CD REVIEW: ROCK N ROLL HIT MACHINE by AMERICAN MAFIA

ROCK N' ROLL HIT MACHINE 
by American Mafia
(Grooveyard Records)

New York based rock band, American Mafia unleash their powerhouse debut, 'Rock N' Roll Hit Machine', serving up  a hearty dose of classic blues-soaked hard rock that brings back memories of Montrose, Led Zep,Robin Trower-hell,ANY great classic blues rock of the 70's!!  Get this one folks-it ROCKS!!  American Mafia is the brain-child of Tom Jude (Doro Pesch/Holy Water) on guitar & Freddy Villano (Quiet Riot/Widowmaker/Holy Water) on bass, American Mafia also includes Bobby Marks (Dokken) on drums. The band also boasts an  impressive cast of outstanding rock singers,  John West (Badlands/Artension/Royal Hunt), Jimmy Kunes (Cactus/Savoy Brown/Flood the Engine), Don Chaffin (VOX/Red Lamb), Mike DiMeo (Riot/Masterplan/The Lizards), Ed Terry (Rondinelli/Rage & Beyond) & David Knight (Holy Water). All 12 tracks that make up the album are like a fine whiskey on ice, smooth, yet with enough bite to let you know there is fire in that water. The album covers a range like no other, "Obsession" has that hard driving beat that keeps rock music alive, "Every Time" has that Mountain meets Free artistry, while tracks like, "Death & Satisfaction" , "Friendly Fire", "Man On The Flying Trapeze" and a killer cover of the Stevie Wonder classic, "Living In The City"  shows off the band's bravado and tightness, and the slow burning movers "Let Me Know" and "All I Need" yield melodies that surprise. The vocal performances are just amazing and go from an aggressive driving voice right down to passion filled. The bottom line is 'Rock And Roll Hit Machine' is a solid rock recording powered by real musicians playing some of the most refreshing music to come along in a very long time. It's a whiskey drenched rocker of a release. Just like a fine aged whiskey, it taste better with time, goes down easy, & packs a wallop! If you are sick of all the same old junk out there give American Mafia a shot. My only advice is shut your I phone off, pop it in your car, open all the windows and play it loud! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

CD REVIEW: THIS IS WHO WE ARE by RIOT HORSE

THIS IS WHO WE ARE by Riot Horse
(Metalville Records)

Love the debut album from Swedish rock band, Riot Horse. With a style that infuses classic heavy bluesy rock with heavy riffing and groove, Riot Horse lay the hammer down with their debut album, 'This Is Who We Are'. The band's "horse power" is made up of, Andreas "Adde" Sydow (vocals), Nille ‘Neil’ Schuttman (guitars), Joacim Sandin (bass) and Jonas Langebro (drums). These guys really rock and have great creativity to their songs. The band's debut release, 'This Is Who We Are' has a fresh sound, but is firmly routed in that Classic Rock vibe. In places very reminiscent of Led Zep and many other 70's rock bands. The songs have great hooks and energy - good honest rock. You can hear the influences of a range of bands and periods in this, but it still comes out sounding fresh and original. The opening track "Get Your Hands Up" builds you up for what the band is all about and it just flows into the rocking "Bring'em On" which is just a stunning track. Then you have super charged movers like, "My Mountain", "Going Undercover" and "Shine", that are guaranteed to get your rocks off. Then there is, "Medicine Man"a monster of a track that show just tight this band truly is. If you have heard evern one track by this band and liked it, I would definitely recommend this album to you as it is just stunning.  If you like "classic rock", then this album is for you. Riot Horse is not a band merely copying their influences,  but a band making music whilst wearing their influences on their sleeve. Front to back, 'This Is Who We Are' by Riot Horse is a solid ball of rock and this band deserve your full attention. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

Artist Interview: Andreas Sydow of RIOT HORSE

PURE ROCK N ROLL HORSE POWER!

