Saturday 29 June 2013

Monster Truck "Furiosity"

I’ve mentioned this in past articles, and I’ll mention it again; there is a huge surge lately of bands trying to revive the classic rock sound in to modern music. Most bands try it but sound too generic, all of which remain in a mostly unknown bar band status. One band that I find generic that was lucky enough to breakout is The Sheepdogs, but that is the only exception I can think of.

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Don Ray Band "Kickstands Up"

For some time now, I’ve had an acquired taste for country rock. Country and rock are two genres that have not been mixed in to one often enough. Two main bands that I can think include two of my favourite artists; there’s the obvious choice that are the Eagles, and then there is country legend Charlie Daniels. The former made a career, particularly on their first four albums, by releasing music more on the side of rock music but with a definite country influence at the heart of all of their songs, some songs even being closely classified to country. The latter artist, Charlie Daniels, made a career in contradiction to the Eagles, by making music more toward the side of country music, with a great deal of southern rock influence in a countless amount of his songs.

Saturday 22 June 2013

John Fogerty "Wrote a Song for Everyone"

Among the many living legends from the dawn of the classic rock era, few are more respected by fellow musicians and less appreciated by modern music fans than John Fogerty; the main man of Creedence Clearwater Revival from 1967-1972, and writer of countless hits still sung in peoples to this day, and someone who I regard as the first truly bad ass guitarist.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

New Medicine "Race You To The Bottom"

About a year ago, I had the pleasure of discovering Minnesota rock band New Medicine. The band managed to develop an important friendship with rising rock superstars Halestorm, so I saw New Medicine when they opened for Halestorm along with Ottawa band Doll. I had heard of New Medicine before; they had toured in the first ever Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival on the second stage, but unfortunately something got messed up during the Toronto stop on that tour and both stages played at the same time, so I never got the chance to see them perform.

Saturday 15 June 2013

Black Star Riders "All Hell Breaks Loose"

Thin Lizzy were among the top rock acts in their prime in the mid/late 70’s. Nowadays they are really just remembered for their song The Boys Are Back In Town and the odd person should also know the song Jailbreak, but there was a time, particularly in the UK where when people would hear Thin Lizzy they would think of Whiskey in the Jar, The Rocker, Still In Love With You, Bad Reputation, the songs go on. The band enjoyed much success lead by the charismatic Phil Lynott on vocals and bass.

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Anvil "Hope in Hell"

The “Story of Anvil” sure was a popular one a few years ago in the wake of a documentary released about the Toronto metal bands career. If you haven’t seen it, here is all you have to know; it depicted yet another of the countless bands who set out to be the next big thing but never became a Metallica or Judas Priest or even a Saxon or Accept. There was, however a point in the early 80’s when it appeared they might be. Their second album Metal on Metal was praised by metal fans and metal musicians alike for its proto-thrash sound, but due to mainly management botcheries the band just became irrelevant.

Saturday 8 June 2013

Alice In Chains "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here"

The late 80’s/early 90’s “grunge” surge from Seattle was definitely a unique moment in the history of new music. It’s always debated who are true grunge bands and who just kind of got the title because they made similar sounding music at the time. Bands like Stone Temple Pilots for instance, happened to have been making heavy not-quite-heavy metal music in the early/mid 90’s so they kind of got thrown in to the mix, but it’s bands like Soundgarden and of course Nirvana who truly carried the torch as “grunge” musicians through and through. Pearl Jam has always been referred to as grunge because they are from Seattle and were making popular music around the same time, but I disagree that they are “grunge” and more just early since of alternative rock.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Screaming Eagles "From The Flames"

Ireland has been the home of a few legends in rock music. In particular it was the birth country of the late hard rock turned blues guitar legend Gary Moore as well as the pride and joy or Dublin himself, the late great Phil Lynott, main man of hard rock giants Thin Lizzy. Even though it has been a while since these two men graced us with their songs, it has made the country of Ireland a very credible location to breed great rock talent.

Saturday 1 June 2013

The Beach Boys "That's Why God Made The Radio"

With summer finally starting up to be in full swing, it has put me in the mood to do something a little different; review a Beach Boys album. The mood just caught me and I don’t see why not.