Mad Haven - 'Sound Of The Music' EP Review

Mad Haven – ‘Sound Of The Music’ EP

So far in 2017, my reviewing ears have been subjected to some tripe to say the least.  I was hoping for some relief, and thankfully I have found it

I’d heard on the local jungle drums that there was a (very) young North Wales band that’s been growing in reputation and getting some serious attention. So when a mate of mine posted a FB Live video of theirs over the Christmas period I was hooked like a salmon.

The band in question is a three piece called Mad Haven hailing from Penrhyn Bay and Trefiw. Not yet known for being a hotbed of metal, but I predict it soon will be. Mad Haven consist of brothers Tom Rogowski – 15 (Guitar & lead Vocals), Alex Rogowski - 17 (Drums & Backing Vocals), and Joe Fisher – 16 (Bass & Backing Vocals). They are that young, their combined aged is just 48, and that’s still younger than this reviewer! This proves that you’re never too young (or old) to kick ass and rock. Mad Haven have been around since 2011, so just let that sink in a minute.….I have gig tee-shirts older than these lads.

Their EP ‘Sound Of The Music’ is an impressive one for such young musicians, which can only bode well as they develop further. Not only that, its their 5^th EP which puts them in BCC territory! Straight off the bat, the intro leaves you in no doubt as to who they want to emulate – its kick-ass riffs straight out of the Aussie school of rock like AC/DC and Airbourne. ‘Running Far’ sees Tom channel his inner Lemmy for some throaty JD soaked vocals. God only knows what he will sound like when he is finally allowed to drink! The chorus immediately sinks in and requires no additional listen. The playing is as tight as a nut and if you closed your eyes the age does not come into his playing, as its mature, hits the spot and all down excellent. The rhythm section of Tom and Alex combine to make it one excellent intro into the world of Mad Haven.

Title track ‘Sound Of The Music’ leads you in a few directions before settling in. Its certainly straight out of the heavy metal songbook….’rock and roll is the sound of the music’. It leads itself to a 15 minute rocking live version I imagine as it allows the guys to go off in all directions. For me the best is kept until last. ‘Watcha’ Gonna’’ includes a line ‘all you think you want for tea tonight’. The song is lifted by a refrain/bridge/chorus that experienced professional bands would love to write. Its all about the melody and Mad Haven have this in abundance.

So, despite my ‘young’ remarks, MH are as professional as they come. DO NOT dismiss this band as they are going places. If you like your metal to be tight, rock hard, balls to the wall, and tinged with the Aussie influence then look no further than Mad Haven.

Mad Haven have an EP launch party at The Marine Hotel, Old Colwyn, Sat, 11^th Feb. £5 entry and you get a copy of the CD!!

Score 8/10

Mad Haven –

Tom Rogowski – Guitar & Lead Vocals

Joe Fisher – Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals

Alex Rogowski – Drums & Backing Vocals

Tracklisting –

Intro

Runnin’ Far

Sound Of The Music

Watcha’ Gonna’

Lionville - 'A World Of Fools' Album Review

Lionville – A World Of Fools

Its surprising how fast time passes. It’s been five years since Lionville II was released. In a time where peoples musical tastes change quickly, and more and more bands come into the scene, five years is a lifetime. Good things come to those who wait……

There’s been a bit of tinkering in the lineup since ‘II’, but thankfully the sound behind Lionville remains constant with Stefano Lionetti and Lars Såfsund the two key components. Bringing up the rest of Lionville is Michele Cusato – Guitars, Giulio Dagnino – Bass, and Martino Malacrida – Drums

If I had to describe Lionville’s sound, it would be in two simple words….’silky smooth’.  Most of that is down to Såfsund’s vocals. Since he came on the scene with Work Of Art, his vocals prove to be one of the finest in this genre. If anything, the quality of songs are what makes or breaks a band, and this is the finest Lionville album yet. Its 80s AOR with a Westcoast vibe that will have fans of Toto and the like in raptures. Its aor-candy for the 21^st Century!

