Reviews



Blessid Union Of Souls/Perception     95%
Label – Ultrax Records
Genre – Power Pop/Rock



Having a few hit’s back in the mid 90’ties, it hasn’t been much we’ve heard from Blessid Union Of Souls since then. The band have still been active doing the years that has gone by, but as the whole music scene has been in decline over the past 6 years, Blessid Union Of Souls has as rest of the bands/artists, in this periode been struggling in finding their way back, with a new label in their back. The bands new album, Perception, is a mighty fine blend between well balanced power pop/rock songs with  beautiful crafted ballads. For instances take the openning track, Could’ve Been With You, followed by Wild Side Of Me, really go getters and then the lovely ballad, I Still Believe In Love. Other songs that tops on this release are, Bittersweet Sublime, A Thousand And One, Closer, Let’s Get Out Of Here, How Does It Feel Coming Down, Better Side Of Me,Give Her Want She Wants, and Redemption. On offer you get almost 70 min. Of cheerful music, Blessid Union Of Souls Haven’t sounded stronger since their debut. CN


Fear Zero/Concentrated  90%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



After one hell of a full length debut and another EP. Fear Zero have once again released a EP consisting of some great songs rabbed in a nice production and a wonderful vocal performance by lead singer and founder of the band Ed Sadler, that man has a God given gift in singing and writing songs with hit potential, without salling out for what he’s here for, to rock your world. With the new EP on offer you the great opener Beautiful Scars, which is a radio single by first listning. Where Ed Sadler’s writing abelities really shines thru are on the twisted track, Porn Nation, a song on how to use the internet for your bennefit on getting back on people and how the internet with it’s porn have become a everyday accepted fenomanal not only at home but also at work. The EP has no weak tracks, but instead of another EP, a followed up to 2003 debut album, with another full length album world have been in it’s right place. It’s a buy. CN


June/If You Speak Any Faster 84%
Label – Victory Records
Genre – Punk Pop Rock



It seems that todays modern rock release are becoming shorter on playing time, now only ranging between 34 to 40 min at the hieghest, from the previous 45 min to 50 min. Even thought the album still have 11 to 13 tracks on it and the price is still the same off the old ones at 45/50 min. Of playing time. So you still pay the same price but get less for your cash, or as the labels would put it, in their defence, you get 13 tracks and sometimes even a bonus track in the barking. But all just another cosmetic way of covering up their expensives, having the album they releases consisting of less time, but chasing in the same price, clever or desihful, well we leave that with the buyers of albums like these to judge. In this case being the band June, running time only 37 min, the bands record level have added a DVD, featuring some of the record labels other bands, a fine way of making them noticed. June have made a fine release, that has the so ever familiar punk pop rock rifts, without really bringing anything new to the table. A recommented buy and a worthy debut album, but nothing new under the sun. CN


Pushing Zero/Rite Of Passage 84%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



I would say that straight ahead rock with so clear influences like 3 Doors Down, Default and Nickelback, is not that far of the track describing what Pushing Zero’s music is all about. Again one of those thousand of unsigned bands that probably never will get a shot at the big times, but has the potentinal, with alittle help from the right producer to pulish the ruff edges of the bands music. First song to kick into place from their EP is, Long Way Down, that comes across as a hit with power in the pounching. Dont Let Me Down, is a fine ballad tune with a bluesy edge to the whole theme of the song. Anyone interested in wanting to hear more from the band can purchase the EP thru www.cdbaby.com CN


Dawn Over Zero/Dawn Over Zero 88%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



Being powered by a powerful voice from lead vocalist Mike Mears and the rest of the band follw straight behind with all their skills coming out in full view as musicans, Dawn Over Zero is a parrellel world between One less Reason and P.O.D. The bands debut EP’s really little gem is the third track, Circulation, the way the whole song is build up from begining to end with the chorus and bridges, it’s a song that gives you the goose bums right away. Band goes on proving that they are more than a one night stand with songs like Come To Show, Density and Turning Over In Your Memory. Defferently a album to purchase for the love of a band that knows what they are doing in their respective areas. CN


Arianna/Can’t Control Live 76%
Label – Independen
Genre – Modern Pop/Rock



As the tittle says of the album, it’s a live recording 6 tracks that the female Singer Arianna has on offer here. It’s something which she get’s away with, as her voice is strong enought to carry the songs thru live, but in the long run becomes abit dragging as the songs are very plaine/flat and dosen’t have any thing on offer up front. Don’t misunderstand the live thing not making it a joyful journey thru Arianna’s musically universe, it’s just nothing you’ll remember afterwards, which is a petty. Hopeful Arianna will have a studio recording on offer real soon, something that will justicfie her musical ableties. CN


34 Below/Masses Collide  79%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



Where there’s a will there’s a way, an old saying has it. At it seems to fit perfect with what 34 Below is trying to achive here on, Masses Collide. The energy and force put into this release i is none the less a band that is trying to get a rocking messaged across to the other side of the fence and beyond the roof tops of the skyscrapers, but in many ways drownes in the mass noise polution from the rest of the world, which in this case comes from within the band itself. Sure there are highlights like The Fall, Masses Collide, Let It Go. But one to many time is the band truely struggling with keeping the rest above water. A honest rock album, with nothing much else to offer. CN


Days Drive/Navigate  83%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



If ever there were a gathering of members from Black Lab & U2, then Days Drive would come close to it as you possible could. With lead vocalist Brian Warwick’s vocal resembles to that  of the lead singer of Black Lab, you have a dead ringer for suckers of slick vocals. The album, is a mixture of rock with some hi-tec guitar fillers in across the music and straight away rock and roll. High moments on, Navigate, are the tracks Listen To The Rain, Let’s Leave Tonight, Another Way, Suburban Queens. The only problem with this album is that it sounds like either the vocals or music has been recorded first and then the other just added, making the whole thing sounds like it’s been recorded seperately. A decent release, but not a strong one. CN


My Own I/Through It All  60%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



Petiful vocal performances and a weak production is really all that summens this album up and then that of the band not being able to come up with one memoral tune that sticks after the whole album has come to an end. If anything positvie should be added, then it would be that the band i not released on a major label, as that would have been a waste of the labels money and time and a waste of space. No this is differently a second time around for the band to do it better and I wouldn’t keep my hopes up to high , if they wouldn’t be able to achive it either third or fourth time neither. Do yourself and safe a well earned buck and use it for something more worthy of your money, because this doesn’t qualifie at all. CN


Pioneer 10/Deluxe  76%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Pop/Rock



Pioneer 10 is that brainchild of Candian vocalist Jeff Booth, who has been involvt in many projects. This time around Jeff Booth have teamed up with four other guys have put out the album, Deluxe, under the banner of Pioneer 10. The album is a offer of songs that might as well could have been left overs from one of the many U2 albums. The songs has that U2 vibe signed across them, though Jeff vocal wise is nothing the like of Bono, but with a more raw voice. The song material of the album appears somewhat abit weak and the fuzz of it all quickly runs out and the whole agenda, becomes like a foggy day in London, having a hard time finding you way around. All in all boring and dont make your life any richer on music exsperinces. CN


Parkview/Songs Above The View  78%
Label – Indepedent
Genre – Modern Rock



Second effort, second time around. Parkview is no unfimiliar stranger to anyone who’s been a regular visitor on the review page and there’s also a interview featured with the band in the interview section. Been in the making for the last year or so, Songs Above The View, see’s Parkview getting a better grip on the porduction, which cost the band abit of a limb on their debut album. The songs are generated with a passion for making a Ep of some notice to the general public and the fans of the band. The one thing that the new release is suffering under, is a poor vocal performances from Glenn Remero. His voice simple doesn’t have the carecter of strong vocalist who has the right thing to elevate the EP a few step’s up the latter, and it’s abit sad that the EP has to suffer from this, as it’s before mentioned production and music is an improvement from the debut release. It’s more than a o.k. release it’s a release with a inner glow to it. CN


Decca Tree/Thank You 78%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



Trying to capturize the live feeling from the bands live performances with a strong audience, it’s more or less tilting over, as the effort is not crowned successful by the band trying way to hard on doing their best and something doing your best gets like a ball and chain around what you are trying to achive in life. A live release is probably not the best way to serve up songs like Belong, Battle Of Life, String Song etc. As these songs what have been done so more rightous by being put out on a proper studio album. It’s aslo hard to find heads and tale in the track list, as it seems it’s been chosed randomely instead carring a red line throught the song arrangement. The live album is fine for a band with Decca Tree’s caliber, not so much more could have been done for these songs by a studio recording. CN


Spout/What Are You Waiting For?  81%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



After a wating that seems like it’s gone on forever, it’s really a crunchy opener the song Look What I’ve Done, is opening up the second full length album from Spout. One could have feared that the band with the line up changees of half of the band, would loose somee of the magic which was created on the bands debut album and on first hand it doesn’t seem to appear like that but it only takes seocnd track of the new album to make you realize, that Spout is no exception to the rule, that with changes comes also musically changes and gone is the Spout magic of the songs and replaced it has a screeching guitar and a more heavy approach from the new rhythm section. It’s a let down from what was expected from these guys, given the thumb up, that if anyone were cable of writing a album filled with hit songs from beginning to the end, then it would have been Spout. But it’s clear that this is not case here and a far cry from the debut. If it’s your first time to cross the path of Spout, then this might be your favorite all from the band, but for us who kept our hopes up high for something more, is left with a rather dry taste in our mouth. Would have been a perfect debut album, but knowing the bands debut, it’s hard than being disappointed. CN


Berman/ Send Me To The End  80%
Label – independent
Genre – Modern Rock



As Dr. Phil would have put it so nicely, have Berman been one of his ”patients”, ”what the hell were you thinking of”, pretty much round up the whole emotional repertoire you are going thru after been listening to the bands third album, Send Me To The End...............yes and all the way over the edge for that matter, one could add in the same line. Having been a witness to the amazing transformance from the bands debut album unto the light years of evolution of the bands second album, Life Among the Stars, the one album that should have put the band on the world map for good and secured the band a major record deal. And now to find the bands third album a complet and total disaster, if you compare it to their previous brilliant master piece. Might be a plus in the calender if it were a change for the better musically, but handing something like this out to the fans, is turning this in to a complete charade. It’s a big and empty feeling of despair one is left with. Nice knowing that the band can change from album to the next one, had they only then made it smoother, then it would have been tollerant, but this is none acceptable. CN


Big City Rock/Big City Rock  81%
Label – Atlantic Records
Genre – Modern Pop/Rock



You should think by now that one should have learned the lesson not getting carried away by what other’s write about a band and how great their music is, before you’ve had a chance to check it out yourself but the majority sometime get’s the best of you and you get caught in the act. Which also is the thing here with Big City Rock, reading alot of positive feedback on how this band rocked etc. It was not a moment to waste but to  order this album. What a let down, if anything at the best, the album comes stocked between a rock and a hard place, sure it has the hit’s, which one could expect from a major debut release, just take the mellowed ballad I Believe In You and Human. Another thing that strikes me like a big let down is the 10 tracks only gives you a running time of 34 min total, far to little for a major release, you could argue that it’s better with far less playing time and then get a album of nothing but quality songs, but that would be taking your mouth to full, to say that this argument would fit this album in anyway. A far to flat/plain ordinary debut with nothing real on offer. CN


Soundevice/The World Goes ’Round  87%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



If ever there were a thing called the Dynamic 5, then it would be a perfect fit for what the five piece band Soundevice is all about. It’s a solid performance the band deliver all over, from the vocals to the music across to the production and the way it’s all served straight right up your alley of modern rock ’n’ roll. The ten track albums highlights are the songs Shades Of Grey, Crazy, Break Me, Pictures, What If, With You. Where the album doesn’t reach the level it has hidden within, is in the bit nervous start it’s of to in the beginning, but is quickly forgotten once you get a listen to the first track of the above mentioned songs on this album. A album wortth purchasing. CN


Thaxton Ward/Promise  85%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Rock



With a dark and thick layer of moody under-current water sweeping over you, from the sound coming out of your speakers from the first listening of Thaxton Ward’s album Promise, would be hitting the nail on the head, if one were to describe the sound of the band. Thaxton Ward is pretty much in the same musical category as 3 Doors Down, just not quite as strong in their musical performance. The CD has a few songs that really comes close to have songs that could have been written for a 3 Doors Down album, just take the tracks like Promise, Again, Couldn’t Lie, Where It Lies. With a few more tracks than the original 7 tracks, and without the horrible track Fadding Angeless, in the vein of the before mentioned 4 songs, then Promise would really have been a higher score than the 85%, it’s got now. CN


RTZ/Lost In America 82%
Label – Independent
Genre – Melodic Rock/AOR



Is clear from the first spin that what we got here is demos, left overs, songs that didn’t make it onto any major reelases from the band, even though one has to think how the band were capable of cutting songs like When You Love Someone, Someday, Change For Change, Give You Up For Dead, Talk To Me, Dangerous, away from making to the final recordings and with a perfect productions these songs would have been real killer AOR sing a long songs, with classic chorus and rifts. If it’s a way for the band to cash in on some old demos, that was never meant to see the light of day in the first place or it’s a demand for fans to get sometihng/anything from the band, is left un-said here, but one thing is for sure it would have been a pity if these songs was not ever released. A release for die-hard fans of RTZ og for those who’s willing to offer the price for 11 demo recorded tracks.The CD can be bought thru www.cdbaby.com CN


Jon Frederik Band/Life In Progress  81%
Label – Independent
Genre – Modern Pop/Rock



This is kinda of the release you would put on a evening where you would come home tired from work or just need some nice delightful music in the back ground on a week day, where you got nothing else to do than chill out with a nice book and a cup of coffee by your side. Jon Frederik Band is five young guys in the mood to seduce their girlfriends, or even your own if you don’t watch out, with their slick rhythm and buttered voice of lead singer Jon Frederik. The album is joyful dose of sunshine on a rainy day with songs like Your’s Truly, The Great Pretender, Sick ’n Tired, When Im 83, Light, Moving, it got groove and have a little bit in comment with BB Mak soundevice. What is a bit annoying is at times Jon Frederik’s winey voice, that comes across like talking with one hand holding his nose closed at the same time. Not a winner, but a nice one to chill too. CN


Roses Are Red/What Became Of Me  75%
Label – Trustkill Records
Genre – Punk Pop Rock



Again one of those thousand upon thousand Punk Pop Rock band thats putting a album out these days. Roses Are Red is a band with nothing much else to offer than yet another release with the classic punk pop rock roots to lean up against music wise. The band is mainly shooting with blanks doing the whole play time of the album, not one time do they deliver the one song that kick it all into a new diemension, instead it all get stocked in average songs not able to ever lift off from the runway, but keeps running straight down the tracks with no diretion what so ever in site. Boring, but then again are you a punk pop rock fanatic, then it wouldn’t really make that big of a difference. CN


Sanctus Real/The Face Of Love  80%
Label – Emi Records
Genre – Modern Rock



It was only a question of time before we would get the first clone of Switchfoot and with a singer like Matt Hammitt you get the closest comparement ever. The Face Of Of Love, is the third release from Sanctus Real and probably also their strongest to date. The album has a few really strong efforts in the form of Im Not Alright, Eloquent, Don’t Give Up,We’re Trying, Possibilities, and the rest stays in limbo. All that Sanctus Real really ever achieves on The Face Of Love, is being a cover band/true clones of Switchfoot and nothing more. The band has to work towards a more independent sound or at least not to try so damn hard being someone else instead of working with their own sound. CN


Hawk Nelson/Smile, It’s The End Of The World  88%
Label – Tooth & Nail Records
Genre – Modern Pop/Punk



Now there’s a band with a kick ass attitude on their latest album. Hawk Nelson is stepping up to the challenge of making a pop/punk album without becoming yet another mainstream product to pleases the massive masses and chesy radio edit songs, even if there’s alot of different songs to choose in between for potential radio hits, just have a go at  The Show, Bring ’Em Out, Everything You Ever Wanted, Is Forever Enough, Zero, Head On Collision, Hello, It’s Over, Fourteen, all songs that have the right elements of sticking with you. For those of you who’s not that familiar with Hawk Nelson, should go out and get this album as it’s a strong album to get the right identity of he band. CN


Slamer/Nowhere Land  88%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Melodic Rock



Slamer is the brainchild of Mike Slamer, known for his recent involvement with Seventh Key and being the well known producer, songwriter & not least his guitar playing.  Project Slamer see’s Mike surrounding himself with old mates like Terry Brock, who handles the lead vocals, and Billy Greer doing the duties in delivering the background vocals. In many terms you can call this album and extended version of Seventh Key, just with a more progressive attitude and more guitar slaming. Over all a nice release that dosen’t immediately catch your attention, but slow and sure gains your interest, as it takes it’s third and fourth spin. There’s no tracks on this album that stands out from the others, they are all pretty much stays in line all the way through the CD. For fans of Mike’s previous work and for Seventh Key fans, this is album worth to get. CN


Sunstorm/Sunstorm   98%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Melodic Rock



Putting together Joe Lynn Turner & Jim Peterik to join forces in collaberating on writing songs for the new band project Sunstorm, as come of as one of the best idea’s in a long time within this genre, as the songs featured on the band Sunstroms debut release, are nothing more than a masterpiece. Classic lines from the bands of Red Dawn, The VU and Survivor are forever printed into your memory, whenever one will hear Sunstorm. Joe Lynn Turner have never sounded tighter, both as a vocalist and together with a band, his different on the top of his peak here. Joining Joe on this album is Dennis Ward, who also produced the whole album. Tracks like This Is My Heart, Fistful Of Heat, Danger Of Love are the ultimate flagships on this release and the typical classic way of building up a tune that sticks with you long time after the album has come to a stop. One can only hope that this is not a midnight by flight and that the band, if ever there is to be a next time, will have the right material to follow up this masterpiece. CN


Avalon/Avalon    82%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – AOR/Melodic Rock



Avalon is the project build up and around the famous producer Richie Zito, who produced bands like Cheap Trick & Mr. Big to name a few. On the album Richie Zito have invited some of the former artist he used to work with, including Hugo, Joe Lynn Turner, Eric Martin, Danny Vaughn, Richie Kotzen, Philip Bardowell, etc. One should think that with classic F1 singers with in this genre and a top producer at the helmet, that nothing could go wrong and everything would add itself up to a higher level, but when both the singers, song material and the producer himself fails to deliver, then thats not much else to say than this have flunked big time. Only a few songs make it on as decent, the rest and especially the production is way off track, lame is a pretty good word to summen up the production. CN


Fair Warning/Brother’s Keeper 82%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Hard Rock



This is what I would call typical German pump hard rock, with the typical German accent in the english vocal performance. Not much new under the Sun has changed from the time that Fair Warning called it quit and up until now with the new release Brother’s Keeper. Everything is still nursed with a certain passion for a progressive hard edge mixed with the more melodic elements, that lies as the very foundation for the bands success, which also saw them gaining so much publicity from their first two albums in Japan and in some way in Europe. The new album has nothing out of the ordirnary and keeps the red threat from the bands previous releases. All in all a good album, but nothing that’s gonna revolutionize the scene in anyway. CN


Ten/The Twilight Chronicles  73%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Hard Rock



One can always ask himself the same question why keep on beating a dead horse, which seems to fit perfectly on the band Ten. Ten hasn’t been able to get out of the web they got them self helpless tangled in, since the bands debut so the light of day, some 11 years ago. With every release the band have put out ever since have gotten more screwed up and turned into utter totally nonsense, with their fairytale tellings and individual tracks straightened for more than 6 minutes and upwards, way to much. With the new release the endless vendetta continues it’s rampaging and nothing stands to save the album from just being another waste of time purchasing and buying. CN


Lunatica/The Edge Of Infinity  76%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Progressive Metal



I must admit that I never really quite get it, why a label like Frontiers Records has it’s way of releasing second rated bands like Lunatica. This has nothing on hand to offer at all and a weak vocal performance by female vocalist Andrea Datwyler, doesn’t add anything else of interest to the album. The album is lost in a sea of mud, there’s no head or tale in this inferno and it’s draging like a long cold winter, with no light at the end of the turnnel that it will ever end. However the CD is with a nice clear production, but the creaming on top is missing and it’s not worth purchasing. CN


Dark Lunacy/The Diarist  10%
Label – Frontiers Records
Genre – Death Metal



If you thought that a label like Frontiers Records couldn’t srcub any lower with the releases of Ten & Lunstica, then you in for a surprise with Dark Lunacy, cause this gotta be the worst pile of smelly horse droppings or gutter/sewer crap floating your toilet and I dont think a more colorful painting would describe it. If you value a honest opinion, then stay clear off this shit. CN


Dacia + The WMD/Dicia + The WMD  60%
Label – MTM Music
Genre – Modern Rock



One of two new signings to the more modern rock side of MTM Music catalogue. The whole album comes down as not very inventive and most of all as a album that have no intention in acheiving anything musically. With so many other great unsigned modern rock bands out there it’s a wonder how Dacia + The WMD ever got signed to MTM Music in the first place, but maybe it’s a question of better knowning about whats moving on in  the underground or not at all. Also leadsinger Dacia is weak in her vocal duties and dont deliver anything worth of mention. Not a release worth buying or wasting any time on. CN