The Quill-"Earthrise"

 

 

 

QUILL are among the most underrated bands in the modern metal scene. Stoner, classical heavy and retro rock are all blended in their sound in the best possible analogies. The result is a heavy, sand covered, slow burning piece of music,that watches the KYUSS on the one hand and the BLACK SABBATH-Ozzy era on the other see 'Evil omen",in all its glorious 9 minutes ok actually that is almost the same thing in different wrapping. Echoes of other heroes , mostly from the Detroit era are all around in their sound. THE STOOGES,Ted Nugent are among the artists you could find specks of their sound in QUILLS heavy metal thunder. They have a feeling of old SAXON, GIRLSCHOOL and at the same time they travel to the Mojave desert all in one song like "Dwarf planet". QUILL may never be the next big thg, but they are at the front line along with bands like FU MANCHU to lay heavy, distorted music with gigantic riffs, sing a long choruses and hammered rhythm sections without giving a fuck about what year do we live at. 

 

 

Heavy, melodic and most of all original, this is heavy rock with some stoner fuzz that captures the listener with its groove and volume. SPIRITUAL BEGGARS from the early years and SPICE, OBSESSED, are some other bands i could use as references, although QUILL are equally old and experienced in the metal scene. If you still have doubts ,check them at your local metal club, sweating over guitars who love the volume and the fuzz. Simple, yet not simplistic, they bring the art of simplicity back to metal along with the sheer fan to enjoy heavy sounds with no interference from produce,record labels etc, straight, raw and heavy.

 

7

The Delmonas- "Hello, We love You!The big Beat EPs"

 

 

All female garage rock trio the Delmonas present an EP to shake your booty with. Distorted and at the same melodic, sugar coated 60s garage rock with a female group twist. From the Shangri Las to another all female band of the era, The Delmonas have got the vocals, melodic, with multiple layers at the choruses and they have added some great guitar work. Opener "Comin’ Home Baby’ was written as an instrumental before Bob Dorough added lyrics and Mel Tormé recorded it in 1962.The Delmonas turn it into a dangerous, love song with lots of innuendos regarding the kind of love it refers to. 

 

 

A Doors cover with "Hello , i love you", a surf tune "Peter Gunn Locomotion" a cover of a 1963 single by Freddie Starr and everything is in order at this great rockabilly meets the Female stars of the era album. So here we have the tracks from the trio’s two 1984 EPs together on a swanky 10-inch vinyl LP. Put on your suede sues and start clapping your hands and dance to the timeless music.

7,5

 

 Gov't Mule-"Heavy load blues"

 

Gov't Mule "Heavy load blues" is a great album based on the traditional aspect of blues with the addition of the magnificent guitar work of Warren Haynes, the tight band and they provide cover of well selected blues songs where every member ads its own personal seal. "Heavy load blues" is a traditional album with a modern twist. A jam band that stretches the twelve bars and takes the best out of them, adding small touches of genius by each player separately, making the sum been greater then the added parts. A rewrite of well, or not so well known songs, adding their own distinctive tone and sound.

 The jazzy "Make it rain"(Tom Waits), the traditional jam of “Snatch It Back And Hold It” by Junior Wells, the rocking "Brother Bill" (Animals), the slow burner "I asked her for water, she gave me gasoline" (Howlin Wolf), their own take at Bobby Bland's "Ain t love in the heart of the city", a song well known to everyone by the WHITESNAKE version, that gets a proper GM treat, getting darker and more heartbreaking. The Delta blues infused "Heavy load" with its acoustic overtones. The funky "Feel like breaking up Somebody's house" is a fine example on how GM understand the "traditional " blues. From Tom Waits to Howlin Wolf, Gov't Mule incorporate their own intriguing musical talent, making the old blues, even more heart aching and desperate and far more intirguing musically.