‘A World Of Fools’ is consistently good, with a few songs that rise above the parapet into excellent. Their stall is well and truly set out with the pacey and riff heavy opener ‘I Will Wait’. ‘Show Me The Love’ is European pop/rock AOR at its best. ‘Bring Me Back Our Love’ ticks all the melodic rock boxes in abundance, polished sound, hugely melodic chorus, and strong riffage! ‘One More Night’ is one song that is to be played at maximum volume just to show off the infectious chorus and rip roaring solo. ‘Heaven Is Right Here’ follows the same musical path. There’s a lot of positivity in this album, very uplifting any a joy to listen to, as ‘All I Want’ proves. With a song like ‘Livin’ On The Edge’ I expected a rip-snorter of a track, whereas it’s the complete opposite. Its not bad, but its not the best on the album by a long shot. ‘Our Good Goodbye’ is so Toto-esque, I half expect to hear WIllaims/Lukather and Paich to be playing on it! ‘Paradise’ is another of those anthemic arena songs that Lionville seem able to write without and issue. Its like shelling peas for them.

I’ve enjoyed the Lionville journey so far. Their debut came out of the blue for me initially, and ‘II’ was also a joy. I think with ‘A World Of Fools’ they have surpassed themselves.  Existing fans…it’s a no-brainer. If you have not listened before, what are you waiting for. Its silky smooth, highly polished Westcoast AOR. Its exactly the type of band Toto should take on the road with them.

February is proving to be a strong month for Frontiers…

Score 85/100

Tracklisting

I Will Wait

Show Me The Love

Bring Back Our Love

Heaven Is Right Here

A World Of Fools

One More Night

All I Want

Livin’ On The Edge

Our Good Goodbye

Paradise

Image Of Your Soul

Lionville are

Stefano Lionetti – Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards

Lars Såfsund – Lead & Backing Vocals

Michele Cusato – Guitars

Giulio Dagnino – Bass

Martino Malacrida – Drums

Tokyo Motor Fist - 'ST' Album Review

Tokyo Motor Fist – TMF

Now, either Tokyo Motor Fist has come from a random name generator, or its an inspired band name. I can just imagine the conversation….Ted ‘Guys c’mon! The albums almost finished and we don’t have a band name for that Italian dude that’s given us the money to make this thing’. Chuck ‘I know, lets come up with a name something like your porn name – you know your first pet and the street where you live!’ Ted, ‘Awesome dude! Put the following things in the hat….1. Your favourite place….2. A part of a car…..3. a body part’

So out of the hat comes ‘Tokyo Motor Fist’. Its a good job they didn’t go with the second random generated name….’Paris Gearbox Elbow’.

Based on this line up I am expecting great things ,as these guys should know what they are doing and what fans expect. After all, it is Ted Poley (D2), Steve Brown (Trixter), Greg Smith (Rainbow, Ted Nugent) and Chuck Burgi (Rainbow, JLT, BOC). As per The Defiants debut last year, I want this to be every bit as good.  Best way I can describe the whole experience like the summer feel-good sound of Y&Ts Summertime Girls crossed with D2s Naughty Naughty and a slice of Van Halen thrown in for good measure. There’s not a single duff track on this album, and its one of the most feel good, uplifting, unashamed slices of 80s classic rock AOR. They’ve gone through the elements of the 80s that made their original bands great – huge riffs…check. Even bigger harmonies….check. Widdly solos….double check!

Ted Poley sounds great. Basically, he album just flies by. The first six songs just kick you in the nuts and doesn’t back off for a single second. Its hard to pick any faves as its so consistent. If I had to pick one, it would be the all guns blazing ‘Shameless’ its in a similar vein to DFPs ‘Gimme Your Good Lovin’. The album only draws breath for the ballad-ish ‘Don’t Let Me Go’, before that 80s influenced (and future classic I swear to God) ‘Put Me To Shame’. In fact its one of the best songs I heard in the last few years. It’s that good, I asked the mother in law to knit me a new set of legwarmers! ‘Done To Me’ is as if Poley was fronting Def Leppard. ‘Get You Off My Mind’ borders on arena rock with its instantly memorable chorus. Its all over waaay too quickly with the brisk and pulsating ‘Fallin’ Apart’.

Signore Perugino certainly has a knack when he is putting projects together. I’m hoping (like The Defiants) that Tokyo Motor Fist tour our shores or at the bear minimum plat a festival over the coming 12 months. TNF is one of the best debuts I’ve heard since The Defiants, and Blood Red Saints & Angels Or Kings in recent years. Its not just the Poley Show, in fact Steve Browns guitar work is simple awesome, and when its all backed up by the gruesome twosome of Burgi and Smith, it all makes for a superb album and listening experience!

If this isn’t at the sharp end of my (and your) top 5 albums of 2016 I’ll be very surprised.

 Score - 95/100

Tokyo Motor Fist are

Ted Poley – Vocals

Steve Brown – Guitars

Greg Smith – Bass

Chuck Burgi – Drums

Tracklisting –

Picking Up The Pieces

Love Me Insane

Shameless

Love

Black And Blue

You’re My Revolution

Don’t Let Me go

Put Me To Shame

Done To Me

Get You Off My Mind

Fallin’ apart

Unruly Child - 'Can't Go Home' Album Review

Unruly Child – Can't Go Home

Grunge well and truly fucked up my music. All the bands I'd loved had packed it in. Some would say a new movement was needed as the hair metal bands of the time were getting out of hand and writing copious amounts of tripe. It wasn’t until I found a magazine called Hard Roxx in 1997 that this world opened up for me again. Not only that, there were a whole host of bands that had still been releasing albums that were so underground, it was if Jules Verne had a record label. Between 89-97 I only really listened to bands that has just about managed to survive grunge and were still releasing music.

Cracking melodic rock bands passed me by – Red Dawn, Signal, Ten, Talisman, etc., the list is huge. One voice really stood out for me once I started delving back into this world, and it was a familiar voice…..the voice of one Mark Free. The first King Kobra  album was probably one of my top 5 hair metal albums of the 80s, so much so, I re-recorded the bugger at least 3 times on cassette. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he had still been releasing music as a part of Signal, Unruly Child, and at that current time was a solo artiste.

The original members of the legendary melodic hard rock quintet Unruly Child have reunited to release a brand new album with Frontiers Music Srl entitled “Can’t Go Home”.

Marcie Michelle Free (vocalist - King Kobra, Signal), Bruce Gowdy (guitarist – Stone Fury, World Trade), and Guy Allison (keyboardist – Lodgic, World Trade, Doobie Brothers) together with the original band members from the first record, drummer - Jay Schellen (Hurricane, World Trade, Asia), and bassist - Larry Antonino (Pablo Cruise), comprise the line-up for this recording.

Well, Marcie still has the voice to melt the hardest of rock hearts. 'The Only One' is upbeat, just screams Summer and a top down in your convertible. If you don’t have one, just wind the windows down and stick it on full blast. ‘Four Eleven’ has this choppy riff that just is a bit different and completely infectious. At this point, I don’t know if it’s the quality of production, or the fact that I’m streaming the album, as it sounds a bit weak and thin in the ‘oomph’ stakes. 'Driving Into The Future' isn’t a song about Marty McFly, Initially it’s a tad music by numbers but picks up with the guitar solo and the message so far is one of a feel good album. ‘Get On Top’ is full of layered harmonies. It’s a bit of a plodder, but the vocals save the day. ‘See if She Floats’ is drowning in its own averagness. Its not really inspiring a track. ‘She Can’t Go Home’ is the closet offering we get so far to a ballad., with Free’s voice being one of the best instruments and its probably the best of the bunch so far. Transgender aside Marcie still sounds like Mark of years ago and that isn’t a bad place to be as its easy to get lost and swept away in the vocals. Point Of View is again a powerful uplifting track, one that harks back to the debut album. ‘Ice Cold Sunshine’ and ‘When Love Is Here’ sees UC stepping up the harmonies and are both examples of Allison’s great keyboard playing. The latter is another that takes influence from the debit. In my eyes, you can never have enough harmonies. ABBA taught me that from an early age!

‘Sunlit Sky’ is a proggy and 70s hippyish sounding song that again features Allison’s keyboard skills. The last track ‘Someday Somehow’ is bookended by a fake audience, and is an average way to bow out

In the light of recent times and the now abundance of melodic rock festivals, the time is right surely for a UK appearance. It’s just a case of which one gets lucky (and pays the airfare) and becomes the one to showcase the excellent Unruly Child.

As a final comment ‘Cant Go Home’ is good, but not as good as the debut.

Score 75/100

Unruly Child –

Marcie Michelle free – Vocals

Bruce Gowdy – Guitar

Guy Allison – Keyboards

Jay Schellen – Drums

Larry Antonino – Bass

Trackslisting

The Only One

Four Eleven

Driving Into The Future

Get On Top

See If She Floats

She Can’t Go Home

Point Of View

Ice Cold Sunshine

When Love Is Here

Sunlit Sky

Someday Somehow

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