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Rich’s Rapidfire Recommendations: LEVEL 10 “Chapter One” (2015)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 22, 2015
Posted in: Int. News, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Rich’s Rapidfire Recommendations – bite-sized metal morsels to let you know about albums that have grabbed Rich Davenport by the ears, that we hope you’ll enjoy too! ROCK ON!

level_10Band: LEVEL 10
Album: Chapter One
Release date: January 27th, 2015
Label: Frontiers Music

Track listing:
Cry No More; Soul Of A Warrior; When The Nighttime Comes; One Way Street; Blasphemy; Last Man On Earth; In For The Kill; Voice Of The Wilderness; All Hope Is Gone; Demonized; The Soul Is Eternal; Forevermore.

LEVEL 10 – CHAPTER ONE. Level 10 is another collaborative project between two Frontiers Records artists, this time fusing the considerable musical might of Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear) and Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) with the aim of melding the contemporary edge of Adrenaline Mob with European Power Metal. And the star billing doesn’t end there –Sinner has assembled an illustrious cast of Metal mates to add further weight to the proceedings, with a band featuring Randy Black (ex Primal Fear,) and Alex Beyrodt (on guitar) , Roland Grapow (ex Helloween, Masterplan) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Voodoo Circle), and songwriting contributions from Magnus Karlsson, Ralf Scheepers and Amanda Somerville. Mat’s role as co-ordinator for the annual Rock Meets Classic event, and experience as producer of countless albums over the years, would appear to have given him the skills necessary to bring together such an extensive pool of players and writers, not all located on the same continent, and get the best out of them, forging a cohesive overall sound for the project, which is no mean feat. Across the course of twelve top-drawer songs, Russell Allen’s forceful vocals soar over a barrage of classic Heavy Metal with a 21st century production punch.

If you can imagine the vibe of early Dio with a twist of Tony Martin-era Sabbath, shot through with the musical personalities of the collective Level 10 wrecking crew, you’ll have a ballpark idea of the territory that “Chapter One” inhabits. One of the Metal highlights of the year so far for me!

Russell Allen and Mat Sinner

Russell Allen and Mat Sinner

IMPELLITTERI: Announce Release Details Of New Album “Venom”; Trailer Streaming Online

Posted by aliblackdiamond on February 11, 2015
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Frontiers Music have announced the release of the brand new IMPELLITTERI studio album entitled “Venom” on April 17th in Europe and April 21st in North America!!!!!

With the release of the new album “Venom”, IMPELLITTERI deliver a record filled with addictive and memorable riffs, guitar solos that feature Chris Impellitteri’s blistering shredding technique coupled with strong melody. Rob Rock‘s vocals are mesmerizing, melodic, and will have fans singing each song long after the record is over. Lastly, the band boggles the mind with brutal drumming filled with speed and groove, courtesy of John Dette (ex-Testament, Slayer band, etc.) and beastly bass playing courtesy of James Pulli. IMPELLITTERI wanted to create music that would take the listener on a musical journey thru different time periods of metal and rock….MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Chris Impellitteri is heralded as one of the world’s greatest guitar shredders. He has won Best Rock Guitarist Awards from several magazines during the years for his guitar soloing. He is the first guitarist to be branded as the fastest guitarist in the world by the international media. Recently and without any prompting or campaigning, Impellitteri was voted 2nd fastest guitarist in the world by “Guitar One” magazine; and “Guitar World” magazine recently listed Chris Impellitteri within their top 50 fastest guitarists of all time!

Chris Impellitteri formed IMPELLITTERI in 1987, together with Rob Rock. That year, they released an EP called the “Black Album” which was well-received, and IMPELLITTERI went on to release the full-length album “Stand In Line” in 1988. As of today IMPELLITTERI have released a total of 9 acclaimed studio albums. The new record “Venom” follows 2009’s “Wicked Maiden”.

