CD REVIEWS for May 2014 / Page 3

S/T by Scream Arena
(Mighty Music / Target Group)

From York, United Kingdom, Scream Arena is a modern hard rock band that manages to avoid sounding either trendy or dated. There's a timeless rock & roll vibe on their self-titled debut album that too few bands seem to be able to capture. Formed in late 2005 by vocalist Andy Paul, Scream Arena went through a number of guitar teams before finalizing the line-up with guitarists, Phil O'Dea and Alex Mullings, bassist Lincoln J. Roth and drummer Michael Maleckyj. The band's debut is loaded with infectious rock anthems that the band's energy and obvious enthusiasm make very hard to resist. The album was recorded and produced with and by renowned Los Angeles based Producer/Artist Paul Sabu (son of legendary actor Sabu), who has worked with David Bowie, Madonna, KISS, Shania Twain and Silent Rage amongst others, Scream Arena is ready to raise the banner a little higher and a little prouder. Every track is a perfect blend of raw energy, slick guitar licks and ROCK solid vocals all blessed by the gods of Rock. From the opening "Born Ready" with the lads giving you fair warning of the throttling your senses are about to experience! The band hold nothing back as they proceed to put the hammer down with "The Price Of Love", a song that will definitely get your rock and roll juices flowing! Then there is the mid tempo groove of "Racing To The End Of Night", other personal favorites, "Heartbreak Hotel", "Another Night In London Town", "Goodnight L.A.", and the album closer, "Queen Of Dreams". There are a ton of great rockin' riffs, catchy melodies, and just plain songs you can rock out and beg to be cranked to maximum volume! If you're a fan of music that rocks, you should check out what Scream Arena has to offer. Now, listen up kids, check out Scream Arena self titled debut, it's a rocker! This is straight up whiskey drinking, hard driven rock and roll. Nobody's crying about how mommy was too hard on them. This is booze, chicks, partying late, and more booze. You cats think you can handle it? GREAT! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

BEATING TIME by Black Oxygen
(Dreamstreet Records)

Kansas City rockers Black Oxygen return with their sophomore release, 'Beating Time', produced by Brett Hestla (Creed, Dark New Day, Tantric). Black Oxygen are, David Lyle on vocals and guitar, brother Nick Lyle on drums and Jordan Myer on bass. As I listened to this album I felt something very comforting and honest about 'Beating Time', From start to finish this album rocks and takes you on a journey. The opening track, "Dirty Girl" comes at you like a punch in the face. If you like energy, you've come to the right place with the band serving up rockers like, "Livin' The Life", "Callin' My Name", "I Got This Feeling" and "All The Lies" all guaranteed to give you a shot of adrenaline. The band also have a melodic side to their musical repertoire with, "Think About It", "Take A Breath", the powerful "Life Is Good, 'Til It Goes Bad and "Girl I Used To Know". All 16 tracks on the album are keepers. Listen to the album maybe three times and you'll have all the songs stuck in your head. This is music with heart and soul and you can feel it when you listen to it. David Lyle's voice has a unique quality to it, unmistakable, soothing, and rough at the same time, it creates an almost hypnotizing effect. While the rhythm section of drummer, Nick Lyle (David's brother) and Jordan Myer provides the band with a rock solid foundation. 'Beating Time' radiates a unique feel of complete relaxation and reflection, while still maintaining enough excitement to keep you enclosed in the flowing sounds of a true rock set-list. Black Oxygen has the ability to put out an album that can be listened to from beginning to end without skipping a song. As a fan of rock music goes,  'Beating Time' by Black Oxygen is immensely satisfying. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine


SALVATION by Stonewall Noise Orchestra
(Transubstans Records)

