Michael Sweet - 'One Sided War' Album Review

Michael Sweet – One Sided War

August 26^th sees the release of the much-anticipated release from Stryper front-man Michael Sweet. (well, its anticipated in my house!) ‘One Sided War’ is his seventh solo release and it feels like five minutes since his last solo album ‘I’m Not Your Suicide’. I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed the heavier approach that Stryper have taken on their last two albums, and I’m very glad to report that this rich metal vein has transferred to his solo album also. Helping to add the ‘metal’ is none other than guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake / ex-Night Ranger), Will Hunt (drums, Evanescence), John O’Boyle (bass), and rounding out is East Coast shred-meister Ethan Brosh.

‘’Musically its my heaviest solo album. Its not thrash metal but there are definitely some songs on there that will pop out at you. There are some songs that have a bit of the Iron Maiden/ Dio feel to them, as well as some songs that have a little bit of Van Halen influence to them. It’s a very guitar-oriented, hard rock/metal album with lots of melodies and hooks,’’ explains Michael Sweet.

….and he is not wrong!

One Sided War, sees Sweet’s guitar army going straight for the jugular with an old school ‘twiddly-widdly’ opening, then it turns into a straight up hair metal fest with Sweet’s vocals taking centre place, trading licks with the guitars of  Hoekstra and Brosh. It’s a fast and frenetic opening salvo. Title track ‘One Sided War’ is more common fare, but is no less impressive.

I could go for hidden meanings, with the first 2 songs being 3:28 (Galatians – “There is Neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, not is there male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ”) Pure guesswork on my part I guess, but it’s a strong sentence.

It’s a wise and bold move for Sweet bringing in Hoekstra and Brosh. Hoekstra is bringing 80s head turning, ear melting solos, backed with the ‘apprentice’ Brosh. He (Sweet) doesn’t exactly need to concentrate on his vocals as he still has a great voice.

‘Cant Take This Life’, has the type of modern riff that would fit in with current Thrash or a band like Alter Bridge. One thing with Sweet is his strength of melody, especially with strong choruses that just trip off the tongue and straight into your ears for instant aural gratification.  ‘Radio’ shows off Sweet’s lighter and humorous side, ripping into the ‘Rock Guys’ (you know who you are), those bands moving over to Nashville, no doubt going ‘back to their roots’. (Yeah, right. More for the money I think!). ‘Golden Age’ is a thunderous tune, and has Hoekstra and Brosh trading licks aplenty. ‘Only You’ sees Sweet singing about God’s love and forgiveness. ‘I Am’ is more dirtier song and slower than its predecessors, and comes straight into Dio territory. Its more chugging than blistering, until we get to the solo of course. Sweet has a strong rasp than the usual soft vocals and is a different sound to normal. He is pushing his Stryper day job well to the side for ‘OSW’.

Michael Sweet wouldn’t be Sweet without a ballad (of sorts). I’m not a huge fan of the Stryper mushy ballads of old, and ‘Who Am I’ is more akin to ‘Whitesnake’s “Is This Love’ than ‘Honestly’. It’s a job well done. ‘Make Me Wanna’ gets straight to speed with yet another hook-laden chorus.  ‘One Way Up’ is up far too quickly and sees ‘OSW’ just fly by. Its more straight up rock and roll than anything else on the album, and is a bar room belter that’s for sure.

As a bonus, Michael seems to have unearthed a gem in teenager Moriah Formica. She takes vocals on ‘Cant Take This Like’ and really proves to be a potential star in the making. Just stay away from X-Factor / The Voice type shows and you’ll do great!

The cover is unapologetically ‘Christ-like’. A ‘Crown of Thorns’, with right hand about to display the sign of the cross, it’s a striking image, even for an atheist like me. I won’t let religion get in the way of a good tune and a great singer, that’s for sure

So to sum up, its Stryper (ish), but ‘OSW’ sees Sweet go heavier than he has done before and it’s the right call for him. Its got metal infused songs, with ‘that’ voice, ramped up with pulsating drums/bass, and topped off with 80s ear blistering guitar solos. Dig out your denim vest, original 80s Dio /Maiden T-shirt, drainpipe bleached jeans (leg warmers are optional) buy the best rock wig you can buy, and head-bang away to an 80s inspired metal fest with Sweet’s modern twist and great production. Don’t think ‘Stryper are God lovin’ wimps’ you uneducated pussies; put your prejudice aside, and listen to some mighty fine rock songs. I have been good so far and haven’t sworn at all, so excuse me, as I have to say, its ‘bloody great!’

