Guitarist/bassist/keyboardplayer/songwriter/producer (!!!) Arjen Anthony Lucassen is best known as AYREON, but he also made albums under the name ANTHONY and played in the Dutch Melodic Hardrockband VENGEANCE back in the 1980s. He appeared on many albums, and now in the year 2002 he has a new project on INSIDE OUT MUSIC, the German quality label with whom he got in touch not that long ago and decided to start working on a new project. The project is called STAR ONE, and 'Space metal' is the first CD. Besides Arjen, other involved musicians include Drummer Ed Warby, Keyboardplayer Jens Johansson (MALMSTEEN, STRATOVARIUS), Guitarist Gary Wehrkamp (SHADOW GALLERY) and ERIK NORLANDER (ROCKET SCIENTISTS, LANA LANE) who played a few Synth solos.

As lead singers we can hear DAMIAN WILSON (ex-THRESHOLD), Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER), SYMPHONY X lead vocalist Russell Allen, Robert Soeterboek (AYREON), Dan Swano (NIGHTINGALE) and even HAWKIND's singer DAVE BROCK makes a guest appearance on a HAWKWIND Medley. This medley can be found on Disc two (yes, the CD consists of two
discs!), and basically Arjen is paying tribute to HAWKWIND with this Medley, because that Classic Rockband invented the term 'Space Rock'. 30 years later Arjen Lucassen has had his 15 minutes of fame with the term 'Space Metal' as AYREON that made him quite famous, and now he gets a second chance with his new project STAR ONE.

The two discs of the first STAR ONE CD are basically a continuation of AYREON, so we get to hear a mixture of Progressive Metal, Classic 70s HardRock and Melodic Rock, and with so many different singers, each song has it's own approach, although as a whole, the music can be considered to stay in the Bombastic Melodic Hardrock/Metal genre. Although there are clear similarities to AYREON, the music is a bit heavier and rougher in it's approach, and I could also hear clear resemblance's with acts like TEN, RAINBOW, BRAZEN ABBOTT, MAGNUM, and ERIK NORLANDER. In total you get almost 90 minutes of high quality bombastic progressive melodic hardrock/metal!

The highlights are "Spaced out" (great uptempo melodic hardrock like RAINBOW, BRAZEN ABBOTT, with a spacy keyboardsolo), "Inseparable enemies" (great melodic prog metal), "Songs of the ocean" (very good uptempo piece a la LANA LANE), "Master of darkness" (midtempo melodic heavy rock a la TEN), "The eye of Ra" (good progressive melodic semi ballad), "Sandrider" (great uptempo melodic rocker), "Perfect survivor" (mix of TEN, MAGNUM and LANA LANE), "Intergalactic space crusaders" (best song, fantastic uptempo melodic rocker with a clear 70s URIAH HEEP influence, and also a nice keyboardsolo) and closing track "Starchild" (calmer progressive rock epic). To make a long review short, I can only say to you that this album will please everyone, as the included material is quite diverse in approach, while the CD in general is from a very high quality. All the genres we promote on our site are involved on STAR ONE's CD, so save your money and buy this record a.s.a.p.!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Dutch Progressive Metal band ELEGY is back with a new release, entitled 'Principles of pain'. Without any doubts, this is an excellent high quality progressive metal release filled with fantastic songs. Ian Parry's vocals and Patrick Rondat's guitarsound give ELEGY's sound a dynamic and fresh touch that can easily be put next to some of the best Progressive Metal bands at the moment (BALANCE OF POWER, ARTENSION, THRESHOLD, SYMPHONY X etc). The new CD of ELEGY has many highlights, with my favourites being "No code no honour" (great uptempo melodic Prog/Power), "Walking nightmare" (very good melodic prog metal with a very strong chorus), "Principles of faith" (another melodic prog metal masterpiece), "Silence in the wind" (great AOR/Melodic rockballad) and "Hypothesis" (very impressive melodic prog metal). This is ELEGY's best effort so far, one of the best Dutch Prog Metal releases ever!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

SYMBOLS was the former band of ANGRA vocalist Eduardo Falaschi. This Brazilian band released a couple of albums, and ‘Call to the end’ was their last effort. SYMBOLS played melodic progressive metal a la ANGRA, AT VANCE... ‘Call to the end’ is a great album, a perfect clean production, and some very strong sensational songs. Highlights are “Power machine” (great uptempo melodic power metal, very catchy and close to AT VANCE), “Call to the end” (very good semi progressive melodic metal), “The traveller” (another excellent uptempo power metal piece), “Save Africa” (progressive melodic rockballad), “Stop the wars” (midtempo, very strong chorus) and “Sons of lord” (one of the best songs, great melodic prog metal).

The only let-down is the closing track “Everything I want”, an 80s type of HardRock/Glamrock orientated uptempo tune that would have sounded better if ROUGH CUTT or ICON had performed it. Anyway, this SYMBOLS album is definitely one of the best releases in the South-American Prog Metal scene, right up there with ANGRA, so no wonder why the lead singer of SYMBOLS went to ANGRA, same music, but a lot more fans, which is a pity, because SYMBOLS is as good as ANGRA, so check out this album a.s.a.p. if you’re a fan of melodic prog metal. You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here’s another high quality Melodic Prog Metal band from Brazil, and ‘Reneways’ (Renewed ways) is their debut CD. I heard a lot of similarities, such as ELEGY, IRON MAIDEN, THRESHOLD, ARTENSION, BALANCE OF POWER, AT VANCE... The production is crystal clear, and there are a lot of really great songs on the CD. My favourite tracks are “Place of shadows” (great melodic prog metal with an excellent chorus a la THRESHOLD), “Warning” (fantastic melodic prog metal a la ARTENSION, BALANCE OF POWER), “Reaching skies” (superb semi progressive melodic rockballad, with additional female vocals by Julia Simoes), “The punisher” (uptempo melodic power/prog metal a la ELEGY), and the uptempo Power/Prog rockers “Living in a hole” and “Purpose for life” (both very catchy, a la AT VANCE, and strangely enough both bonustracks and best songs of the whole CD!). FREEHAND is one of the better melodic progressive metal bands from Brazil, highly recommendable! You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Italy comes MORGANA and they have released their CD ‘Angel’ on ELEVATE RECORDS, while MEGAHARD RECORDS released the album for Brazil and the rest of South America. Without any doubts, this is a high quality release. MORGANA sounds like the perfect cross between RHAPSODY, LABYRINTH, SYMPHONY X, STRATOVARIUS and early DREAM THEATER. The whole CD is a highlight, as each song has got excellent bridges, catchy hooks and memorable singable melodic choruses. The best songs are “The syndrome” (great progressive power with a super catchy bridge and chorus), “Angel” (lovely ‘polished’ AOR ballad), “The different” (another great progressive power metal song), “Let’s free the essence” (best song, fantastic midtempo progressive melodic rocker, on this song lead singer Marco Mesemi sounds a lot like James Labrie, while the song itself sounds like the perfect mix between DREAM THEATER and STRATOVARIUS), “Your recall” (fast uptempo melodic power metal, like HEAVENLY, BLIND GUARDIAN...), “Road to nowhere” (OZZY cover, nice semi melodic rockballad) and “Fly in the sky” (bonustrack, great melodic prog metal). As you can see, there are a lot of highlights on this disc, so I can easily recommend MORGANA’s album to anyone who likes Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal. If you like any of the mentioned bands, then get a copy a.s.a.p.! You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 9/10 Kleinbloesem)(Review by Gabor

LIAR SYMPHONY is yet another high quality progressive metal band from Brazil, again musically akin close to what bands like AT VANCE and VANDENPLAS are currently doing here in Europe. There’s an excellent mixture of uptempo melodic power metal pieces and progressive metal (with AOR type of choruses!) songs on this CD, so there’s a lot to enjoy. Together with a fantastic production, a huge instrumental sound and a great singer (Villo Nolasco), this is another highlight in the ever-growing Brazilian Progressive/Power Metal scene.

My favourite songs are “The crowning of the night” (faster uptempo melodic power metal with a very catchy singable chorus), “Negative foreseeing” (excellent melodic prog metal), “Lonely track” (midtempo progressive melodic rocker with a lovely AOR type of super melodic chorus), “Humanquina” (another superb progressive melodic rocker a la VANDENPLAS, 10 minutes-counting song with a lovely chorus) and “Die but don’t lose” (Beautiful AOR/Melodic Rockballad). So, concluded this LIAR SYMPHONY is another recommendable Brazilian progressive Metal band, especially if you’re into VANDENPLAS, ARTENSION, BALANCE OF POWER, AT VANCE... You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The past few years we have had a lot of new quality Brazilian Progressive Rock/Metal bands and SPIRIT HEAVEN is one of them. Their CD ‘Aria’s kingdom’ is a very impressive progressive/power metal release in the style of ANGRA. All included songs have melodic choruses, progressive breaks, and excellent keyboardwork. My favourites are “Spirit heaven” (progressive power metal), “The return” (very melodic chorus!), “Aria (legacy of heaven)” (another great prog/power metal piece), “Bring back my crown” (very nice melodic rockballad), “The blessing way” (very good prog/power), “Black roses” (great semi melodic rockballad, interesting keyboardwork) and the midtempo prog metal song “Your nightmare is over” (lovely chorus). This CD has the perfect sound, and is recommended to all fans of Prog Metal. You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Rio De Janeiro comes the fantastic new band ALLEGRO. Their same titled debut CD is definitely another highlight in the Brazilian Progressive Metal scene. The band has an excellent melodic lead singer called Ilton Nogueiro. The band sounds a lot like AT VANCE, yet with an own identity. The songs are very melodic and the CD has a HUGE sound quality! It’s hard to pick out the best songs, but I would definitely say “Stormy nights” (Scandi orientated uptempo melodic heavy rocker like 220 VOLT, NARNIA, early EUROPE, with a very catchy chorus!), “Third millennium” (progressive melodic heavy rock like IVANHOE meets EDGUY), “Sweet as wine, holy as blood” (semi melodic rockballad), “Self destruction” (progressive melodic heavy rocker with a superb melodic chorus) and the absolute winner “As one we’ll survive” (pure AT VANCE, uptempo power metal with a very impressive singable chorus). So we can add ALLEGRO to the list of new Brazilian progressive/Power Metal sensations. To be continued I think! You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

It seems like in Canada Power Metal has made it's entrance, with upcoming bands like FORGOTTEN TALES and this HANKER playing a very European orientated Metal style (a la BLIND GUARDIAN). The enormous popularity of last mentioned German band in Canada (Top 10 national Charts!) makes an impact on many new bands, and they all want to play in the style of their 'heroes'. A few months ago I reviewed the female fronted FORGOTTEN TALES, and now it's up to HANKER, a band from the beautiful city of Quebec. This band is playing pure European Power Metal, but there are also a bunch of melodic metal songs on their third CD 'Snakes and ladders'.

Especially the first two songs ("Ad patres" and "The pardoner") are 'Power Metal Heaven' for the fans of BLIND GUARDIAN and HAMMERFALL! The production is fantastic, and the performance is quite excellent. My favourite tracks are "Hail to you" (fantastic very 80s orientated uptempo melodic metal a la WARLORD - remember them???), "Save your life" (great strong semi melodic metal ballad), "Confidence man" (midtempo melodic metal piece), "Far from the cradle" (fantastic melodic prog metal), "On the verge of tears" (heavy prog/power, pure HAMMERFALL) and "The eternal struggle" (very melodic chorus, fast melodic power metal at it's best).

What more can I say to you then to highly recommend this CD of HANKER to anyone who likes melodic metal/European power metal! The CD is distributed in Europe through HELLION RECORDS. Visit the band's website at: http://www.hankermetal.com and e-mail them at: pbegin@hankermetal.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

‘Strava’ is the second CD of the Brazilian band HEAVEN’S GUARDIAN. It’s not as good as some of the other Brazilian Prog/Power Metal releases we have reviewed lately, but still this is quite a nice release. Musically the power metal of HEAVEN’S GUARDIAN is comparable to EDGUY, NOSTRADAMEUS, HEAVENLY... The beginning of the CD offers a lot of fast uptempo power metal pieces that will be loved by the fans of the genre, but not appreciated by someone who wants to hear some variety in the songs. Happily, later on the CD songs like “Freedom” (great midtempo progressive melodic rocker), “Fighters” (melodic singable chorus), “Peace keeper” (good prog/power metal), “Hope” (calmer melodic rockballad) and closing track “Enough” (80s US Power metal a la LIZZY BORDEN) show that HEAVEN’S GUARDIAN can also make something else than fast pieces. Anyway, not as good as other Brazilian Prog/Power releases, but still recommended if you’re a fan of bands like HEAVENLY and EDGUY. You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

DRAGONHEART is a Brazilian band and they play ‘Teutonic/German’ melodic Power Metal a la GRAVE DIGGER, BLIND GUARDIAN, STORMWITCH, NOISEHUNTER, RUNNING WILD, with some HELLOWEEN and RHAPSODY influences here and there. Most of the songs are fast and guitar orientated, so definitely pure Metal orientated, nothing like most of the Brazilian bands play. This makes them sound unique in Brazil, and I have to admit there is some good stuff on the band’s debut CD ‘Underdark’. Highlights include “Battlefield requiem” (medieval folkish midtempo melodic metal like a calmer RHAPSODY), “Tied in time” (fast and furious, but with very melodic singable chorus, and keys at the start, a bit like a speed up version of AT VANCE), “Sir Lockdunam” (‘middle-ages’ type of acoustic folkish ballad with some very nice instrumental arrangements, a bit like a calmer RHAPSODY again) and “New millenium” (fast and very much like RHAPSODY, especially the chorus reminds me of those Italian bombastic power metal leaders). Like I said earlier in this review, the band is focused on bringing fast power metal songs, and therefore fans of old BLIND GUARDIAN and GRAVE DIGGER will love songs like “Arcadia gates”, “Dynasty and destiny”, “Night corsales”, “Underdark”, “Gods of ice” and “Mists of avalon”. Another quality band from Brazil, yet a bit different than the rest (no ANGRA comparisons here!). You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

MYSTICAL WARNING is a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil and I believe ‘Third millenium’ is their debut CD. They are one of the weaker bands on the MEGA HARD RECORDS label, because somehow their songs are not strong enough. The vocals of lead singer Clod Adamas are not that good, and they strangely have a ‘German-acccent’, nothing bad about that, but compared to a lot of other Brazilian singers, MYSTICAL WARNING’s lead singer doesn’t sing that well. Also not all songs are convincing, with the exception of “Mystical signs” (nice melodic prog metal with lots of tempo changes, a long guitarsolo and a melodic catchy chorus, a bit reminding me of FATES WARNING), “Between madness and sinity” (good semi progressive melodic rockballad) and “Silence” (8 minutes counting progressive metal epic). The other 5 songs are nice progressive metal, but nothing spectacular. I think a next album need to bring some change for this band, because this CD definitely shows that they have potential, but for now there are too many songs that are more like so and so (such as “Third millenium”, “Time can’t wait” and “Empty words”). More info on the band at: http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This Brazilian band is playing pure 80s melodic metal (a la MAIDEN), with a lot of Prog Metal and some Melodic Hardrock influences here and there. ‘Behind the history’ is a quality release that prove that this mixture really works well on a recording. There are also some clear similarities to EDGUY and co. My favourite songs are “The great marine’s sailing” (melodic prog metal), “Freedom, although late” (great midtempo prog metal, very much like EDGUY, especially the catchy chorus), “For everyday” (great high quality prog metal) and “Hereditary capitany” (another nice prog metal piece). So, this TAILGUNNERS is another nice addition to the big list of new quality Brazilian prog metal bands. You can buy a copy through http://www.megahard.com.br