'Salvation' the fourth release from Swedish rockers, Stonewall Noise Orchestra, combines Led Zeppelin-like sounds with the powerful, sludgy riffs of 70's Black Sabbath to come up with something amazing. The band is made up of, Singe on vocals, Snicken on guitar, Mike on guitar, Jonas on bass and Mr.Pillow on drums.The band defines what it means to fire on all cylinders. Singe leads the charge with vocals that are truly top-notch, as he delivers a truly empowering and inspiring performance that engraves itself onto the listener's frontal lobe after only one listen. And he is backed up by more than ample musical propulsion, from Snicken and Mike's industrial-strength guitars to Jonas's steady bass work, and Mr.Pillow's organic-sounding drum fills. The end result is a heavy, meaty hard rock effort from Stonewall Noise Orchestra, a group that can seemingly do absolutely no wrong. As they serve up an demonstrate on tracks like, "Die Die Die", "New Age" and the down and dirty swagger of "Monsoon Song". Other highlights for me, "Good Ol' Black Magic", "Empire" and "Beating Butterflies". Ten songs in all, there is not a spot of filler anywhere on the album. 'Salvation' is an absolutely rocking album with an original and authentic sound that will mandate you to keep playing it for several weeks for about fifty spins before you pulled it out.  If you like bands with the full package, then this is the one to check out. Tap into the groove, run with the devil and turn onto the Stonewall Noise Orchestra. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine


UNDER MY SKIN by Tempt
(Rocklahoma Records)

'Under My Skin' the four song EP from the New York base rockers the Tempt is a great preview of what the band will be dishing out when they release their full length album. The Ep was produced by the legendary Michael Wagner. The Tempt are a rock band that rock out old-school with a swagger. They are,  Zach Allen (vocals), Harrison Marcello (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Zak Gross (bass, vocals), and Jimmi Kane (drums). The guitar hooks are amazing, and the melodies lodge themselves in your head instantly. The EP features the lead off single “Under My Skin” as well as "Use It Or Lose It” an up-tempo rocker, “The Fight” a powerful fist pumping anthem and “Time Won’t Heal” a smash power ballad. The Tempt are , simply put, a powerhouse rock band. Power chords, great guitar riffs and power drumming all mixed into great melody and progressions. Rarely to I like every song on CD, especially this being just Ep, but these guys nailed it. If you are a fan of driving guitar riffs, catchy melodies, and thumping double-bass drums, then you'll dig 'Under My Skin'. Great guitar playing and riffs, plenty of hooks and strong songwriting and strong vocals. Everything blends nicely and I've enjoyed listening to 'Under My Skin' several times over and it gets better with every new listen.  I would recommend the Tempt to anyone that likes solid rock anthems and who just wants to plain, ROCK OUT! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

LIVE THE DREAM by Ethan Brosh
(Rocker Records)

Guitarist, Ethan Brosh returns with his latest release, 'Live The Dream'. The album was mixed by the legendary Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth), who Brosh coaxed out of retirement, and mastered by Bob Ludwig (Def Leppard, Bon Jovi) picks up where his 2009's 'Out of Oblivion' left off. Uniquely melodic, with well-crafted harmonies and adventurous compositions, Ethan Brosh's  has an undeniable 80's shred vibe, yet his playing unique enough not to feel dated. 'Live The Dream' is not your average guitar instrumental record, there is a lot of depth to these compositions. Great writing and great playing, even an appearance by Dave Ellefson of Megadeth on "Suspicious Exchange" and "Rude Awakening". Ethan Brosh is a fantastic player, a guy who knows when to burn and when NOT to burn, he has a lot of nuance to his style. He also has a lot of range, from shreddy 80's style to almost a Holdsworth vibe to laid back and clean, the guy can cover a lot of bases. As he exhibits on tracks like, "Forbidden Pleasure", "Space Invaders", "Clean Slate", "Up The Stairway" and the semi- acoustic frenzy of , "When Picks Fly". Musically and wonderful to hear. I think Ethan Brosh should be mentioned right along side guys like, Vai, Satriani, Becker, Friedman, etc. 'Live The Dream' lets Ethan Brosh show off his complex talents and abilities like few axe men can. There's a little something for almost everyone in here including slow stuff, fast stuff, solos, fresh melodies, shredding heavy enough to incite headbanging - definitely something fans of most genres can enjoy. Must have for guitar aficionados. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine