Since the late 1970’s Whitesnake has released a dozen albums and this year is gearing up to welcome another one. “Flesh & Blood” is set to unleash a thirteen new song on May 10, courtesy of Frontier Music Srl, an Italian based label on CD, LP, streaming and for digital purchase. Continue reading
Glam metal heros, Def Leppard have a way of making anything original. Perhaps it is the 80’s layered and harmonized vocals, or the even more 80’s reversed drum slap, but they have managed to reinvent the Depeche Mode classic, “Personal Jesus.” An accompanying music video is streaming for the single now. A black and white, minimalistic approach not to distract from the sonic groove. Continue reading
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of their platinum-certified debut album, hard rockers KINGDOM COME have reunited and will be touring the U.S. this fall. The band’s original lineup is largely intact (drummer James Kottak, guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank), with longtime MONTROSE vocalist Keith St. John stepping in for original frontman Lenny Wolf (who declined to take part but has given the project his blessing). They will be performing Kingdom Come in its entirety, along with selections from their 1989 follow-up In Your Face.
Legendary Christian rock band, Stryper, are coming back with a brand-new album to add to their discography. ‘God Damn Evil’ is the title and it will be released on Frontiers Music SRL April 20th , 2018. Stryper’s current members are Michael Sweet (vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums). It’s amazing to think that Perry Richardson is the new bassist for Stryper. Being a bassist for the 1990’s glam band, Firehouse, it’s mind blowing to think that in the future, Perry would stand along with Michael and Oz. Continue reading
L.A. Guns
Made in Milan
Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Release Date: March 23, 2018
Recorded April 30, 2017 at the Frontiers Rock Festival, Made in Milan documents a then freshly-reunited Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns leading their (finally and thankfully!) unified versions of L.A. Guns through a rip-roaring, rough-and-tumble set of crowd-pleasers and deeper cuts for the diehards. It’s a monument to the undeniable chemistry between the vocalist and the guitarist; they wasted an awful lot of time sniping and grousing over the past decade-plus, and from the powerful racket they conjured and captured that spring evening, it seems like they’re doing their damnedest to make up for lost time.
“Let’s do the Time Warp again!” You don’t even know how much I love stumbling on these new bands that sound like they’re from a generation I really wish I hadn’t missed. HoneyBombs sound like a mix of all of the best 80’s hair metal bands and it’s the reason I enjoyed listening to their album straight away.
Hobosexual
Monolith
Kitchentable Records
Monolith, the stunning third album from Seattle’s Hobosexual, is a tough beast to wrap your head around. How is it that these two guys, Jeff Silva (who plays the everloving shit out of the drums) and Ben Harwood (who does everything else), are able to make a sound this lush and full? How, exactly, were they able to get their hands on my entire music collection from 1983 to 1997? And how in the hell did they figure out how to play it all at once? I’ve listened to this record over and over and over and over in search of an answer, and all I’ve got to show for it is two throbbing eardrums, a blown mind and a thoroughly kicked ass. Monolith is a jaw-dropping genre-smasher, like grinding up and snorting everything you’ve ever like about loud n’ hard heavy rock.
The Darkness
Pinewood Smile
Cooking Vinyl
There are those who dismiss The Darkness out of hand as little more than a one-hit novelty act doing a faux-operatic glam-metal piss-take. Those unfortunate souls are A) probably not much fun at parties, and B) missing the point entirely. Rock and roll, especially heavy rock, has become a dour and earnest beast in the past quarter-century or so, plodding along a loud but often joyless path, rife with negativity and self-loathing. Since day one, The Darkness have served as an antidote against this encroaching gloom, a glittery, sequined outpost shining brightly in a vast expanse of brutal grey. Misery and introspection certainly have their place, but so do joy and outrageousness and just plain fun, dammit, and that’s where The Darkness come in. Yes, their songs are over-the-top; they’re also expertly crafted nuggets of kick-ass rock and roll, stuffed to bursting with beefy riffs, intricate melodies, and cocksure swagger. And sure, some of their lyrics might be a little silly, but those great big jagged hooks they’re attached to ain’t no joke. Their newest album, Pinewood Smile, is a bawdy buzzsaw with peacock plumage, a devastating roundhouse right from a manicured fist. Outrageous and opulent yet fiery and muscular, it’s the finest album in their catalog so far and unless you’re a real fuddy-duddy, it’s likely one of the best times you’ll have listening to a record this year.