"Heavy blues" is a blues album above and beyond. A blues album performed by a band who knows the blues, as they know ragimte, soul, rock n roll, southern rock, coutnry rock and everything in between. Without stepping out of the traditional territory, they deliver their blues, electric and eclectic. Of course Warren Haynes deep, gravy voice adds more to the songs and this album stretches far beyond a traditional tribute to the roots album. Slow or fast, gravy or light, the songs grow with every listening and let you discover the various colors that each member add to the long jams that consist the blues songs. Long in duration is an album for music lights and not single lovers. Dim the lights, pour some whiskey and let the blues take your pain away.

8

Song of the week Eddie Vedder - The Haves

 Song of the week

 

 

Eddie Vedder - The Haves (Official Lyric Video)

New single "The Haves" out now: https://EddieVedder.lnk.to/TheHavesID 

"The Haves" is the new single by Eddie Vedder from his upcoming solo album, Earthling. 

The physical album pre-order for Earthling is available now: https://EddieVedder.lnk.to/EarthlingID

Carl Sentance- “Electric eye”

 Carl Sentance new album is a great example of traditional heavy-metal in the vein of 80s Judas Priest  brings the best of the classical heavy metal along with some more pop-oriented  moments like the “California queen” song . “Electric eye” is an album that has the electricity of metal along with the FM feeling of the great late 80s metal bands and most and above all the great voice of Carl Sentance  a very unique masculine heavy-metal voice that knows how to complement a song.His previous tours at Persian Risk, Krokus , Nazareth as lead singer has given him the confidence to deliver his tunes in a perfect way, melodic yet heavy, with a voice that has the power of a newcomer and the maturity of a metal stages veteran combined in a unique way.

Heavy metal can be tedious, boring, replicable, but this is not the case of Carl and “Electric eye “. On the contrary he gives an album, labour of love and not contractual obligation and the music shines. An album for those who like Judas Priest, Saxon, Persian Risk, Praying Mantis evolving in time but still wear the NWOBHM proud on their sleeves.

7,5

 

Danny Bryant- "The rage to survive"

 

 

British blues are the stalwart of the European blues scene. Among the younger blues men who carry the torch is Danny Bryant. With influences from Robert Cray to Gary Moore he knew the tricks and played the game hard. Deep, soulful vocals over  manic twelve bars guitar soloing with some touches from Stax, to add some spice. BB KIng echoes in his playing but Bryant is an accomplished player who is traditional enough and yet has his own personal color in his playing .

 

 

 

Songs like "Rescue me" would be fan favorites as long as blues come back to town. His immense playing, passionate and mature speaks directly to the listener. He is also diverse enough in the "Falling tears' an acoustic guitar based ballad where he moves closer to the classic rock repertoire. This might be his twelve album, but you don't listen to any sign of tiredness or boredom. On the contrary we see an artist trying to stretch the blues standard sound, producing songs that aim straight to the heart like " Make me pay".He balances great between the classic Chicago blues sound and the more classic rock sound with songs like "Rain stopped play". A blues album, that as most of the products from the quarantine days of Covid 19 is emotionally charged and musically inspired.

 

 

7,5

 

Arielle- "Analog girl in a digital world"

Hard rock in the vein of HEART with a pop twist. Modern, melodic and with some rock n roll touches at "Still a man", pop at "inside outside" and arena rock. Arielle is a brilliant guitar player and also a strong songwriter with a strong ear for melody. The album is a perfect exercise in FM/Arena rock with classic rock overtones. Sensitivity and BEATLES esque spirit is here but goes hand by hand with the melodic spirit of early BOSTON and STYX.

 

A definite plus to her song writing skills is her voice reminiscent of Wilson of HEART fame-just listen at "Peace of mind", that makes the listening very familiar and enjoyable, adding extra strength to her well crafted songs.

7,5

Song of the week Kadavar & Elder - ELDOVAR - From Deep Within (Official Video)

 Song of the week

Kadavar & Elder - ELDOVAR - From Deep Within (Official Video)

ELDOVAR - Music by Elder and Kadavar. 

New song "From Deep Within" available now: https://kadavarelder.lnk.to/FromDeepW... 

Pre-order the album "ELDOVAR - A Story Of Darkness & Light": https://kadavarelder.lnk.to/Eldovar

 

NESTOR-"Kids in a ghost town"

Another welcome surprise from Sweden in the AOR genre. A band that takes the best from MEATLOAF, Bonnie Tyler, TOTO, GIANT and along with their charismatic touch in writing great emotional, bombastic, pompous, AOR anthems deliver a wet dream for the genre lovers. 

 

 

 

Their far more traditional and rock oriented than NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA with less Disco elements and influences but with the pop sensibilities that makes power ballads like 'It aint me" running the Zippos out of gas and the arenas asking for more beers. On the other side songs like "On the run" with its outrageously catchy chorus and "Perfect 10" (eyes like Demie Moore) with its glorious references and name checks to all the great actors of the 80s, Demie Moore, Sharon Stone are making the listening of the album a guilty pleasure for all of us who raised like men in a non me#2 world. "Stone cold eyes" is another magnificent example on how a killer chorus can hook up with honey dripped keyboards like TOUCH meet, DRIVE SHE SAID , REO SPEEDWAGON and drive at Malibu in a convertible. Another plus although the song is among the weakest in the album is "Tomorrow" featuring the one and only 80s legend Samantha Fox. "These days" is the perfect example of a song that reminds a decade of AOR and still has its own flavor and character and that is what NESTOR are all about. "We re not ok" is another fine example of an emotionally charged song that brings back the glory days of the mid tempo songs.

 

 

Fun lovin, high spirited ,melodic AOR that just takes your breath away and is among the best debuts of the 21st century in the genre along with NFO. Highly recommended for all the  AOR lovers.

8

MONSTER MAGNET- "A better dystopia"

When we talk about cover albums we won't talk about this one.MONSTER MAGNET and their evil mastermind Dave Wyndorf took a bunch of obsolete and absurd proto metal, garaze, proto punk, psychedelic songs and made them their own. It wasn't difficult as MONSTER MAGNET are a heavy band stacked in the 60s somewhere between Detroit and New York. 

 

For "Better dystopia" they cover songs by HAWKWIND,FUZZTONES, POOBAH, JERUSALEM, DUST,MORGEN, PRETTY THINGS and othersmost of them cult heroes in their own unique way. Heavy, fuzz, distorted guitar driven songs with chanting choruses like a litany to hell. Imagine yourself stuffed with acid tablets ,soaked in cheap whiskey, missing the STOOGES concert and instead get in a small underground basement club where MONSTER MAGNET defies gravity and launches heavy riffs and spacey rhythm section parts to the dark night sky. 

 

 

 

MONSTER MAGNET delivers another really good album where we have all their trademark elements infiltrated through their own musical influences. A tribute to the past or the visit of the past to todays MM, nobody knows, nobody but the wha wah pedals that distorting the universe to let Dave Wyndorf do what he does best, circulate distortion over our mental health and damned me if we don't love it."Born to go" is a blaster, "Epitaph for a head" is a lysergic bad trip and "Solid gold hell" is a strip down iron fist smashing your jaw.

8

 

Song of the week CIRCUS OF POWER- Working Class Superstar

 Song of the week

CIRCUS OF POWER- Working Class Superstar

 

 Working Class Superstar · Circus of Power Working Class Superstar ℗ 2021 Circus of Power 

Released on: 2021-10-27

 

Dooms children-Dooms children

After "Me and that man" this is the second memorable case of an artist of the extreme metal era who exploits his more sensiticve side and exhibits such a diversity of musical colors .Wade MacNeil ALEXISONFIRE guitarist / GALLOWS front man presents an album where Neil Young of the early years (Cortez the killer, Harvest etc) and early Santana meets Nick Cave, Johnny Cash along with the Lana Del Ray and PJ Harvey and Mark Lanegan in an amalgam of dark, esoteric modern infused retro rock. Did i confuse you? That was my point. The album is full of id tempo trips to the inner self of DOOMS CHILDREN magical world. Those of you who are familiar with the 90s USA/Aussie alternative scene and names like Chris Cacavas,Luis Tillet, BEAST OF BURBON, THE LONG RYDERS, Steve Wynn, DREAM SYNDICATE you ll find in this album a hidden masterpiece. 

 

 

Distortion, eastern guitars, mesmerizing rhythmic parts, a whiskey soaked, gravy voice and some songs to watch the dark skies getting the city ready for the storm. All these with the Neil Young feeling of bitter sweetness, loneliness, abandons and the dreamy parts like at "Stardust Lullaby" and you re ready for a long ride with the car ,with the rain dropping on the windshield. I need to mention MAZY STAR as another reference and not influence ans the final product of DC is unique and beautiful Music made for long, cold, dark nights in smoky bars all over the globe. Well done, im drinking  my whiskey making a toast to the losers of the world with DC been the perfect soundtrack.

8

 

Troy Redfern- "The fire cosmic"

 

A prolific writer, modern bluesman from the Midlands, Troy Redfern has the sound that would suit the next Tarantino movie. Delta blues with a good portion of slide guitar and a modern approach, a bit Alice Cooper "One way ticket a bit Rob Zombie, he likes his music, dirty, bluesy and groovy. As he admits, working with a band this time and an external producer, let his music come to the forefront. For the recording, Troy enlisted what he describes as “the ultimate dream team” – Darby Todd on drums (The Darkness, Robben Ford, Martin Barre, Paul Gilbert), virtuoso bass guitarist Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer), and guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns N’ Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo).

 

 

 

Troy is a guitar player that goes beyond being a good blues/slide guitar player, just listen to the manic "On fire" to feel his passion bursting the dam of convenience and conventionality. He is a prolific writer who brings new ideas to the blues, and definitely one with one foot in the US.

So "The fire cosmic" is a modern blues/Hard rock album that combines Delta blues and LA hard rock scene along with some excellent slide guitar, plus some great country & western overtones ("Ghosts") and drives you all the way down south. Bands like LITTLE CAESAR and CIRCUS OF POWER could have a lot to earn with a collaboration with such a guitar player. His approach, stripped from the fancy tricks and the polished studio sound of the blues extraordinaire contemporaries, credits his sound and music with authenticity. 

 

 

Dry, tight sound and songs that ooze passion and originality. Its up to you to check him, but he will be around for a long time.

7,5

 

The Georgia Thunderbolts- "Can we get a witness"

From LYNYRD SKYNYRD to SMALL FACES/FACES/HUMBLE PIE "Be good to yourself", TGT are a real Southern band with guts.Honky tonk piano, battered ,fuzzed guitars and a singer that knows how to use his voice. Dirty, ballsy rock n roll base don boogie, blues, Soul and with the Southern twist we all love. Yet the band is more on the classic rock side of the road and although you can listen to pre 76 SKYNYRD you can listen to BOA,ALLMAN,CREAM, Clapton and most of all Delta blues burning their soul and letting music pour out like hot water from a gazer well. If LED ZEPPELIN were Southerns instead of UK hippies they might have tried to sound like TGT. Hard rocking anthems like "Helpless woman' give their place to Southern boogie  like "Dancin with the devil" making "Can we get a witness" a joy for the ears. Traditional, yes, obsolete no, check them out and we may have here BLACKSTONE CHERRY successors. 

 

From the opener "Take it slow" the beat and the groove are ever present, manly,Southern hard rock with dizzy,screaming guitars and a singer somewhere between the Marlboro man and the Jack Daniels commercials oozing whiskey and old time manhood. 'Lend a hand" has the kind of groove we love at BLACKFOOT and MOLLY HATCHET with a new generation Southern harmonies at the chorus (BLACKBERRY SMOKE, CADILLAC THREE, MOLLY HATCHET, BLACKSTONE CHERRY). At songs like "Looking for an old friend" are the closest i have heard to SKYNYRD for years and you must take this as a compliment. 

 

 

 

THE GEORGIA THUNDERBOLTS is a band who loves their musical tradition and at the same time tries to differentiate themselves by writing damn good, groovy, Southern hard rock songs. Raise the confederate flag and listen to them, or bury yourself in the political correct shit of the middle class /left wing losers.

7,5

 

Great Ad-"Deep Down Death"

Sweden really retro rock from the 70s and not another BLUES PILLS, cause i know what you think of. GREAT AD are far  70s and more into the psychedelic side of music. From the hard rock opener ``Got the fire" to the instrumental with obvious influences by bands like THE SHADOWS "Borne,Andy, Mountain" to the more bluesy, abstract "You ll never believe' everyone is here mostly from the San Francisco scene. Joplin,Santana, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE but also BLUE CHEER, AMBOY DUKES, MOUNTAIN, jamming at the beautiful instrumentals of the album or building the climax in edge hard rock songs. The album is 37 minutes in length and has a number of songs that the instrumentals (who are easily could be among the best moments of the album) are adding extra depth. GREAT AD are not another revivalist band, they are the real deal. GREAD AD Are stuck in the crack of time and their music  aims straight to the heart and the stoned mind. "Fast love" is like MOTORHEAD would jam with BLACK SABBATH leaving vocals out of the picture. 

 

 

 

The album is raw, proto metal, vintage rock with enough dirt like they have just finished the Paris Dakar race on camels. Whiskey soaked  vocals that are equally occult and retro are spicing the songs, that have the folk/melodic feeling of LED ZEPPELIN filtered through the BLACK SABBATH distortion, all together praising the American proto metal scene.The band recorded and released two private press singles in 1975 and 1976 respectively. Both were done in micro pressings of 100 copies each making them very rare and sought after. We follow the band from their first incarnation as a killer heavy power trio and then expanding into a massive 5-piece powerhouse and until the military draft put an end to their teenage hard rock dreams. So this is a reissue worth every penny and every minute of your time.

7

Song of the week Midnight Oil - Rising Seas (Official Video)

 Song of the week

Midnight Oil - Rising Seas (Official Video)

 Midnight Oil – Rising Seas (Official Video) ‘Rising Seas’ Available Now: https://MidnightOil.lnk.to/RisingSeas

DANG!!!- "Sociopathfinder"

What an album, what a debut !!! From the 70s blues propelled intro "Preludium desperado" to "Long gone misery" , DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP and 60s psychedelia join forces to create an amalgam of delightful music. Much more innovators than revivalists, Norwegian musical collective of DANG!!! they use the essence of classic 70s hard rock and 60s psychedelia, along with some surf and pop elements to create immensely dynamic music. Norwegian rockers DANG!!! is a seven-headed monster on a mission to create a new world post-pandemic rock n roll order with their debut album “Socipathfinder” The band is formed around the core duo of Arne Thelin (ex Lust-O-Rama) and Stig Amundsen (ex Gluecifer) and.feat. members from Kvelertak, Mork, Giuda, The Cynics, and ex-members from, Motorpsycho, Nashville Pussy and more.

 

 The  good vibrations of the music are all over the place ,as are the references to 60s TV show music themes. Imagine FUZZTONES, CRAMPS and HELLACOPTERS jamming at the same room with MK II DEEP PURPLE and yet i'm not sure if i can describe in its entity the result. So I'm closing this small presentation just saying that DANG!!! nail it from the first time and the result is a diverse, full of sonic surprises album.

 

8,5

 

 Joanna Connor- "4801 South Indiana Avenue"

Sometimes you need Joe Bonamassa to get in touch with an artist like Joanna Connor. Her "4801 South Indiana Avenue" is a great Chicago blues album and her 14th. Bonamassa produced the album and more. From the opener "Destination" with Jimmy Hall, the honky tonk piano and the venomous blues /slide guitar are ever present. "Come back home" is a traditional blues boogie that drags listeners to its rhythm with the slide guitar driving the joint  crazy. "Bad news" is in the classic form of the slow ,painful twelve bars blues with some great guitar and even more soulful vocals, reminiscent of George Benson."I feel so good" is a great boogie song, in the Bo Diddley vein.'For the love of a man" is a great Chicago blues, with thrilling guitar, horns and some breathtaking performance."Please help" is a twelve bar barnstormer, ready to set the joint on fire. 

 

 

 

"4801 South Indiana Avenue" is a soulful, blues album, filled with originals, that is based on the tradition, the fire in Connors heart and her great ability to raise hell with her guitar/slide guitar  playing and voice. For those who are stuck at the details, Bonamassa takes part in "Part time love'  and "In my time" a slow, blues/rap composition, with a hypnotic beta/background making this great blues album even better. An album for purists and more, polishing the old blues sound making them shine again.

 

 

8

 

Santana-"Blessings and miracles"

The return with another album full of famous collaborators and also of inspiration. Carlos Santana has nothing to prove to anyone. He likes his spiritual,new age approach to music ,blended with Latin and rock overtones, groovy and smooth "Break" with Ally Brooke, old timer with deep emotions "Whiter shade of pale" with Steve Wintwood, modern, rap and beat "She's fire" a modern  Mexican FM approach. He brings the man who saves other musicians and we speak about Chris Stapleton who resurrected METALLICA, Tom Morello and his collaboration with Santana will be discussed and the soul of the song, the emotion burden and his vol=cal delivery make  the "Joy" one of the most successful songs Santana ever released in collaboration with another artist. 

 

But Santana is also a man of his time and he has political views, opinions and says it openly and loud. "America for sale" with Kirk Hammet (METALLICA) and Mark Osequeda (DEATH ANGEL) is an a example what happens when Carlos gets angry, a masterpiece of aggression full of riffs that METALLICA would kill to have (probably the collaboration on Cindy Blackmans album ignite this one). A modern funk rock song with Corey Glover ``Peace power" is another example of how Santant speaks for the minorities and stays on the forefront of music, with some great 70s, wah wah guitar work.

 

At “Song for Cindy”, Santana pays his guitar tribute to his current spouse, the jazz drummer and percussionist Cindy Blackman. He shows his love to Jazz  at “Angel Choir/All Together”. a song with special guests the former Mahavishnu Orchestra member Gayle Moran Corea, and  recently deceased piano jazz legend Chick Corea.While the family participation (Blackman, Santana son Salvador Santana-vocals and keyboards , ) continues with “Breathing Underwater,” which features Santana’s daughter Stella Santana as vocalist and songwriter, an ethereal, easy listening pop song. Soul, funk, reggae, rock are all here in a mix that smooths the soul and shakes the booty. Listen to the funky, guitar driven `Mother yes' and get a grip on good music, still mind blowing from a man who seems never tired to put the groove back in its place in rock music.
 

So the recipe may be the same, Rob Thomas is once again here at the excellent but the inspiration takes the album to the next level as Santana is charged with positivity and social awareness and delivers it with groove, power and some excellent guitar work as always. A reborn artist, who knows? He is definitely on fire and positively charged, a man blessed who creates miracles with his guitar work and the choices he makes regarding his music collaborators.

8

 Eddie Spaghetti & Frank Meyer- "Motherfuckin rock n roll"

SUPERSUCKERS mastermind joint forces with Frank Meyer (Streetwalkin Cheetahs) and the result is a pure rock n roll album .Rockabilly with some hard rock twist jus to t light up the fire. Songs like the same title and "Barroom bawl" would be perfect songs for every roadhouse at route 66 or every high school prom at the 60s where zombies would replace and devour gradually the graduates.

 In your face rock roll, twelve bar blues and some groovy music to get your bootie at the dance floor with no hesitation. A cover of "My Sharona" (KNACK) makes the album even more difficult to resist. If you are in to AC DC, STATUS QUO, MOTORHEAD, Chuck Berry and NASVILLE PUSSY grab a copy, a convertible, your gril and start partying.

 If you are in a bad mood crank up "Knock my teeth out". The magic of rock n roll is sheer power and simplicty and this duo have it all.

7,5