UNBREAKABLE by Split Nixon
(Independent Release)
Kentucky based rockers Spilt Nixon are back with their latest release, 'Unbreakable' an impressive rock album full of powerful, but very catchy rock songs with southern accents. Split Nixon is comprised of, Jason Mays on vocals and guitar, Bill Dean on lead guitar, Jamie Hall on bass and Scotty Ross on drums. Melody and power are not always something that are captured together on rock albums but Split Nixon have managed it on this to great effect. Each song has its own sound and the pace keeps up with the powerful and energetic sound and theres the voice too match it. You are launched into this wonderful world with the rocking opening title track and the album just does not let up, delivering one rocking song after another. In the form of, "Truckin'", "Backseat Friday Night", "Hotrod Covergirl", "Suffer" and "Dead Inside".'Unbreakable", overall, is a solid listen. It's a good album to take with you on a long drive, as just about every song has something memorable going for it. Split Nixon definitely deserve the recognition that lesser groups have gained, as they seem quite accomplished in both musicianship and songwriting. It's hard these days to find good rock that is real, and that you can jam to. This album shows that bands are very much alive in the rock music genre, including Split Nixon. The combination of pace, power and enjoyment in a studio album is rare - extremely impressive!!
- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
BIG RED by Maverick
(Metropolis Records)
When Irish rockers Maverick released their debut 'Quid Pro Quo' two years ago, I thought the band put out one strong album. So, When their sophomore effort, 'Big Red' came onto my radar, I was eager to see if they debut effort was just flash in the pan or did the lads come through and put out another powerhouse album? For me, it's the latter, No question. The band is comprised of, David Balfour (vocals), Ryan Balfour (guitar), Terry McHugh (guitar), Richie Diver (bass) and Mike Ross (drums). This band rocks, plain and simple! All the obvious influences are present - the Crüe, Skid Row, AC-DC - but with a fresh modern twist. They're the band that tears down the local club with balls to the wall songs about drinking and debauchery. Song titles like "All For One", "Free" and "Mademoiselle" and "Forever" tell you exactly what to expect from this powder keg of an album. Other tracks guaranteed to get your rocks off are, "Whiskey Lover", "Beyond The Gates" and the lead off single, "Asylum" featuring, Jakob Samuel, lead singer of THE POODLES and the former ALICE COOPER guitarist Kane Roberts. The whole album is just killer. Musically, the band is tight. Dishing out one rocker after another that is in your face with plenty of melodies and hooks to have you shamelessly nodding your head to. The vocals of David Balfour are solid, it's the old story of the difference between a great singer and a great frontman. On the evidence of this release he is probably in the latter category. You wouldn't know it from the inane stuff that gets played on mainstream rock radio, but this is a great time to be a rock n' roll fan. Not a lot of good hard rock comes out nowadays, so you have to appreciate it when you find it. Maverick do it right and with, 'Big Red' , and their debut outing, 'Quid Pro Quo' Maverick should be set for the coming decade. Cheer guy! Great job!
- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
CRUZH by Cruzh
(Frontier Records)
Forged from the ashes of the Swedish glam band Trash Queen comes CRUZH, the melodic rock trio set on putting their on stamp on the music world. The trio is comprised of, Dennis Butabi Borg (bass), Anton Joensson (guitar, backing vocals)and Tony Andersson (vocals, keyboards). I consider the band's self titled debut somewhat of a similar effort of others within the melodic rock genre, bands like Stage Dolls, Alien and Strangeways come to mind. The production on the album, and the songwriting is top of the line as expected from any Swedish band. That being said, this is still a very enjoyable listen. "In N' Out Of Love" is a great melodic mid-tempo mover, as are, "Cruzh", "Aim For The Head" and "Stay". In the rock ballad department, the trio deliver the goods with the Survivor-ish "Anything For You" and "Stay". Other tracks are also very enjoyable. "Survive" has a big sound. "Set Me Free" and "Before I Walk Alone" are a nice shot of melodic rock adrenaline. Overall, Cruzh's debut is a strong album chalk block full of solid songs that is definitely going to make a lot of melodic rock fans happy. If your tastes run towards bands like, Stage Dolls, Survivor, Alien and melodic rock in general, you’ll want to check out what Cruzh bring to the table.
- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
ONE FOR THE ROAD by King Company
(Frontier Records)
Finnish rockers King Company breakout out onto the rock music scene with their powerful debut release, 'One For The Road'. The band is comprised of, Pasi Rantanen (vocals), Antti Wirman (guitar), Jari Pailamo (keyboards), Time Schleifer (bass) and Mirka Rantanen (drums). The Band's debut album is simply an incredible slab of melodic hard rock. It's has all the elements that any rock music fan could want. The band's biggest influences come from iconic rock bands such as Deep Purple, Rainbow and Whitesnake, but also from other great acts like Europe, Mr Big, Lynch Mob, and Dokken. From Antti Wirman's slamming guitar hooks to Pasi Rantanen's raspy (but powerful) voice, what can you say about this guy, absolutely powerhouse singing, to that upbeat tempo that makes this album impossible to listen to while sitting still. You just have to get up and move when a songs like, "One For The Road","Shinning", "Wheels Of No Return" and "Coming Back To Life" come on. Even the laid back number, "No Man's Land" is impressive enough to keep you from hitting the skip button. King Company is a rock band that hits all of the right notes in terms of what listeners of this genre want to hear. The edge here is that this sounds fresh, energized. They are amazing musicians and manage to put their own stamp on the sound for today. Their debut offering will put smile on your face while giving you a chill going up and down your spine with the pure rock and roll greatness that is King Company. If high energy in your face melodic hard rock is your thing, then your so gonna love, 'One For The Road'. An impressive debut indeed.
- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
CRY OF DAWN Feat. Goran Edman by Cry of Dawn
(Frontier Records)
Veteran singer Göran Edman returns with his highly anticipated new project Cry Of Dawn. The new project also features, Michael Palace - Guitars and bass, Sören Kronqvist - Keyboards and Daniel Flores - Drums and keyboards. This is the album Göran Edman fans have been waiting for. His unique vocal style has been embraced by numerous genres including neoclassic metal, progressive rock and AOR just to name a few. His vocals can be found on records from John Norum, Yngwie Malmsteen, Brazen Abbot, Glory among others. Göran Edman does a simply flawless job of delivering everything a melodic record needs: power, melody, and soaring energy. The production is solid and sounds open enough to let things breath. Edman gets to indulge his love of the heartfelt ballad but also gets to unleash his roar on a number of tunes and the upbeat nature of many of the tracks really keeps this from being a rather easily dismissed wimpfest. Highlights include, "Chance", "Listen To Me," "When Right Is Wrong", "Building Towers" and "Hands Around My Heart" but the whole album is solid. Overall, Cry Of Dawn's debut is pure melodic rock gold. It has that vintage AOR/arena rock feel, and every aspect from the songwriting to the musicianship to the vocals to the production is absolutely top notch. This is a must-have melodic rock album any way you look at it. If you like melodic rock - old, new, European, American, whatever - do yourself a favor and pick up this album. Hats off to Göran Edman and the band for an outstanding job!
- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Palace
(Frontier Records)
In a year when it seems like a lot of 80s Hard Rock bands are on the comeback trail (Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Dokken, Journey, Tesla, and Great White), Palace is a band who wasn't around during that era, but is heavily influenced by that era, may have put out one the best melodic hard rock this year. So, who are Palace? The band was founded by lead singer and guitarist Michael Palace. The lineup is rounded out by Rick Digorio on guitar, Marcus Johansson on drums and Soufian Ma'Aoui on bass. Heavily influenced by 80's imagery and sounds, Palace delivers massive arena rock with a modern touch! AOR fans of all ages will find much to love among the eleven hard rocking tracks on "Master Of The Universe". There is excellent songwriting, singing, and musicianship. As far as the music is concerned, it's well balanced. Meaning, there's enough crunch to not over power the melody and enough keyboards to add depth. From the pulsating opening track "Master Of The Universe" to the driving "Man Behind The Gun", to the heartfelt "Rules Of The Game" to the smooth laden groove of, "Stranger's Eyes". Every song has that vintage AOR/arena rock feel. Palace delivers truly unforgettable slice of melodic hard rock here. The musicianship is outstanding; strong guitars, rhythmic drums, throbbing bass, and soaring smooth vocals. Sound quality, engineering, and mixing for this album are all on point. The production quality for this album is really top-notch! 'Master Of The Universe' by Palace is pure melodic rock gold. This one is easy to recommend. If you like melodic rock at all, you NEED this album in your collection. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
ALIEN ARCHITECT by Another Lost Year
(Emp Label Group)
Charlotte, North Carolina's Another Lost Year are back with their sophomore release, 'Alien Architect'. Having impressed me with their 2012 debut, 'Better Days', I was curious to hear what the band would be the second time around. So how does it hold up to their debut? Rather good, actually! There are a few mainstream bands who manage to still hold my attention and Another Lost Year is at the very top of that list. The new album is a welcome return to great, catchy and infectious melodies, hooks and riffs. While I still need to give this album more time to fully digest, my early favorites are "Bastard Sons (featuring Jose Urquiza from 3 Years Hollow), "Trigger Finger", "Run The Tank Out" and the lead off single, "Wolves". For a sophomore release this is a very strong and solid effort. I could easily see just about every song on this disk making it to radio airplay. They are all very radio-friendly. And normally, too much radio-friendliness and catchiness would turn me away. But not here. In addition to the powerful hooks, these songs have a deep groove that grabs me and keeps me listening. So I can't fault the music, at all. The lyrics are very good as well. However, it seems that each song is lyrically written with a few very nice and meaningful lines. Then, those nice lines are repeated over and over. Nothing wrong with a bit of repetition, and some of the best songs ever written are very repetitive. However, I would have loved to see the band expand a bit more on the intriguing ideas they began to present in each song. I get the feeling they are very capable of it, and could have given the songs a bit more depth than they already have. If they keep making records like this, Another Lost Year is going to be around for a long, long time! This is a very tight, talented band.- Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society