93/100

Tracklisting –

Bizarre

One Sided War

Can’t Take This Life

Radio

Golden Age

Only You

I Am

Who I Am

You Make Me Wanna

Comfort Zone

One Way Up

Can’t Take This Like (Bonus – feat. Moriah Formica)

Michael Sweet – Vocals

Joel Hoekstra – Guitar

Ethan Brosh – Guitar

Will Hunt – Drums

John O’Boyle - Bass

DOROTHY - 'Rockisdead' Album Review

DOROTHY – Rockisdead

First of all, my keyboard isn’t buggered, DOROTHY is meant to be spelt in CAPS! I found these guys completely my accident on YouTube and I’m absolutely staggered by the quality of their music.

They are stated as saying in an interview, ‘’Basically, we want to make songs that we think Beavis and Butthead would like’’. I’m exactly not sold on that, as I’m one of the minority who hated them with a vengeance, but if you’re a fan of ‘proper, old school, classic rock music’ then you can look no further that this.

DOROTHY’s music has been heard by millions and featured on such TV shows as ‘Orange Is The new Black’ and ‘Pretty Little Liars’. The band is Dorothy Martin (vocals), Zac Morris (drums, not Saved By The Bell), DJ Black (guitars) and Gregg Cash (bass).

My love of this band comes with a caveat - If you’re NOT a fan of reverb and distortion then keep well away, as its used in abundance on every song. I cant work out of Dorothy Martin has….

a.     natural reverb in her voice

b.     she is singing through a loud hailer

c.      it was recorded in someone’s bog (for those not in the UK, bog = toilet)

d.     it has shitloads of intended reverb and distortion

Basically, if the reverb in her voice is say for example at a level ‘100’ as a measuring tool, then bass is ‘110’, drums ‘120’ and guitar is somewhere above ‘150’!!! On every bleedin’ song.

This is something that could easily get up your tits, but it all adds to the experience, as the quality of the songs  (for me, anyway) completely bypass any ‘dist-verb’ sensory overload.

‘Kiss It’ immediately gets all limbs kicked into gear, and the use of her ‘ahhh-ahhhhs’ takes the melody higher. I have to say that her voice is one of the few that has had me excited in quite some time. ‘Dark Nights’ has this pulsating rhythm thread that weaves its way through every song on the album (except the last). ‘Raise Hell’ is a song that screams Southern US, down and dirty, sweaty, sexy, and rhythmic; the kind of song that would feature on True Blood or Banshee. ‘Wicked Ones’ is my personal favourite on ‘Rockisdead’. Again the use of ‘eee-hooos’ is a simple thing, but oh so effective. ‘Gun In My Hand’ comes across as hymn, a powerful preach of a song, and Martins voice mixed with the harp, and acoustic slide combine beautifully. ‘Medicine’ man is simple bewitching, like a voodoo ceremony that you would see on the Discovery Channel. ‘Woman’ had a classic rock vibe, with Zac Morris twatting holy hell out of his kit, and DJ pushing them to the limit. Only ‘Whiskey Fever’ is the song that falls behind DOROTHY’s high standards, it’s a little repetitive. Its good, but as everything that comes before is so wonderful, ‘good’ is a noticeable drop! ‘After Midnight’ and ‘Missile’ bring the quality back up to 11,  and they finish on a ballad (of sorts) with ‘Shelter’ a bluesy number that I could easily hear Jay Buchannan adding his voice to. For me, to hear Rival Sons similarities is a big complement. The song revolves around Martin’s raspy, sultry and emotional voice and is a great finish.

Lots of female fronted bands in the 80s and 90s go deals on the gorgeousness of their singer. Dorothy Martin is a beautiful woman, but her voice is the key here as it’s just bloody fantastic

Probably one of the best 35 mins set to vinyl / CD I’ve come across in ages. The songs are mostly sort, snappy and straight to the point. An album doesn’t have to be 75mins to be good!

The album is great. Take my work for it. Also check out YouTube for some live performances that’ll really set your pulse racing. It’s pushing Rival Sons for my album of the year so far and that is saying something….my hope is that they make it big, really big. “Rockisdead’ is a bit of a ‘one-trick’, but that ‘trick’ is one of the best you’ll hear or see. There’s now’t wrong with a huge slab of blues/ heavy / swamp / stadium rock. I can’t wait to see where they go next.