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Italian multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Bruno Rock has released his new CD, and for the first time, almost all the songs are sung in English. The album is titled 'X-over' and has been released through the German AOR label TARGET RECORDS. The production is quite excellent, and the CD is filled with quality melodic rock/aor. Not all songs are convincing, but in the end I think everyone will be pleased to have heard his CD, as Bruno is a very talented man and some of his songs are really sensational. My favourite tracks are "Anyone but you" (great keyboardwork, song itself is a catchy uptempo AOR rocker a la TERRA NOVA), "Two hearts one weapon" (quite catchy straight-ahead uptempo melodic rocker), "Silhouette" (great AOR, 80s guitar riff), "Spread your wings" (another great uptempo melodic rocker) and "Luna" (excellent semi-AOR ballad like ALIAS, ORE, best song of the whole CD, the only song with Italian lyrics, a super strong chorus can be heard in this tune). Some of the rest is also very good, and I think BRUNOROCK has improved himself through the years, and this is his finest release so far that will attract more people (partly due to the switch from Italian to English lyrics, although I don't mind at all) than his earlier records. Go check out his site at: http://www.brunorock.it and you can buy this CD through http://www.target-records.de

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of West Hollywood comes MADISON PAIGE, an excellent new AOR band, and they sent me a 3-track demo CDR. The only complaint I have is that the production is very average, and that's a pity, because the 3 included songs are very impressive. Opener "The one that got away" is a catchy classy 80s uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker with awesome vocals. Up next is the faster early 80s uptempo melodic heavy rocker "Any day now", a song with a catchy chorus, and as a whole it reminds me of such acts like LEATHERWOLF, PRETTY MAIDS, MAD MAX and even AT VANCE! The third track is a different story. This is the song "When I'm gone", and probably the best song MADISON PAIGE will ever write, as this is a pure AOR song with an amazingly superb AOR HEAVEN chorus that comes close to bands like THE SING, DRIVE SHE SAID, MYSTIC HEALER… So, this is an excellent band, but with a better production, the score would have been much higher. If they release a full-length CD in the future and give it a clean production, then MADISON PAIGE could become one of the best US AOR bands at the moment. For now, more info on MADISON PAIGE at: http://www.madisonpaige.net and e-mail them at: madisonpaigeinfo@aol.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This is one of the few Belgium Metal bands to be reviewed on our site. CRUSADER is playing pure 80s Metal and they do remind me of those 'Mausoleum' records from the 1980s. Of course CRUSADER sounds more updated and actually, the excellent production gives the melodic uptempo metal on 'This mortal flesh' a fresh approach. The CD is distributed by VIRGIN RECORDS (!) in Belgium, so they must surely have made an impression on some people, and I think it's fair, because the CD sounds very good. Highlights are "Call of the white wolf", "Sleep of the innocent", "The ally" and the slightly progressive metal orientated "The cancer of cowardice". The band also sounds a bit like MANOWAR circa the mid 1980s, but definitely have a sound of their own as well. Fans of pure 80s Metal will like CRUSADER a lot, for more info go to: http://www.crusader.be

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

SEVEN 13 is a band out of Boston and they have a somewhat own kind of rockstyle that combines Progressive Rock/Metal and AOR into one exciting melodic sound. They sound like a cross between TEN and ROUGH SILK, while the lead singer Kenneth Michael has a very 'German accent' way of singing. All mixed up, and you have SEVEN 13 with their interesting debut CD 'Unleashed' that sounds different than anything out at the moment, yet melodic enough to please both AOR and Prog fans. Highlights are "Drink!" (comes with a cool videoclip, good semi AOR rocker with a catchy melodic chorus), "Out of control" (great uptempo melodic rocker a la PINK CREAM 69, with flashy guitarwork and again a melodic bridge/chorus), "Don't you wish" (excellent 80s AOR dut-dut keys at the start, song itself is a nice uptempo melodic rocker), "If you want me" (nice semi melodic prog rock/metal), "Dianne" (best song, excellent AOR a la TEN) and the bombastic semi melodic rockballads "Haunted" and "Whenever you close your eyes" (both sounding like a mix between SAVATAGE and ROUGH SILK). So, this SEVEN 13 is quite an adventure with a lot of various rockstyle elements slipped into their melodic rock/metal sound. If you want to know how a mix between TEN, ROUGH SILK and SAVATAGE sounds, then go to: http://www.seven13band.com and check out this Boston based band a.s.a.p. E-mail them at: Seven13Rep@aol.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

One of the best Neo-Prog acts ever has released a DVD that is basically the complete recording of the ‘Subterranea’ concert they gave here in Holland (at the famous 013 Club in Tilburg). IQ has been around for almost 25 years now, and this DVD release is a complete must for any fan of the band or it’s genre. It was an enormous project to make this DVD possible, considering the fact the concert took place exactly 3 years ago (on the 4th of April 1999), but the result is quite stunning. This is maybe the best DVD released so far in the musicbusiness, because with 2 ½ hours of material (including the whole 2-hour concert and a making of documentary), you have an enjoyable evening filled with high quality music in an excellent performance by one of the most respected Progressive Rockbands in history.