Swedish Rockers RIOT HORSE

Interview by The Dedicated Rocker Society

In 2006 the Danish/Swedish heavy band Sons Of Tomorrow decided to take a long time break. Guitarist Nille 'Neil' Schüttman have had a vision for many years. To set up a new heavy rock band with a more classic sound. The inspiration came from bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Free and The Black Crowes. Bluesy, groovy and heavy riffing. Just a couple of weeks after Sons Of Tomorrow announced their hiatus, Nille called some musicans and asked them to join. Some of them were old Sons Of Tomorrow fellows and some of them were new friends. 

After jamming the new ideas Neil knew that this was not only going to be a temporary project. The seed of Riot Horse was sown… By 2011 Neil had tried numerous different constellations for Riot Horse but constantly found it difficult to keep the band together. He was just about to give it all up when he was convinced by bass player at the time, Anders Johansson, to give it one more try with a couple of guys Anders knew. In came Andreas Sydow, former metal vocalist of Darkane and drummer Jonas Langebro (ex. Bai Bang). The chemistry was instant and unquestionable. During the first rehearsals the songs started to come together. A lot of the riffs that Nille had worked up through the years came together with Andreas melodies in a magical fusion. With Joacim Sandin (former bandmate with Jonas in Bai Bang) replacing Anders on bass, the band was complete. Riot Horse had found their sound! Classic heavy rock that kicks ass, straight from the heart!! Dirty, groovy and sexy... WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF RIOT HORSE!!

Riot Horse frontman, Andreas Sydow talked about his band and shared his thoughts on the band's debut release, 'This Is Who We Are'.

Q: How long did the album take to record? How many songs did you actually write for the album?

Andreas Sydow: We didn't do everything in one streak. The basics where recorded during a week or so. Then we did additional recordings, like guitar solos, vocals and such, during weekends and evenings. With the mixing I guess it took all in all about 6 months to complete. But in effective time it was probably something like 3 weeks. Ha-ha! When we started the recording we agreed on recording the basics for all the twelve songs we had at the time and later decide which ones to go ahead with. In the end we felt that we wanted all the twelve songs on the album so we didn't cut anyone of them.

Q: What is the song writing process for you as a band? Group or individual?

Andreas Sydow: Most of the time Neil comes to rehearsal with a riff or an idea to a song and then everyone pitches in their own parts to that. So the songs sort of evolve in the rehearsal room. On the new songs both me and Joacim has come up with some ideas to start with. When it comes to the lyrics everybody pitched in on different songs.

Q: Your four song Ep was released in 2012, did you re-record the songs to add on your debut, 'This Is Who We Are'? Or did you leave them as is?

Andreas Sydow: Well, that EP was originally never ment as more than a demo but when the result ended up sounding as good as it did we thought - why not just put it out there digitally? When we started recording the rest of the songs for the album we figured that the basics of the songs on the EP was good enough to use. We used the same studio and sound guy (Richard Larsson @ Handsome Hard Studio) which made it simple to keep working on them as they were. We did re-record the bass guitar for those four songs, since we have a new bass player in the band, and we did some additional vocals and other stuff to spice them up a bit.

Q: Memorable moment(s) in the making of, 'This Is Who We Are', good or bad, that you can share with us? Are you satisfied with how the album turned out?

Andreas Sydow: We are very satisfied with the result! We wanted to do an album that included all of the elements that make up Riot Horse and I really believe we managed just that. It made sense to name the album "This is who we are" as it makes for a good presentation of the band. I don't know about memorable moments. The recordings went without any special accidents or mishaps but I do remember when Jonas insisted on bringing his giant gong and wanted to use it since he'd never had the chance to use it on any recording before! It was a challenge for Richard and a lot of laughter for the rest us in the band. We have a few great photos of that!

 An emotional moment for me was when we did the vocals for "Hold me", which was the last song we did vocals for. The studio was booked on sunday the 18th of august. On saturday morning August 17th my father passed away. I could've cancelled the recording session but instead I decided to use all my sadness in that performance. I know that's what my dad would've wanted and it was a good way for me to deal with the grief and sorrow. I'm very proud of that today.