Check out their version of Jay Z (Zed in the UK) and Kanye West’s version of  ‘Church In The Wild’ below. DOROTHY’s is a far superior version. Now THAT’S how you do a cover version)

Score 95/100

Tracklisting –

Kiss It

Dark Nights

Raise Hell

Wicked Ones

Gun In My Hand

Medicine Man

Woman

Whiskey Fever

After Midnight

Missile

Shelter

DOROTHY

Dorothy Martin – Vocals

Zac Morris – Drums

DJ Black  - Guitars

Gregg Cash - Bass

Dante Fox - 'Breathless' Album Review

Dante Fox – Breathless

Dante Fox are one of the rare breed of bands that started in 1989 and haven’t taken a break because….

-       .......of melodic rock going tits up because of grunge practically overnight

-       .......melodic rock has never been a true money earner

-       .......it was a necessity, and then subsequently a potential fad to ‘get the band back together and reform’ for a quick buck

No, its nothing of the above. In fact, they have ploughed along regardless of what’s going on around them, stuck to the plan of offering up cracking slices of music without diminishing returns. In fact, when certain bands are happy to turn out ‘average’ to ‘meh’, Dante Fox have been banging out a higher quality with each and every release.

I must admit that if I were Manford/Willetts, I’d have probably given up a long time ago, as the money in AOR is four fifths of fuck all. I guess Dante Fox would love to make a living just out of their music, but I for one am glad that they continue to put out music for the love of it. Over the last 15 plus years I’ve watched them (and listened from afar) grow as a band both musically and in a live setting. In fact, a Dante Fox show is a definite highlight, and a band not to be missed.

So what about their latest release ‘Breathless’.? Well I’m happy to report that it follows on a great tradition of cracking Dante Fox albums. Immediately you are hit by the quality of the production. Not enough is given to great production nowadays, but this screams quality. ‘Young Hearts’ is as pure AOR as it gets and is an instant memorable track after just the one listen and is destined to be on many a playlist. ‘All Eyes On You’ see follows the DF playbook, and solid riffage from Manford with a great bridge and chorus. Willetts had a 'Marmite' voice for me a few years back (only because high vocals play havoc with my tinnitus!), but on ‘Breathless’ she sounds fantastic. ‘Breathless’ has Manford digging into his ‘Best 1980s Hair Metal Riffs’ book and knock it out of the park. If anything the verse doesn’t quite match the riff, until we get to the chorus that is, and when they both entwine the result is superb.  ‘Break These Chains’ sees Dante Fox delve into ‘soft rock’ mode before kicking loose with yet another powerful chorus. ‘Broken Hearted Man’ has ballad running through it like a stick of Blackpool rock, and is also given the acoustic treatment as a bonus. ‘I Cant Stop Tonight’s' Manford riff comes straight out of the blues rock FM/Thunder school of music, and is a class act indeed.

‘Dynamite’ just slayed me. The riff is reminiscent of all you/me/we loved about some of the best songs of the 80s. It’s a  AOR-sters catnip. Willetts bridge and chorus just complement the riff perfectly. If it were Pat Benatar, we’d be waxing lyrical. After a couple of listens, its straight onto my playlist. ‘Love Affair’ is a full on 'No Limits Powerplay' (anyone?), a huge number that’s a live certainty. ‘How Will You Know’ starts off with Birmingham’s version of a Nightwish/ Evanescence track, and has a massive opening salvo.

 In a World where a lot of the melodic rock roster are on a certain European label, its great that Georg Siegl and his AOR Heaven label are a major exponent of offering up shit hot quality AOR (that’s ‘shit hot’ – punctuation is everything!). Not all the good stuff is over in Italy, in fact Dante Fox match up to or are as good, if not better than any melodic rock act plying their trade in the 21^st century.

If Dante Fox were a product it would be ‘Ronseal’ because the album does exactly what it says on the tin, I defy you to listen to this and not be…….. ‘Breathless’.

PS If you’re gonna buy one album in August, I cant recommend this one highly enough. Out 26^th August – go one, treat yourself!

Score 88/100

Tracklisting

Young Hearts

All Eyes On You

Breathless

Break These Chains

Broken Hearted Man

I Can’t Stop Tonight

Dynamite

Love Affair

How Will You Know

Creeps Into My Mind

Broken Hearted Man (acoustic)

Dante Fox are

Tim Manford – Guitars

Sue Willetts – Vocals

Andy Perfect – Drums

Alan Mills - Bass

Gene The Werewolf - 'The Loner' Album Review

Jesus! How time flies. I cant believe is three-and-a-half years since Gene The Werewolf completely rocked my little world and blew by ears into submission with their first album for Frontiers, the excellent ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal’. Whilst it didn’t hit the top spot in my 2012 albums (it made No 5 after just a couple of weeks listening) it became a firm favourite. However it was the album I listened to the most in 2013 (and quite a bit since), so this new ‘opus’ has a lot to live up to…..

