Brother Firetribe-Diamond in the Firepit   ©2014 Spinefarm Records
​Latest outing from this great AOR/Hard Rock band. This is the other musical personality of Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. Obvioulsy this is much more mainstream oriented than Nightwish, but every bit as good. This album is similar to their previous albums with an emphasis placed on melody and accessibility. This album will appeal to a pretty wide audience. Great musicianship and really good songwriting are displayed and  the overall feel of this album from an era gone by makes this an absolute blast to listen to. Definitely worth recommending, so do check it out!
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Night by Night-NxN   ©2014 Cargo Records 
​Night by Night features Sisters of Mercy guitarist Ben Christo and ex Voodoo Six member Henry Rundell. The music has a very melodic feel combined with some great riffs. At times Rundell reminded me a bit of Jeff Keith vocally, but the musical comparisons would differ. Night by Night has a bit more hybrid sound as there are definite old school influences, but at the same time has a modern sound infused into it. The album is quite good with a decent mix of lighter sounds and mid-tempo rockers. The album in my opinion carries a solid veteran feel to it and should see the band doing well in today's market!
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Wölfrider-Wölfrider  ©2014 Wölfrider
​I get exposed to music from many places. Wölfrider hails from Poland and offers up a 4 track e.p. that in my opinion fits very comfortable in a traditional heavy metal classification. Not a clone of anyone, but at times there were things the band did in these 4 tracks that had me thinking Maiden. Mainly in the guitar work, but it definitely sounded good. The music is pretty consistent in terms of intensity and will make fans of traditional metal fairly happy. In my opinion, it's all pretty decent, but felt 'Rise of the NWO' stood out as my favorite track. Definitely keep an eye on this band!
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Annihilator-Feast   ©2013 UDR
​Anytime I get a new Annihilator album, it is just that...a feast. Another solid effort from Waters and company here. The album is chock full of intense rockers, but does play host to some decent lighter stuff as well. There are many old school bands out there embracing this type of writing. Good speed metal or thrash if you like. The only issue I had with this album is it was hard as hell to get. Not sure what was going on with the distribution, but I eventually got it and enjoy it alot. There is suppose to be a limited version with a second disc and bonus dvd. My version is just the album itself. Solid nonetheless!
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Night Ranger-High Road   ©2014 Frontiers Records
​Another solid effort from the veterans Night Ranger. I go back with listening to this band almost to my first days of tock and metal, so I always pay attention. At times I haven't agreed with their direction, but always have admired their determination. 'High Road' is definitely well written. The usual melodic elements are here as is the great musicianship that fans have come to expect. To me, the music on this album shows the band as comfortable. There is a comfort zone where a band writes at it's best and this seems like it's in that zone. Good melodic music with an edge. Good choruses as well!
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