, though the chorus doesn’t really grab you as it should. “Lovesigh” is more introverted, think Vandenberg (again) meets the Scorpions’ Holiday. You can take the guys out of the metal, but you can’t take the metal out of the guys, as tunes like “Breathing The Fire” and “Broken Sleep” demonstrate. Finally an album that ends with a bang : fast paced closer “Out Loud” is a NWOBHM inspired head banger that gives the album a nice sting in the tail.

 Guitarist Tony Kash was unknown to me, but his playing on this album puts him squarely on the map. The same goes for singer Chandler Mogel.  Mark Cross breaks out of the power metal mode and gives his bass drums a rest, to the benefit of the songs. The album has an upbeat vibe about it. It kind of references the eighties without attempting to sound deliberately dated.

 A fine heavy rock album. One of the surprises of the year.

Rating - 87%
Review by Joost

Cain's Offering is the brainchild of Finnish guitarist/songwriter Jani Liimatainen (ex-Sonata Arctica, ex-Altaria).  In 2007 Jani parted ways with Finnish power metal act Sonata Arctica, a band he since 1996 had been with as one of the founding members. With his departure from one of Finland's biggest music exports in recent years, all eyes are upon his newest project, Cain's Offering.

Joining Jani in his latest quest for world domination are vocalist Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius, Kotipelto), keyboardist Mikko Harkin (Solution.45, Mehida, ex-Sonata Arctica, ex-Kenziner), bassist Jukka Koskinen (Norther, Wintersun) and drummer Jani "Hurtsi" Hurula (Paul Di'Anno).  Some well respected names for sure in the Power Metal genre yet with Kotipelto behind the mic you always run the risk of Startovarius comparisons and on “Gather The Faithful” that feeling is pretty unavoidable yet that doesn’t mean it should be written off.

 Cain’s Offering peddle essentially melodic charged European Power Metal with all the trademarks required to ensure fans will instantly feel at home e.g. anthemic chorus, fast riffs as heard in opener “My Queen Of Winter” and “Dawn Of Solace” coupled with more bombastic slower paced offerings “Gather The Faithful” and the 6 minute plus “Morpheus In Masquerade".  “More Than Friends” takes the power metal feel but infuses a more hard rock edge to it, with a strong chorus where Kotipelto drops an octave and sounds better for it making this track a highlight.  The obligatory slushy ballad is represented here in “Into The Blue”, nothing new and quite unforgettable.  The rest of the album is more up-tempo yet there is still the underlying feel of having heard it all before, yet the members of the band are the pioneers of this genre as it is today so extra marks goes to them for maintaining consistency.

With the debut album, "Gather The Faithful", Cain’s Offering are a perfect match for fans of the members aforementioned bands.  As stated this breaks no new ground but there is nothing worse than average on the album (ballad aside), the production is full powerful and incredibly well mixed and the performances are also of a very high calibre – so it really depends on whether you like European Melodic Power Metal.  If the answer is yes then get this album, if not then check out some samples and see if its for you.

Rating – 80%

 

Italian progressive metallers Moonlight Comedy's lead guitarist Simone Fiorletta is back with his third instrumental solo album “When Reality Is Nothing”.  Following a pretty similar path to its predecessors “My Secret Diary” and “Parallel Worlds” the new album is quite a melodic affair being more about song led instrumentals as opposed to all out guitar shred. 

Opener “Thanx” is a solid starter with a nice melody, a nice musical backing and reminded me of some of the work on Joe Satriani’s “Extremist” release.  “My Brother” has perhaps one of the most 80’s vibes on the album but again built around strong melodies, some of the phrasing here is quite Neal Schon to these ears i.e. big long sustained notes with quick melodic licks.  “Dance In The City” has a funkier vibe which will be right at home to Vai fans, whilst the more progressive “I Believe In You” suffers somewhat from a mixed panning effect on the lead guitar which does get a little too much at times.  “Loneliness In Your Eyes” is arguably Fiorletta at the most melodic yet, and quite a contrast to some of the super aggressive output on Moonlight Comedy’s last album “Dorothy”.  This is followed by the uplifting lone acoustic track “Laura”.  Next up is the bonkers boogie “Oh No, Once Again?!” which will be an acquired taste for many.    Luckily this is followed by another album highlight, “Ehy...What's Up?” being home to a storming riff which works nicely with the Hammond Organ underpinning it.  Fiorletta throws in everything bar the kitchen sink on this one and it works well.  Closer “Like A Bird” is along the lines of the opening track giving a nice bookend feel to the album.

Really it’s a case of more of the same from Simone Fiorletta, if you liked his previous works you will like what’s on offer here being solid melodic guitar over strong instrumental backings which manage to avoid many of the clichés people often dread with guitar instrumentals.  

Rating – 78%

Good old Udo Dirkschneider, he’s sure not to disappoint. Album after album he treats us to his particular brand of Teutonic Heavy Metal. Sometimes with more success than others, but never embarrassing.- or brilliant for that matter. While the song writing doesn’t reach the lofty peaks of Accept’s best moments, it’s also never as bad as Accept’s worst.

 “Dominator” is no exception to the rule. It’s an album chockfull of pounding heavy metal. Udo’s voice is unmistakable, love it or hate it. With mid-paced stompers like “Dominator”, “Black And White” and “Doomride”, the overall pace of the album is on the slow side.

“Infected” is a great up-tempo track that balances the slower stuff nicely. Tracks like this and “Speed Demon” help keep the album interesting for the duration.  The obligatory pompous sing-along is represented as well, in the form of “Heavy Metal Heaven”. Not my favourite track by a long shot, but it will no doubt get those fists pumping. “Stillness Of Time” has some of the best guitar playing of the entire album. The less said about “Devil’s Rendezvous”, the better however…

 Production is typical current metal fare. It’s solid but not very dynamic. The guitar sound has been better on earlier UDO releases though, the guitars sound very artificial on this one. This line-up, with the exception of the drummer, has been together for ten years and it shows in the confident performances.

 Have we heard it all before? Well, yes… But that doesn’t change the fact that UDO have managed to release another album that is sure to please their fan base.

Rating - A solid 80%
Review by Joost

 

“Ram are undoubtedly Sweden’s true metal defenders”. Or at least, so it says in the promotional leaflet that accompanies this release. Bold words, considering Sweden at this very moment offers Wolf and a reunited Overdrive to the world.  “Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate” we read a paragraph further. Again a statement that is slightly off the mark.

RAM are a Swedish heavy metal band, founded in 1999. On this, their third full length, they serve up a dose of old school metal. And they do it well. The songs are heroic, with titles such as “Crushing The Dwarf Of Ignorance”, “Awakening The Chimaera” and “Blood God” giving a good indication of what to expect both musically and lyrically. Heavy Metal, by Thor!

While they really aren’t a match for Wolf, there’s little to be ashamed of here. The songs hark back to the days when Heavy Metal was young and wild and could still upset your parents. The musicianship is good and the singer has the kind of voice that drags you right back to 1983. Reminds me of Tokyo Blade’s singer at times. Which is always a good thing.

Priest? Maiden? I frankly don’t hear it. Mercyful Fate were definitely an influence, check out the excellent “Awakening The Chimaera” for proof. This band wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the early Metal Massacre compilations. Production is of course better than it was in those heady days. The album sounds old school but not in a contrived way.

Sweden’s true metal defenders? Well, these guys are in the vanguard, that’s for sure.

Rating - 83%
Review by Joost

Axxis are a German band with a long history. In recent years they have resolutely chosen for the power metal approach. It probably does them no disservice in their homeland. This band takes very few risks so we are offered a “by the numbers” power metal release. Everything fits the template, but there are little or no surprises. There’s no faulting the musicianship, which is competent throughout. The singer has a minor accent but it’s not disturbing - the keyboards however sometimes are. They feel tacked on for good measure and don’t sit organically within the band sound. Production is solid enough however.

Most songs are bombastic and epic. Helloween are obviously a major influence. The power ballad “My Father’s Eyes” is, frankly, pedestrian. Fourth song “Fass Mich An” is sung in German. Maybe they hope it will bring them the same success it did for Doro? It’s about as dire as the average Doro tune in any case! “Eyes Of A Child” is one occasion where all the pieces seem to fit being a thoroughly enjoyable song. “Heavy Rain” is another tune where everything falls into place nicely.  Album closer “Underworld” may well be the best song of the album, an up-tempo workout where even the keyboards slot into place perfectly.

A decent enough album but with not enough highs and unfortunately a couple of lows.

Rating - 73%
Review by Joost
 

Howard Leese is probably best known as one of the guitarists in Heart and more recently In 1998 Leese joined The Paul Rodgers Band and more recently became touring member in the reformed non Paul Rodgers Bad Company line-up. The press blurb states Howard Leese spent his career putting others in the spotlight and making sure they stay there, often being called Heart’s “Secret Weapon.” This his first solo record, aptly entitled “Secret Weapon” is an effort that’s designed to thrust him into the spotlight he so patiently has watched dance around in front of him for decades. Joing Howard are legends like Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow/Yngwie), Paul Rodgers (Free), Keith Emerson (ELP) and Jimi Jamison (ex Survivor) so I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect a great album.

Sadly this great album never emerges, to these ears it seems to be Howard trying to recreate the classic early Heart sound but failing, with many of the songs meandering in mid tempo land, offering very little excitement and to be honest mostly sounds dated, not classic, just dated. So we either get mandolin and acoustic textured bland rock, or when he does try new waters like the instrumental “33 West Street” with its fusion-y touches and “Rada’s Theme” which sounds like the closing title sequence from an 80’s TV movie, this adds little excitement either. The second half of the album is a complete snooze-fest with only the shuffle blues of “I’ve Been Leavin’ You” offering up anything approaching semi interesting, that said its still hardly original or better than anythign thats been done like this before and the final instrumental “Somewhere” closes the album with no fanfare at all, you get the impression even Howard was bored at this point going by the dullness of it!

Overall this is a very poor offering from Leese, classic Heart fans of the 70’s might find something to like but I suspect even they will be hard pressed to keep coming back to the album for repeated spins. A lot of talent on offer, a lot of promise but sadly no end product.

Rating - 30%