Not only the music is stunning, but also the performance by IQ is far above any other band. The 19 songs performed here form together the whole album ‘Subterranea’, which the band released before this concert. This concept-album tells us an interesting story (which I will not discuss here, therefore you must buy this fantastic CD!) that is not only told in the band’s music during this fantastic concert, but also in the stage performance. For example, the lead singer (Peter Nicholls) changes his outfit with every song, and the video-protected wall behind the band on stage shows us pictures and clips of cities where IQ played during the ‘Subterranea’ tour of 1999. The band filmed a lot during this tour and the big screen video wall shows us everything IQ experienced the months before they gave the concert in Tilburg. The concert itself is of course a brilliant performance, a 2-hours long counting progressive rock experience you will never forget after you have seen it.

Highlights are the songs “Subterranea”, “Infernal chorus”, “Breathtaker”, “Unsolid ground”, “Somewhere in time” and “The narrow margin”, but they are all part of one big song actually which is of course ‘Subterranea’ and you just can’t put on 1 song, because all together the 19 songs are basically one concept. As always Keyboardplayer Martin Orford does some excellent things with his keyboard that even brings you in higher places at times! As encores, the band played two older songs, namely “The wake” and “Human nature”, two great progressive rocktunes and between these two songs it was the first time we heard lead singer Peter Nicholls saying something to the audience! But this was due to the fact that the whole concert had to be the concept ‘Subterranea’ like it was on the same titled CD of IQ. Anyway, this DVD is basically proving that IQ is one of the best progressive rockbands of all times. More than 150 minutes of enjoyable music and performances can be found on this DVD, so save your money and buy yourself a copy of IQ’s first DVD. More info at: http://www.gep.co.uk/iq/

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Canadian band TOTAL STRANGER has been around for a long time now. For years they played the typical Canadian melodic rock (a la SANTERS, CONEY HATCH, HONEYMOON SUITE, SHAYLE...), which resulted in a great CD release on Long Island Records in the mid 1990s. Now, the band has released a new CD on Escape Music and I must tell you they changed their sound a bit, some modern influences can be heard, but mostly a more ‘groovy’ Hardrock approach is notable on songs like “Cream/Believe in yourself”, “Live after life”, “Little somethin’”. This could be due to the fact that PAUL DEAN (LOVERBOY and solo albums) produced the CD, as this Canadian guitarist is very keen on groovy hardrock (just listen to the man’s solo-albums or the last LOVERBOY).

I am not saying that this new TOTAL STRANGER CD is a bad album, because the music is definitely quite good and the production is also excellent, but it’s just that I now for a fact that TOTAL STRANGER can do much better. They proved that on their same titled debut CD from the mid 90s, an excellent AOR piece a la TOUR DE FORCE, SURVIVOR... Happily, Escape Music has included that CD as Bonus with the new album ‘Obsession’, so that’s two for the price of one! So we all can enjoy again those fantastic TOTAL STRANGER songs such as “Paradise”, “bed of lies”, “Can’t stop” and “The mask”, while this Bonus CD also has 2 unreleased tracks (“To the city” and the acoustic version of “Paradise”).

In other words, there’s still enough to enjoy on this double CD. And there are also good songs on the band’s new CD ‘Obsession’, such as the semi melodic rockballads “Rising sun” (a bit like DARE),
“Vision of the very young”, “Mistaken ways” and “Wildest dreams”. I heard some modern DEF LEPPARD influences in the song “Erotic”, while “Obsession” is basically the only uptempo melodic rocker that reminds me of their debut CD. I would say, for the people who like groovy melodic hardrock (like the last VON GROOVE record), go for TOTAL STRANGER’s new CD ‘Obsession’, while the AOR/Melodic Rockfans are better off with the band’s debut CD (which is enclosed as Bonus CD over here) if you don’t own it yet. One way or the other, this double CD has enough to offer for various rockfans, so go get yourself a copy!

Rating: 8.0 out of 10) (new CD:7,5 – bonus CD: 8,5)
(Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Rockaway, New Jersey comes multi-instrumentalist Neil Rambaldi. He played with acts like RIVERA/BOMMA (this band released a great album, reviewed some time ago) and AOR artist JOHN TAGLIERI (he released a few years ago the great album ‘Leap of faith’). Now Neil has released his debut CD entitled ‘Perpetual horizon’. This album is a high quality instrumental progressive rock/metal release, filled with superb instrumental work by Neil himself (on keys, guitars, drums and bass!). Highlights are “Edge”, “It’s time”, “Speechless” and “Perpetual horizon”, but I can assure you the whole CD is a great addition if you’re into quality instrumental melodic progressive rock/metal. Comparisons to VAI, SATRIANI, MALMSTEEN, BECKER can be made at times, but Neil gives it an own twist and the fact that he does everything on his own shows that we need to keep our eyes wide open for this talented man. More info at: http://www.neilrambaldi.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

RIVAL comes out of Chicago and their two CDs are filled with pure 80s melodic metal a la RIOT, MAIDEN, PRIEST, BARREN CROSS… It's incredible how 80s RIVAL really sounds, it's like I am back in the year 1986 when MAIDEN was so huge that every band wanted to play Metal in that style. Well, RIVAL is one of those bands (maybe the only band!) that still play a pure 80s melodic metal (so no keys involved here!). Songs like "Strangler", "Half alive", "Death stalker" and "Evil within" are songs that will be loved by fans of pure 80s melodic metal. My favourite RIVAL tracks are the midtempo progressive melodic rockers "The last rebellion" and "Tides of fate" (a bit like MALMSTEEN), the BARREN CROSS type of uptempo melodic metal "Beast of the night" (starts calm though) and the fantastic uptempo melodic rocker "In silence" (the only song that sounds a bit different and is very melodic). These guys have two CDs out filled with quality pure 80s melodic metal, highly recommended to fans of RIOT, MAIDEN, PRIEST and early FATES WARNING! More info at: http://www.rivalmusic.net and e-mail them at: rival@core.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