Q: Have you guys shot a music video for any of the songs off the album? If you have, which song(s)?

Andreas Sydow: We've shot a few shows during the last year and some of that is used in a video for the song "Medicine Man", which will be released with the album release in the US.

Q: Your bio states you guys are influenced by "The Classic Rock Era", which band or bands would you say you most  influenced by?

Andreas Sydow: There are so many... Obviously the giants like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath etc. But there are so many less well known but equally great bands from that era.

Q: Do you include "Covers" during your live set? If so, which songs do you cover? If not, which songs would you consider?

Andreas Sydow: We've done a few covers just for the fun of it. "Fever Dog", featured in the motion picture Almost Famous, is a cool song we've done a couple of times. We've also played the Led Zep song "What is and What Should Never Be".

Q: Are there any plans for you guys coming to America to do some shows? If you do get to come over, who would like to tour with?

Andreas Sydow: I would love to do an american tour with Riot Horse! I was fortunate to get the chance of doing it once with my former band DARKANE and I would love to do it again. We have a few connections in the New York area and in Los Angeles and I hope we can make some shows happen in the future. When it comes to touring I would love to get a support slot for bands like Rival Sons, Blackberry Smoke or The Temperance Movement. All of them are doing quite well in Europe. Naturally bands like Whitesnake, Deep Purle, Black Sabbath and Aerosmith would benefit from having Riot Horse opening for them! Ha-ha!

Q: What goals have set for yourselves as a band?

Andreas Sydow: We do what we do because we love it! We're not really big on "goals". We'll just see what comes along and we're ready to grasp the opportunities when presented to us.

Q: Complete this sentence: The reason why you should check out Riot Horse is because......

Andreas Sydow...We carry the heritage of giants with respect and because heartfelt music never gets outdated! The journey of Riot Horse is just beginning... Cheers!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON, RIOT HORSE please visit:
http://www.riothorse.com/page/Default.cfm

CD REVIEW: SOULBENDER II by Soulbender

SOULBENDER II by Soulbender 
(featuring Michael Wilton of Queensryche) 
(Rat Pak Records)

Soulbender is comprised of Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton, vocalist Nick Pollock (My Sister’s Machine), guitarist Dave Groves (ex-Tin Pan/Fallen Angel) and drummer Wes Hallam (ex-Assault/Fallen Angel). Formed in 2004, the Seattle, Washington based band are back with their sophomore release, 'Soulbender II'. A balls to the wall recording from start to finish. Sonically it's fantastic. The songs are hard and inspired and the moods change throughout the record. The album contains four all new songs "Turn Anger Up", "Shoal", "Slave To Reality" and "Seraphim". Also original tracks from their debut in the form of , "Fix Me", "Clockwork" and "Compass", "Rabbit Hole", "The American", "This Ocean", "Hunger" and "Three Towers". I won't give away too much, but this album offers a little bit of everything from Hard Rock to metal. If you like your rock music with a little teeth, but also enjoy a good listen, 'Soulbender II' is just what the doctor ordered! Overall, Soulbender doesn't invent anything new, but they serve up a style of hard rock/heavy metal that legends have created and forge their own legacy and trademark. Great album and highest recommendation! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

CD REVIEW: S/T by RED ZONE RIDER

S/T by Red Zone Rider
(Magna Carta Records)

Red Zone Rider have put out a powerhouse of a debut. The band is made up of the stellar talents of, Kelly Keeling (vocals, bass, keyboards), Vinnie Moore (guitar) and Scot Coogan (drums). From the moment, "He'll No" opens the album the trio have your undivided attention.  Your listening experience just gets better from there with, "By The Rainbow's End", "House Of Light" , the laid back bluesy, "Cloud Of Dreams" with Kelly Keeling belting out passion filled vocals. On, "Never Trust A Woman" and "The Hand That Feeds You",  the band's tight chemistry is highlighted to perfection. This is the type of recording that instantly grabs you and holds on the the end of the album. From start to finish this album is great! There is not one weak track on the whole album. The bottom line: Solid songwriting, excellent instrumentation and vocals powered by inventive and locked-in drumming will put Red Zone Rider on  the radar of lovers of hard rock, classic rock and blues rock. Red Zone Rider will take listeners on a musical journey spanning, at least, four decades. If you are a fan of that "Classic" hard rock vibe, Red Zone Rider's debut needs to be added to your music collection.What a great testament this album is to the power and agelessness of rock and roll. Ride on, Red Zone Rider! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

