This week on the block, we have a Christmas album—and not just any Christmas album, but one from the legendary band Jethro Tull. At first, one might think, “What the hell?” But those who are die-hard Tull fans or just super fans of Christmas albums will remember this is not the band’s first venture into the realm of holiday music. The Jethro Tull Christmas Album—Fresh Snow At Christmas showcases the band’s love for the holiday season. Continue reading
Earth To Grace (Earache Records) is the Lancastrian quintet Massive Wagons seventh album, following on from 2022s rather good, UK top ten hit Triggered. They have teamed up with new record producer Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six, Architects) this time round, their signature brand of humorous and catchy Classic Rock is very much intact but with tauter songwriting and slightly bigger, shinier choruses. Continue reading
In this episode #205, Nik, Keefy, and guest host Don De Leuamont of Southeast of Heaven and Talking the Talk with Don review Foreigner’s second album, Double Vision!Continue reading
How many bands must play together before it is considered a music festival? If the answer is four or more, a festival has been touring the USA and recently landed in Holmdel, NJ at the PNC Bank Arts Center. The Freaks On Parade tour is one of the strongest bills around with Filter, Ministry, Alice Cooper, and Rob Zombie providing an evening of unparalleled energy. Continue reading
When bands make the grand announcement that their next album is to be their last this usually means one of two things. It won’t actually be their final record at all, or the end product will probably ending up being some lacklustre, contractual obligation full of second-hand riffs that never made it onto previous records. Continue reading
After a five-year gap between albums, Arizonan quintet Gatecreeper are back with Dark Superstition (Nuclear Blast). Their third album sees their heavy, Death Metal roar wed to more melodic and concise metal. A heavy band embracing melody like this might raise some metalheads’ hackles, afraid their band going soft, but fear not. Their heft and aggression is still alive and kicking, but just married to more accessible metal. Continue reading
Having teamed up with Black Keys frontman Dan Auberbach for the last two albums, on his new one Mood Swings (American Recordings/Republic Records/Snakefarm Records) Marcus King is helped out by producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin. Gone is the seventies, bluesy Rock N’ Roll of the previous record Young Blood, in its place is R&B, Soul, Jazz, Pop and Classic Rock influences with King’s smokey, bluesman vocals taking centre stage. Continue reading
Rock ‘N’ Roll might be a young man’s game, but it is not stopping the Robinson Brothers from again coming together on Happiness Bastards (Silver Arrow Records) to prove they still have it. If Amorica was the last album you picked up by these guys, then things have changed dramatically. If you are one of their more avid followers then you have heard their transition away from merely being a Led Zeppelin/Rolling Stones hybrid, so this album makes perfect sense.
After experiencing “creative differences” as part of Thundermother, Guernica Mancini, Emlee Johansson and Mona Lindgren left and formed The Gems – a three piece Rock band, and it is fair to say that this Swedish trio’s debut Phoenix (Napalm Records) is in similar territory to their previous vehicle: sixteen tracks of no frills Classic Rock built on chunky riffs and shoutalong choruses. Continue reading
This review was submitted before the sad news of the passing of guitarist and band leader Tony Clarkin. Our condolences and best wishes to Tony’s family, friends, and the members of the band.
It only takes a few moments of opener “Run Into The Shadows” to be welcomed with open arms back into Magnum’s world, as the opening guitar motif intertwines with the dancing keyboards and Bob Catley’s distinctive storyteller-cum-favourite-uncle’s-croon transports us into the kingdom of madness once more, forty-six years after Catley and Tony Clarkin recorded the band’s debut album, a fantastic record that laid the groundwork for a marvellous career.