Gene the Werewolf has never paid attention to trends. Nor has the Pittsburgh-based quintet been part of a scene or the hipster's band of choice. They are iconoclasts by virtue of their music, rock 'n' roll survivors in thrall to the genre's power and energy. And they're damn good at it, even if they are a dying breed. "It's strange to feel like you are one of the last of your own kind," says Gene, the band's dynamic front-man and lead singer.

In a perfect world it's music that should be blasting on car radios from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, on jukeboxes in dives and biker bars and in every country inbetween. Why, I hear you ask? Because Gene The Werewolf play full on ‘good-time party rock’ that is almost defunct these days. Posters of the hirsute Gene and his bandmates – guitarist Drew Donegan, bassist Tim Schultz, drummer Nick Revak and keyboard player Aaron Mediate -- should be on the walls of kids (and quite a few adults) across the globe. Whilst they are not the same as Wyld Stallyns, they deserve to have a ‘universal’ appeal. Put Gene the Werewolf on stage at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip or The Troubadour in West Hollywood in 1989, and they'd kill. But times have changed. These guys don't have access to a DeLorean (they may have, but not the Doc Brown version). The next best thing is an album like "The Loner" that takes you to those halcyon days when rock 'n' roll was hip and cool and fearless. If you yearn for rock music that echoes Motley Crue, Alice Cooper and Guns 'N Roses, with dashes of Whitesnake and Winger in the mix, "The Loner" certainly deserves your attention.

The good thing is rock fans is the ‘’The Loner’’ takes off exactly where ‘’RnRA’’ left off. To be honest there’s not enough song writing about the real social issues that the world is experiencing  in the 21^st Century. Gene the Werewolf address this with the opening track ‘The Walking Dead’ and its Gene’s take on a zombie apocalypse, and the song itself feels like you’re being attacked around the ears by Rick and Darryl from TMCs TWD! Gene’s vocals are the highlight, but when combined with the full assault package, and not one but TWO solo’s courtesy of Winger/Whitesnakes Reb Beach, it’s a beautiful thang!

‘Boogeyman’ opens up with a bit of Rainbow’s LLRNR riff, but that’s where it ends and the Werewolves vibe takes over. Few bands can match the party vibe of GTW, and only GTW can come up with titles like ‘Too Kool For Skool’; and when he sings ‘’when youre 6’2’’ and got sex appeal you can get any girl you want’’ you know you and the band are in for a great time. ‘The Loner’ is simple rock a la The Rolling Stones/ Georgia Satellites and when its done as simple and as pure as this, its anthemic gold dust. ‘Let It Loose’ takes its lead from AC/DC with a ‘Gene’ twist. If Angus is looking for someone to fill Brian Johnson’s huge shoes, then Gene’s the man! Basically, the way AC/DC are at the moment, if I were Angus Young, I’d do a Ritchie Blackmore and just drop myself into GTW! Problem solved.

The ‘DC’ vibe carries through into ‘A World To Rely On’, and ‘Fortune And Fame’ is the kind of song that cannot fail to have you bouncing off the walls at home playing the air instrument of your choice. If you fail to rock out to this song then you’re completely deaf, or just a twat! ‘Easy Woman’ goes all the way back to 1958 with its Leiber/Stoller salvo from the Elvis Presley classic ‘Trouble’. ‘If You Want Me’ is as melodic and as close to a ballad that these guys can muster. The final song (its come way too quick) is ‘The Best I Can’ and showcases the honky-tonk piano of Randy Baumann of WDVE-FM and slide guitar by The Clarks' guitar maestro, Rob James. Its a great end to a great album!

At just 36 mins long it harks back to the great days of the 80s and vinyl where a lengthy album came in at 45 mins! As a great sage once said ‘its not the length, its what you do with it’ and GTW have done it in style. Donegan keeps the riffs coming like a zombie horde. You know they are coming and there's fuck all you can do about it.

In a nutshell, ‘The Loner’ is one of THE BEST ‘party anthem rock n roll anthem’ albums you’ll hear all year (did I mention its got anthems?). Gene The Werewolf are one of your favourite bands that you haven’t got into yet. In a world where AC/DC are clinging onto a rock like a dying limpet, bands like Gene The Werewolf deserve to fill some of the void that will soon be left behind by this great band.

This is essential listening if you long for bands who were ‘your world’ in the 80s – such as Crue, Whitesnake, Y&T, Enuff Z’Nuff, etc, then Gene The Werewolf are a worthy addition to your collection. I'm biased, but GTW are one of the best bands Ive heard in the past few years. Get past the name (it nearly put me off 3 yrs ago) and get 'THE LONER' and I sware that you will love them.