AQUILA is the new band of former TERRA NOVA vocalist/guitarist Fred Hendrix. His new band is also playing AOR, although it is softer than his former band and also slightly more Poprock orientated. Anyway, the production is quite good, all done by Fred himself. Besides Fred, also his brother Ron on keyboards is included in the line-up of the band, while the drums are taking care of Eric Derix. The first CD of AQUILA is not that heavy, with many midtempo and ballad orientated material and not many uptempo rockers (in contrary to TERRA NOVA who did a lot of excellent fun uptempo tracks). Anyway, the start is not really impressive, with the midtempo poprocker "Busted" (like JOHN PARR) and the uptempo poprocker "Radio active" (a la INXS). Happily, the rest of the CD is much better and quite sensational at times. Highlights are "Cecilia" (AOR ballad), "Young and restless" (midtempo AOR), "Nothing's impossible now" (a la STAN BUSH), "Sometimes" (semi AOR ballad) and the catchy 'Party-making' uptempo melodic rocker The kids wanna rock" (a song that live will be appreciated a lot I think!). So, in general, AQUILA has released a fine debut album that is a great follow-up to TERRA NOVA, the former band that maybe can be considered as one of the best Dutch AOR bands ever! More info on AQUILA at: http://www.aquilanova.com and e-mail them at: fanmail@aquilanova.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Guitarist Ronny North from California has formed a band around him and simply called it NORTH. They released a 5-track CD and musically NORTH grabs back to the glorious fun 80s melodic rockstyle. The 5 included songs are all in the same style, which is late 80s American orientated mainstream melodic rock with catchy hooks, bridges and singable melodic choruses, ending up sounding like SLYBOYZ, STRYPER, DANGER DANGER, VAN HALEN, TALAS, TEER, TALON, VOXEN and you name it further. It's like if you love one song, you will love everything NORTH does. The best songs are "Young and free" and "Love you better than before", but actually all 5 tracks are great uptempo fun melodic rockers in the best 80s style. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.ronnynorth.com and e-mail at: ronny@ronnynorth.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Do not confuse this ANTARES with all the other same named bands at the moment (from Holland and Germany for example), because this ANTARES comes out of Poland. Strangely enough this is the first Polish band I ever review! Anyway, they are quite good, as their 5-track CD 'Runaway' is filled with nice uptempo 80s inspired melodic metal. All included songs are in the same style, so if you like one, then you will love them all. The best song is probably closing track "Run away", a well-balanced very melodic song. Without any doubts, ANTARES already belongs to the better sounding bands from Poland. Check out their site at: http://antares.rockmetal.art.pl and e-mail at: antares@skrzynka.pl

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Valencia, Spain comes SAQQARA, and they have released their debut CD on the Greek label SECRET PORT RECORDS. The album contains 9 tracks and the band sings in their own language, but for their kind of music that doesn't bother too much, because they play melodic heavy rock/metal that sounds a lot like their countrymen of TIERRA SANTA. It's a pity the production is not that good, because the songs of SAQQARA are all quite sensational. Highlights are the uptempo melodic rockers "Gritos de guerra" and "Esclavos" (both even reminding me of DOKKEN), the semi melodic rockballad "Obscuridad" (best song), the faster melodic heavy rocker "Encerrado" (with a very melodic chorus, song sounds like PRETTY MAIDS, MAD MAX) and the semi melodic rocker "Tristeza". This Spanish band surprised me a lot and I can really recommend their CD to fans of strong hookladen melodic hardrock/heavy rock/metal in the style of TIERRA SANTA, PRETTY MAIDS, MAD MAX… More info at: http://www.saqqarametal.com and you can buy a copy by contacting theodosism@hotmail.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