During the writing and recording of the new album “Venom” the band pushed the limitations of their musical abilities in both performance and composition. All musical areas and ideas were explored with only the best recorded.

Frontiers will release the album with two superb, new exclusive bonus tracks as add-ons.

“Venom” Tracklisting:

Venom

Empire Of Lies

We Own The Night

Nightmare

Face The Enemy

Dominoe Theory

Jehova

Rise

Time Machine

Holding On

Rock Through The Night (bonus track)

Reach For the Sky (bonus track)

An album trailer can be enjoyed below:

Impellitterin Album Cover

Review: MR. BIG “…The Stories We Could Tell” 2014

Posted by aliblackdiamond on November 4, 2014
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Review by Teresa Hopkins

mrbigstoriesArtist: MR BIG
Album: …THE STORIES WE COULD TELL
Label:  Frontiers Records
Release Date:  30th September 2014

 
Track Listing:
  1. Gotta Love The Ride
  2. I Forget To Breathe
  3. Fragile
  4. Satisfied
  5. The Man Who Has Everything
  6. The Monster In Me
  7. What If We Were New?
  8. East/West
  9. The Light Of Day
10. Just Let Your Heart Decide
11. It’s Always About That Girl
12. Cinderella Smile
13. The Stories We Could Tell
⦁ Addicted To That Rush (Live – Exclusive Bonus Track)

Just when I sadly thought we might not hear anything new from these guys collectively—what with all their other musical and teaching projects, to name a few—here comes MR. BIG with another generous offering of the kind of guitar lovers’ ear candy to which I’m still addicted.

“The Stories We Could Tell”, the band’s 8th studio album, is a real treat. Having been a fan since their debut, I got right into ‘Gotta Love The Ride’ and ‘I Forget To Breathe’, two tracks that open the album and immediately harken back to the classic MR. BIG sound, complete with funky, rock-solid grooves and blazing guitar solos. They go seamlessly into ‘Fragile’, also a strong song, bringing down the party mood just a bit to reflect poignantly before kicking it in again for the sass of Paul Gilbert’s guitar licks in a bluesy face-off with Eric Martin’s vocals on ‘Satisfied’.

Paul Gilbert is a prime example of a guitar hero who only gets better with time. The same can be said for his tone. There’s no doubt the man can shred, but his musical scope, broad to begin with, has widened and finessed considerably. He has the knack for always knowing the perfect licks, runs, and solos for every spot in a song to give it that extra somethin’- somethin’ to bring it to the next level, without taking away from the feel or the structure of it. The talent is evident, but it never sounds like he’s showing off. Rather, it’s more that he’s totally into what he’s doing and he’s having a blast, and he’s invited you along for the party. The artistry of Billy Sheehan is ever impressive as well; although he’s mixed in a little more than what I’m used to, there’s plenty here of what makes Billy one of the most admired artists in music. They sync so well in the irresistible funk of ‘The Monster In Me’, and in the lead break in ‘Light Of Day’. Pat Torpey doesn’t miss a beat, either; each song on the album could stand apart from the rest on the diversity of percussive timings alone. Despite a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, there’s no evidence of it here, and he gives the other guys a great run for their money to keep up with him! I wish Pat all the best.

The album is replete with some wonderful acoustic stylings as well; ‘East/West’ and ‘Just Let Your Heart Decide’ are both lovely and powerful, and stay in my mind long after the music is over. Eric Martin can still belt them out like the best of ’em, and these days his voice carries more depth and soul than ever. I like the melody and the richness that the string section adds to ‘The Man Who Has Everything’, a tune that upon initial listen, might seem to fit better among Eric Martin’s solo efforts. Gilbert gives the song a little of a Beatles feel with his smooth playing and the chord progressions he uses.

The remaining songs: ‘It’s Always About That Girl’, ‘Cinderella Smile’, and the title track, ‘The Stories We Could Tell’ (the bonus live track was not available for my review) are slower-tempo rockers and also feature some great playing from the guys, but for whatever reason, they don’t seem to possess the same verve as the other tracks on the album. That won’t keep me from adding this one to my collection, though. Overall, the classic MR. BIG elements that initially made me a fan are still evident: talent out the wazoo, strong and catchy melodic songs, and terrific vocal harmonies, all coming together perfectly once again on “The Stories We Could Tell”.

Rating: 8/10

MR.BIG are:
Eric Martin – vocals
Paul Gilbert – guitars
Billy Sheehan – bass
Pat Torpey – drums

http://www.mrbigsite.com/
http://www.facebook.com/mrbigmusic

Mr Big

Review: HOUSE OF LORDS “Precious Metal” 2014

Posted by aliblackdiamond on April 12, 2014
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

House of Lords - Precious MetalReview By Mike Paradine
Band: HOUSE OF LORDS
Album: Precious Metal
Label: Frontiers Records
Release Dates: February 21 – Europe, February 25th – North America

Track Listing:
01. Battle
02. I’m Breakin’ Free
03. Epic
04. Live Every Day (Like Its The Last)
05. Permission To Die
06. Precious Metal
07. Swimmin’ With The Sharks
08. Raw
09. Enemy Mine
10. Action
11. Turn Back The Tide
12. You Might Just Save My Life

 

What a coincidence! Here I am at home, reading about keyboardist Greg Giuffria and my editor emails me and asks if I would be interested in doing a review of the new HOUSE OF LORDS album, “Precious Metal”. I’m not really into bands that rely heavily on keyboards except a handful like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Rainbow and the early works of Mr. Giuffria’s former band, ANGEL. I’ve heard HOUSE OF LORDS back in the past and always thought they were a good, competent band but thought they had tried to jump on the band wagon when Whitesnake and the like, were getting most of the attention at the time.
After listening to the album several times, they still have the same sound as yester year but with a bit more heaviness. This is do mainly because they pushed keyboards to the back and brought forward the great guitar work of Jimi Bell.
The first song ‘Battle’ is the perfect song from this album to start things up. A good heavy and driving song that brings out the curiosity to hear the rest of the album. As with most of the record, the guitars dominate and the keyboards act in a more a supporting roll. Vocalist James Christian‘s voice is in excellent shape here with just a touch of grit to it. It reminds me of another singer but can’t quite recall who.
As soon as hear the beginning riffs of ‘I’m Breakin’ Free’ my heart begins to sink. The rhythm reminds me of ‘Girls in Black Cars’, an awful song from the band Autograph. But thank gawd, it soon changes and what we have is a straight ahead rock song. A very 80’s sounding tune with some KISS and Paul Stanley, from the same era, vibe going in the chorus. Cool guitar solo and solid vocals once again but I still can’t remember who the vocals remind me of.
Track 3, ‘Epic’ begins with some keyboard sounds which maybe a nod to Greg Giuffra’s time in the band. But once the band gets into full force, it gets a bit heavier and a strong, solid song forms. The writing shows off a very good balance between the heaviness of the music and the melodic vocal melodies. Good drum fills by drummer, B.J. Zampa are showcased here.
‘Live Every Day’ is a step right out of the 80’s typical ballad. With his throaty and rasp tone, it finally comes to mind who James Christian sometimes sounds like, Bryan Adams. As this song demonstrates, it also seems to be ripped from the pages of a Mr. Adams song book. Not a bad song, just one we’re heard a thousand times.
This next song started with some promising guitar work. ‘Permission To Die’ begins with some amazing guitar sounds that brings me directly to VAN HALEN’s “Fair Warning” album – very cool. But disappointment rears its ugly head and I get more of the band Slaughter and nothing anything like VH at all. The chorus has cool up and down vocal lines but thought the song should have gone into a different and better direction. A bit of a let down.
The next song and title of the album is very misleading. ‘Precious Metal’  is another ballad and another Bryan Adams like song…..almost way too much! Don’t get me wrong, it is a good song but man, was I duped when I pre-judged the song strictly by its title, as it is an acoustic and emotional song.
Switching gears, ‘Swimming With The Sharks’ gets the listeners head banging away. This is the type of song that you would sing along with while driving a bit too fast down the highway. The rhythm section of bassist Jeff Kent and drummer B.J. Zampa really bring out their best.
Guitars cut through, the slower and heavy trodden song, ‘Raw’ which brings the sound to a bit more of a contemporary sound. The end with its cut time and superb guitar work make it one of the heaviest songs on the album.
Now what the hell is this?!?!??!!? The beginning intro sounds like something the Back Street Boys would use. Thankfully, ‘Enemy Mine’ morphs into a simple song with a duet from female vocalist Robin Beck who absolutely kills it on her parts. Keyboards take center stage here and once again very catchy vocal lines which could very well bring it to commercial radio. Once again, I’ve heard this type of composition and sound with Primal Fear when Ralph Scheepers shared vocal duty with Pamela Moore.
‘Action’ summons up the guitar ghosts of the 1980’s. Again we get a little touch of Van Halen in the solo and in parts of the rhythm guitar work but this time we get a gritty, hard, straight rocking song.
A more subdued song is found in ‘Turn Back the Tide’. More melodic that most of the album but still a good song.
The last song once again brings us back the future. Here we have a Dokken inspired number called “You Might Just Save My Life”. A very “Dream Warriors” type song including the George Lynch solo with Slaughter‘s layered vocal technique in the chorus.

Now I compared their sound to a lot of other bands but make no mistake about it, HOUSE OF LORDS combines all these ideas and they make it their own. They injected a lot of energy into this album and it shows in each and every song, no filler here. They have been putting out the same quality music for years but this one brings in a heavier sound. Catchy chorus, a tight rhythm section and strong vocals performance is a mainstay from start to finish. Jimi Bell shines on this album as he brings all the guitar wizardry that was prominent in the past but is now lacking in the present….really good to hear again and glad he brought that back up! Though it is not my favorite type of hard rock music, I found this album very enjoyable and glad I was able to review it. If you are a fan of this genre, than you can’t get any better than this and even if you’re just a fan of good, quality hard rock, you can’t go wrong with this either.

Rating: 8/10

Band:
James Christian – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
Jimi Bell – guitar
Jeff Kent – keyboards, bass, backing vocals, songwriting
B.J. Zampa – drums, backing vocals
Chris McCarvill – bass, backing vocals
Website: https://www.facebook.com/houseoflordsofficial

WINGER: Release New Single And Video For ‘Rat Race’ From Upcoming Album “Better Days Comin'”

Posted by aliblackdiamond on March 8, 2014
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

American rockers WINGER have released a new single and video ‘Rat race’, from upcoming album “Better Days Comin,'” due for release on April 2st via Frontiers Records.
The high-energy song and video alternates between black and white performance footage and colour montages of life’s daily trials and tribulations. The clip was filmed in Nashville, TN and directed by Jason Green.

“In this day and age, how quick you think, hard you try, no matter how fast you run, someone is always gaining on you,” states WINGER front man Kip Winger. “We wanted to make sure the video visually represented that.”
Check out the video:

Winger

Frontiers Rock Festival: Line Up Annouced

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 2, 2014
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Frontiers Records has announced the line-up for the first FRONTIERS ROCK FESTIVAL A three day event which will take place at the Live Club in Trezzo (Milan), Italy on May 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2014. Check out the confirmed bands below:

frontiers_rock_festival_manifestolow

Tickets are on sale now !
Prices are 59.00 EURO per day OR 159.00 EURO for a 3-day combo ticket for the entire Festival.

A limited amount of 150 special V.I.P tickets are available, offering hotel accommodation, catering, special meet & greet with the artists, a personalized very special present from Frontiers Records and more!

All details on tickets, bands, venue details, press downloads and accreditation info are available NOW at www.frontiersrockfestival.com