Frontiers have some cracking bands on their roster, but very few are as good as Gene The Werewolf! Or anywhere!

Essential !!!

Score 95/100

Tracklisting –

The Walking Dead
Boogeyman
Too Kool For Skool
The Loner
Let It Loose
A World To Rely On
Fortune & Fame
Easy Woman
If You Want me
The Best I Can

Gene The Werewolf are…..
Gene The Werewolf – Vocals
Drew Donegan – Guitar
 Tim Schultz – Bass
 Nick Revak – Drums
Aaron Mediate – Keys

Web - http://genethewerewolf.squarespace.com/
FB - https://www.facebook.com/genethewerewolf/

Inglorious - ST Album Review

There’s a new kid strutting around on the block. You know, the one who always had the latest trainers, newest toys, wanted to steal your girlfriend, aka ‘a cocky little fucker’. We all know one, right? Well, this new kid, is Inglorious. These young guns have been around for almost 2 yrs now (formed in Feb 2014). Fronted by the very hairy Nathan James (he has leant his considerable pipes to Trans Siberian Orchestra and Uli Jon Roth – just don’t mention The Voice!). He was on the look out for like-minded musicians that desired to make cracking rock music in a very honest fashion. He also wanted an ‘organic’ sound. You know, like in the good old days when albums were recorded ‘live’ and in studios as a group, and not just an mp3 file on an email being sent to opposite ends of the World. Because of this, the debut album is all about the feel, vibe, sound, energy and performance that a band can give you, with no auto-tune! Like all good rock bands in the 21^st Century, Inglorious have a Swede on board in Andreas Eriksson and is tuned in to the ‘classic rock’ vibe being targeted here.

What I can definitely say, is that there’s a ‘Deep-Snake-Bow’ feeling to proceedings. If you grew up on the rock classics (Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake), then you’ll get a lot out of this album. Opener ‘Until I Die’ makes straight for the Deep Purple tribute and the opening salvo is a different take on Highway Star – Hammond on full tilt, building to Couple this with some lung-busting vocals, expecting Gillan to burst in, only it’s a big dirty riff. James really goes for it and makes a huge difference to what could be just another rock band going thru the numbers. The voice is huge and he obviously doesn’t do things by halves!!!

‘Breakaway’ comes at you like a freight train whilst being tied to the tracks., a relentless song! It’s also a very Whitesnake (old and new) song, with nods to the classic Moody/Marsden and Aldrich/Beach styles. ‘High Flying Gypsy’ starts off a little drab, but has picked up pace by the bridge and chorus. So far so good!

Holy Water takes its lead from a 70s classic rock sound – it particularly has the ingredients of Coverdale, Rodgers with a vibe that would fit comfortably with some of the aforementioned gents best works. ‘Warning’ explodes with James’ vocals (this bloke can rip 10 coats of paint from timber at 50 paces), especially the end bit. The overall interplay especially with Eriksson and Taylor gives Inglorious a huge, fat sound.

‘Bleed For You’ is a tad more sedate (only just!). When you think that some gentle vocals are on the horizon, James comes galloping over the horizon with a lungful of noise. ‘Girl Got a Gun’ starts off all moody then has this very melodic and catchy chorus. The title track ‘Inglorious’ is a little belter. Its eastern in sound with a riff to suit, and is easily their ‘Valley Of The Kings’ or ‘Gates Of Babylon.’ The ONLY real time that the whole noise is toned down is for the (sedate in comparison) ‘Wake’. So much so, you would think it’s a different singer. And whilst on that subject……

 ……my only gripe, and it is such a small one that I shouldn’t really mention it, is that James wants to sing at Max Power for every song. As someone once said, ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’, and James certainly has it to flaunt. Not every note has to have a load of welly behind it and I’d like to hear more variety. Small gripe, but that doesn’t stop the enjoyment to be had here.

That said, Inglorious’ debut is one to behold in 2016. It’s a welcome departure from a lot of mediocrity, and to see Frontiers steer away from the usual melodic rock brigade

One of the definitions of Inglorious is ‘not famous or renowned’. Well give it a month or two and certainly amongst the rock community, they will certainly be ‘famous’. Well done fellas!

Score 90/100

Inglorious are

Nathan James - (loud) Vocals

Will Taylor – Guitar

Andreas Eriksson – Guitar

Colin Parkinson – Bass

Phil Beaver – Drums

Tracklisting

Until I Die

Breakaway

High Flying Gypsy

Holy Water

Warning

Bleed For You

Girl Got A Gun

You’re Mine

Inglorious

Wake

Unaware