BLACK FATE is a very impressive melodic progressive rock/metal band from Greece. Their first CD is comparable to SHADOW GALLERY, ENCHANT, SYMPHONY X, 7 MONTHS… There are some really excellent songs on the album, such as "No mask" (progressive melodic rocker a la SHADOW GALLERY, SYMPHONY X), "Queen of the night" (another classy piece of quality progressive melodic rock) and the uptempo progressive melodic rocker "Part of the act" (catchy chorus, with some lovely harmonyvocals that work perfectly on this song). Towards the end there are some weaker prog. metal songs, such as "Bleeding" and "Out of this place", but don't let that hold you back from checking out this quality Greek band. You can buy a copy by contacting theodosism@hotmail.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here's another Greek band, not as good as BLACK FATE and REFLECTION, but still worthy to have a listen. DREAM WEAVER play 80s orientated melodic metal, with some Power Metal influences, but for the most part they remind me of 80s IRON MAIDEN. The Power Metal can be heard on the first track "Destiny dancer", while the rest is less heavy and more pure 80s melodic metal (such as the songs "Bed of pain", "Desolate heart" and the MAIDEN/PRETTY MAIDS orientated "Hands on the white"). Closing track "Miss another meaning" is the best song of the 5 included tracks on this mini-CD. This final track is a great melodic metal piece with lots of tempo changes. More info on DREAM WEAVER can be found at: http://www.truemetal.org/dreamweaver and you can buy a copy by contacting theodosism@hotmail.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'The fire still burns' is the first full-length CD of the Greek band REFLECTION. This band is playing 80s type of melodic metal a la IRON MAIDEN, HIGHWAY CHILE, yet with some progressive rock/metal influences. There are 9 songs on the CD, and I really enjoyed listening to this quality album. The best songs are "The wings of fate" (great slow tempo progressive melodic rocker with a catchy memorable chorus), "Before the end" (very good uptempo melodic hardrock a la HIGHWAY CHILE, HELLOISE), "Fire and steel" (hello 80s melodic metal!) and closing track "When immortals…die!" (pure 80s MAIDEN). This band is highly recommended if you miss classy 80s melodic metal! More info on REFLECTION at: http://www.angelfire.com/band/reflection and you can buy a copy by contacting theodosism@hotmail.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Greek band VIOLET VORTEX has not released the strongest album on the new label SECRET PORT RECORDS. I think REFLECTION, BLACK FATE and SAQQARA are much better, but on the other hand VIOLET VORTEX has a sound of their own, and that's also something to respect. They play a mixture of Groovy Bluesy Hardrock and Doom Metal, somewhere a cross between BADLANDS and BLACK SABBATH, only a few levels lower. A song like "Trouble" is just pure BADLANDS, a very Bluesy and Groovy Dark HardRock song. On the other hand, the track "Blind truth" is very much reminding me of 70s BLACK SABBATH. Well, it's hard to categorize this band, but if you like one of the mentioned bands you can always check out VIOLET VORTEX, but don't expect something sensational. You can buy a copy by contacting theodosism@hotmail.com

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The American musician TY TABOR has played and recorded with acts like PLATYPUS, KING'S X, JELLY JAM and JUGHEAD and also is releasing solo CDs every now and then, such as his new CD 'Safety', the second solo release of the man. Musically he plays a somewhat calmer westcoast orientated pop/rock style on his solo records, and therefore 'Safety' should be put in the category of artists like TOM PETTY, JOHN COUGAR and even JOHN LENNON. In some of the songs you can also hear clearly a 70s Psychedelic Rock influence. The best songs are "Tulip", "Better to be on hold", "Room for me" and "Anger". The songs also have a modern touch, so if you want something totally different than the usual AOR, Prog, Melodic Metal, Power Metal stuff you listen to, then check out this release!

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The band PLANET X features some highly rated musicians like guitarist TONY MACALPINE and keyboardplayer DEREK SHERINIAN, and 'Live from Oz' is their new CD. It's not a studio album, but a live record that contains the whole show PLANET X performed in Melbourne, Australia during their last tour. It seems like PLANET X is quite popular all over the world, because especially in Bulgaria the band has many fans. The music of PLANET X is high quality instrumental progressive rock with excellent keyboard and guitarplay. Highlights on this Live CD are "Ignotus per ignotium", "Atlantis", "Her animal" and "Pods of trance". You really get something for your money when you purchase this CD, because the album counts almost 2 hours of instrumental progressive rock from the highest quality! That's not all folks, because next month PLANET X will release a new studio-album, so save up your money for 2 releases of the band this year!

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Man and machine' is the new CD of UDO, and this time he got a lot of help from his old ACCEPT bandmate STEFAN KAUFMANN, who played guitar, co-wrote most of the songs and recorded/mixed the CD. Musically UDO is still playing pure German Metal, although this time some songs are a bit more Melodic Hard Rock orientated. You can hear that in songs like "Animal instinct", "Silent cry", "Hard to be honest" and "Like a lion", all 4 good melodic hardrock songs (a la VICTORY). But for the greater part of this album, fans of classy 80s PRIEST/ACCEPT will enjoy this new UDO album, such as on the songs "Man and machine", "Private eye", "Network nightmare" and the sing-a-long tunes "The dawn of the Gods", "Black heart" and "Unknown traveller". The only track I haven't mentioned yet is the polished melodic rockballad "Dancing with an angel", which is a duet with DORO PESCH. Well, this one is definitely a must for all fans of UDO, ACCEPT, PRIEST…

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

On the one and only Turkish label are two new releases, CEMETERY OF SCREAM (a Death metal band, so not reviewed by us) and CATHARSIS (a very interesting Progressive Metal band). CATHARSIS is unlike most other bands on their label not coming out of Turkey, no, this is a band from Russia! So, we have here a high quality Russian band with a CD release on a Turkish label. The band has been around for almost 6 years now and they already released quite a few demos and albums, and this new release is their third CD. 'Dea' is a very well produced melodic progressive/power metal album in the style of ANGRA, TIME MACHINE, KAMELOT, SYMPHONY X…

There are only 7 tracks on the CD, and with a playing length of hardly 36 minutes, I could almost call this a mini-CD, but it's the music that counts, and I have to say that CATHARSIS is quite a promising band for the future. They will definitely become one of the best Russian bands ever, because by far they are already better on this CD than the stuff GORKY PARK and AVTOGRAF ever released in their heydays. Songs like "A trip into elysium" (great instrumental midtempo bombastic progrock/metal), "My love, the phiery" (interesting keyboards, excellent uptempo prog) and "Pro memoria" (perfect prog metal) are showing that CATHARSIS are almost as good as well-known acts like ANGRA and KAMELOT.