CD REVIEW: LOVE AT WAR by LIT SOUL

LOVE AT WAR  by Lit Soul
(Miss Crazy Records)

The music one hears on the radio these days calling itself Rock truly offers no depth except catchy lyrics and the same played out riffs. L.A. based, Lit Soul stands apart from the rest of the pack and rejuvenates the scene with low end bass lines and down trodden guitar riffs that would be commonplace on any hard rock recording. The band is powered by, Rob Chevelle - Vocals & Guitar (Founder, leader, song writer), Jess P. Tzimas – Lead guitar,  Jerome Severin – Bass and Ty Dennis – Drums, The vocals aren't the same rough grunting tone heard by most Hard Rock groups and Rob Chevelle's audible tones are on point as well as being backed by strong lyrics with something more to say then the usual Modern Rock cliche of how some girl ripped out his heart. For the most part the band's latest release, 'Love At War' stays at a mid pace with a ton of groove to keep you hooked. Though the band does kick up the pace occasionally such as the head bang worthy romp "Petrified Time", "Push On Through", "Stoner Rock" and "Leather Steeds" where we hear chugging gritty riffs and bombastic drums. Though where this album stands apart most from the hundreds of cloned Rock groups these days are the melodic guitar leads. Jess P. Tzimas' s guitar work is to commended ranging from simple tinge backdrop to roaring solo's and truly show a progressive edge. Safe to say I enjoyed the groovy and harsh guitars that Lit Soul succeeds at. All in all I have to admit Lit Soul, unlike any other groups out today, truly grasps what we need to hear more of in today's Rock industry, Musicianship. Lit Soul prove that there is still creativity to be found in today's Rock N' Roll universe. This band is extremely solid, have a great sound. My recommendation is to get yourself a copy, put on a good pair of head phones, turn the volume up to 11, hit play, and hold on! I dare you to try it... - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine

CD REVIEW: SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL by CROBOT

SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL by Crobot
(Wind Up Records)

The Long awaited and highly anticipated debut release, 'Something Supernatural' from from Pottsville, PA's, Crobot explodes out of your speakers as soon as you press play! Brandon Yeagley (lead vocals), Chris Bishop (guitar), Jake Figueroa (bass) and Paul Figueroa (drums), take no prisoners and hold nothing back as they rock your senses big time! Hooks: a musical idea or short riff, passage, or phrase that catches the ear of the listener. Some bands have 'em, most don't. Crobot have 'em in spades. Whether it's an extended blues jam or a short slice of bombastic heavy rock Crobot lay a hook so tasty everyone bites. From the opening, "Legend Of The Spacdborne Killer" the band proceed to and unleash sonic hard rock fury with unbridled passion and attitude with the supercharged, "Nowhere To Hide" and "The Necromancer" both tracks are guaranteed to get your rock and roll juices flowing! On, "Le Mano De Lucifer", the song starts off with a slow lazy swagger that morphs into a all out ball buster. Speaking of busting balls!  "Skull Of Geronimo", "Cloud Spiller" and an ode to the legendary bloodsucker, "Chupacabra", is just what the doctor ordered! Crobot dish out a hard rock sound that is beyond power, it is an experience. They bring back a time when a band, any hard rock band, put out an album and it instantly becomes a classic! Tap into the groove, run with the devil, turn on to the Crobot experience! 'Something Supernatural' is just that SUPERNATURAL! This album can't play loud enough!  Crobot have a sound that rock needs, and I hope they continue to wow us through the years. I'm hooked! - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine