by Franco Cerchiari Staff Writer Since his earliest days with his self titled band, Moratti, on through his work with Phenomena, and as well his guest vocals on Tor Talle’s astounding 2005 project, Northern Light and his tenure with Final Frontier and Saga’s 2009 Human Condition, Moratti, has [...]
by John Kindred Staff Writer The Ronnie James Dio-fronted Black Sabbath made its valiant return to the stage as Heaven & Hell and toured in support of 2007’s compilation album, Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. Along with fellow band mates, Vinny Appice, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler, Dio [...]
by Mark Allen Staff Writer Usually when a band releases their second album, they seek to polish up the rough edges, but Diamond Lane have thumbed their noses—or more accurately, raised their middle fingers—at conventional wisdom and instead opted to rough up their polished edges. The band’s [...]
by John Kindred Staff Writer Hot on the heels of Iron Maiden’s 15th studio album, Final Frontier, EMI has dropped a two-disc greatest hits package, which covers the band from 1990 to 2010. From Fear to Eternity: The Best Of 1990-2010 begins where Somewhere Back in Time (greatest hits release [...]
by Alissa Ordabai Guest Staff Writer Gratuitous demonstrations of sleek, well-groomed technique are packed in so densely into this 2009 instrumental release that they leave little room for anything else – be it compositional dynamics, a sense of narrative or simply variety – either of tempo, [...]
by Mark Allen Staff Writer Even stalwart defenders of modern hard rock reluctantly acknowledge that the market is as oversaturated as a sponge in a swimming pool, so when an album surfaces through the polluted sea of mediocrity that is good enough to carve a smile on the face of a stone sphinx, [...]
by Marc C. Staff Writer After seven years in the making, Shraphead’s Blind & Seduced is firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. Formed in August 2004 in Eidskog, Norway, founding members Mohamed Dyani and William Fossheim, later joined by singer Jo Johnsrud and in 2007 guitarist [...]
by Joe Mi Staff Writer Whisper Campaign is the full-length debut release from Salt Lake City-based prog rockers American Hollow. Blending genres from progressive rock to classic rock and metal and influences from acts as diverse as Pink Floyd, Tool, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson, American Hollow is [...]
by Mark Allen Staff Writer You don’t have to roam to the distant ends of the earth to find pure, undiluted melodic hard rock. Just look no further than FarCry, the band that dropped their critically-acclaimed debut back in 2009. The band’s second album, Optimism, is finally here and you can [...]
by Cyndi Jo Staff Writer After the simply dumb end of the world proclamation that never came on May 21, 2011, we are left to anticipate 2012 to be our demise. Well, if that’s the case, 2012 the second album from the Chilean metal band Ratzinger, which includes 10 killer tracks of thrash metal [...]