The keyboards by the female keyboardplayer Julia Egorova are sometimes quite notable, and give the music of CATHARSIS an own approach. The production is also very good, and therefore this is a highly recommended Russian Prog Metal band, for more info go to: http://www.hammermuzik.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This is a band out of Munich, Germany and they play slightly modern melodic metal. The lead vocals are a bit weak, but musically they sound nice, although I think they can do much better. The best song on the debut mini-CD of SECRET IN SANITY is clearly "Sharidian night". On this song the vocals sound better, while the song itself is a great melodic heavy rocker a la AXXIS. Other songs like "Why" and "Unholy words" are nice melodic metal, but are not strong enough to convince. Closing track "Ceremony" shows a different side of the band, as this is a fast uptempo metal piece a la GRAVE DIGGER. Check out this band for yourself at: http://www.secret-in-sanity.de and e-mail them at: mbodenbach@web.de

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This American multi-instrumentalist sent me a demo CDR consisting of 4 songs. Musically he has some various things to offer, starting off with a strange mixture of 80s Rock and Wave on the song "In your words". Happily, this is the only let-down, because the other 3 included tracks are quite nice, such as "Dark day" (uptempo melodic rocker) and "Falling deeper" (80s guitar riff a la DOKKEN, song is uptempo melodic hardrock). Only the sound and also the vocals are not that impressive, but who knows the official CD release will see a change in that part. I hope closing track "Doors of time" will get a facelift, because this is the best song, but has a real weak sound quality, and that's a pity, because this is a great 70s/80s hardrock song a la ROUGH CUTT, with some Progressive Metal influences. The song has a playing time of almost 11 minutes, and unlike the rest, the vocals are better. Anyway, not everything on the demo CD of STEVE OTT is interesting, but I think a full-length CD in the future will see a big improvement from him, as he has proved on this demo CDR he can write a decent song. For more info, e-mail at: stott@Pa.net

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Italy comes STEREOKIMONO, and 'Ki' is their debut CD. The album is filled with high quality instrumental progressive rock, sounding like a mix between KING CRIMSON, GENTLE GIANT and PINK FLOYD. The 3 musicians of STEREOKIMONO are highly skilled and play the instruments very well, which results in 8 great instrumental progressive rocksongs. The best songs are "Phileas Fogg", "L'Altra marea" and "Il nulla respira" that all take you into the world of this great Italian band. This is a CD you can easily put up and bring you into a wide musical landscape somewhere far away… Recommended to fans of instrumental prog rock, more info at: http://www.stereokimono.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Besides being a member of the progressive rockband FINISTERRE and writing and recording the opus 'Merlin - The rock opera', guitarist/songwriter Fabio Zuffanti is also a member of his own project HOSTSONATEN, with whom he has now released the CD 'Springsong', an album with a very special packaging which should attract a lot of people. The music on 'Springsong' is very calm and laid-back, so no progressive rock can be found on the album, but just relaxing peaceful music. It's something you gotta learn actually, and put on when you want to sit and down and relax. It's also hard to compare this band, but a reference to CAMEL is quite clear. I should say, check out this band at: http://digilander.iol.it/zuffantiprojects and see if there's anything you like.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

SHOOTING STAR is one of the most underrated 'Classic AOR' bands ever, because the band released 6 studio-albums so far, and all those records are filled with fantastic AOR as good as SURVIVOR, KANSAS and JOURNEY. 'Leap of faith' is their latest release, the 7 studio-CD and together with the Live CD and two Best of releases, this is officially the 10th CD of the Kansas settled band. The new SHOOTING STAR album is basically a continuation of the style the band created throughout the years, which is just pure Classic AOR Rock'n'roll! KEVIN BEAMISH, who is best known for his work with bands like REO SPEEDWAGON and JOURNEY produced the CD, and the band grabs a little back to their early years (due to the additional violin in some of the songs).

The whole CD sounds just perfect, and the highlights are "If you want it" (lovely keyboards, chorus is a bit simple), "Leap of faith" (great semi AOR ballad), "Hungry eyes" (very good semi ballad), "Love is a shield" (strong uptempo AOR), "Promises" (fantastic classic 80s pure AOR with hooks and a big chorus), "Call it love" (classy AOR ballad) and closing track "Higher power" (great uptempo AOR with impressive keys and a violin solo). Don't forget to check out the interview I had with this fantastic band, and if you own the band's previous releases, then there's no reason why you shouldn't buy this new CD of the band.

If you don't have anything of SHOOTING STAR, then it's best to buy the band's two 'Best of' releases. Volume 1 contains 2 tracks that can not be found anywhere else, these are the superb AOR Classic "Touch me tonight" (a la SURVIVOR) and the Christmas song "Christmas together". The other best of is volume 2 and that compilation features 4 tracks from the new CD 'Leap of faith' and also included are 3 songs from their rare Live CD and the song "Get ready boy" that was recorded especially for the soundtrack of the movie 'Up the creek'. So these two compilations also feature some material that will please the SHOOTING STAR fan who owns all their studio albums. More info on all their releases at: http://www.homegrownbuzz.com and read our interview!

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)