320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ   One of the most interesting melodic hard rock albums we heard this year so far is ‘This World Is Ours’ by British quartet JULIET’S NOT DEAD, featured here when released past February. Things look bright for these young rockers, with the album in the Top 10 Rock & Metal Chart, a tour in America’s...

Italian metallers ETERNAL IDOL are here ready ro release their new studio album “Behind A Vision”, scheduled for July 11th, 2025, via Frontiers Music. With this new effort, Eternal Idol return with a revamped, re-energized line-up. Following the departure of Fabio Lione (Rhapsody, Angra) and Claudia Layline, guitarist Nick Savio (Hollow Haze), bassist Andrea Buratto (Secret Sphere, Hell In The Club), and drummer Enrico Fabris, managed to bring on board two young talented singers Gabriele Gozzi (who recently joined Induction as well) and Letizia Merlo.
You can tell the dexterity of these accomplished musicians since the first bit: the new songs are served with a tight, fluid musicianship and a huge bombastic production.
The new vocalists added their personal flair to all the songs as well, especially female Letizia Merlo. You know, one of ETERNAL IDOL’s music distinctiveness is their use of female/male vocals in unison – on “Behind A Vision” that works better then ever with Letizia and male Gabriele Gozzi creating impressive harmonies.
Ranging from melodic metal and rocking groove to light proggy / commercial sympho, “Behind A Vision” is an effective, catchy, at places head banging platter with a monster sound…

“The Hidden Realm” is the upcoming album by the Swedish rockers STYGIAN FAIR, scheduled for release on July 11, 2025, via Rockshots Records. The album explores themes of modern chaos and ancient myth, including topics like AI, political cults, consumerism, and existential reckoning. The band describes it as a “sincere expression of our musical and personal journey”.
Musically, Stygian Fair have their own signature of traditional Heavy Metal with tons of melody, with that midtempo characteristic classic style. There’s lovable old-school-alike melodies, neat and excellent guitar playing, the clean vocals providing a nice soundscape and bright vibes to the songs – add to that a crisp clear production.
We have eleven tracks on this new opus, varied, sometimes heavy, at places with touch of progressive, always melodic. “The Hidden Realm” starts with the titled song, a 4-minute declaration of intent of what will come next. I’m already loving the crystal clear production, the alluring guitar melodies, the expansive drum patterns with the dramatics in their sudden stops, the bass work (highly audible indeed), and the beautiful and a bit high-pitched vocals.
I started bangin’ my head right from the beginning, because these riffs are so addictive…

Alongside the new SOUL SELLER album released a few weeks ago and featured here at 0dayrox, the band’s new label Art Of Melody Music / Burning Minds Music Group is reissuing the Italian’s long time out of print debut CD from 2011 “Back To Life” featuring a fresh remaster by Alessandro Del Vecchio, plus bonus material for fans old and new.
Soul Seller’s sound is straight out of Eighties melodic rock blended with catchy hook-laden AOR and a slight hard rock edge in the same vein as Khymera, Shining Line and early Bon Jovi. They build their songs around distinctive sing-along choruses and melodic vocal parts, while the music has an anthemic approach featuring roaring toned guitar runs that wash over you, which are complimented by some excellent backline interactions.
Michael Carrata’s stunning vocal presence delivers hook after hook, calling to mind a young Jon Bon Jovi. Alessandro Del Vecchio (Shining Line, Lionville, Eden’s Curse) was in charge for the crisp production, also contributing with the arrangements and vocal harmonies – and now remastering the whole thing…

Hear No Evil / Cherry Red Records are releasing officially for the first time “Running Wild Live In London“, the London-based Queen’s of heavy metal GIRLSCHOOL concert captured at the Camden Palace on December 7th, 1984, while they were midway through recording their 1985 album, ‘Running Wild’.
After a run of classic albums for Bronze Records, home of Motorhead and Uriah Heep, Girlschool had been signed to American major label, Mercury Records. Featuring Cris Bonnaci on lead guitar, and vocalist Jackie Bodimead, alongside founder members Kim McAuliffe and Denise Dufort, with bassist Gil Weston, unsurprisingly this set features a total of five songs – ‘Running Wild’, ‘Are You Ready?’, ‘Nowhere To Run’, ‘Love Is A Lie’ and ‘Can’t You See’ – from the yet to be released ‘Running Wild’, their first album without lead guitarist and lead singer Kelly Johnson.
This raucous, hour-long set was originally filmed for TV, while acting as a useful promotional tool for the imminent US release (inexplicably, the album wouldn’t receive an official release outside of the States until 2015, when it was made available on CD for the first time by HNE).
Recorded as part of the ‘Live From London’ series, Girlschool took to the stage and proved they belong in the male-dominated world of lightning guitars, thundering drums and powerful vocals. The set list also includes ‘C’Mon Let’s Go’, ‘You Got Me’, ‘Play Dirty’, ‘Hit And Run’, ‘Future Flash’, ‘Rock Me’, and more…

Back in the heyday of Heavy metal, you had the Big Four. Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. In Glam Metal / Hair Metal you had RATT, Motley Crue, Poison and Warrant. The times have changed… have they? The bands we all grew up on may be out on nostalgia tours, drawing crowds and still stating they are from the streets of L.A. But now, if you want that scene once again, one must look across the big blue pond, because on the other side, it is alive and thriving well.
”Plead The Fifth”, released to the public next July 11th on Rock Of Angels Records, is the fourth album from the Austrian band MADHOUSE. Full of gritty riffs, anthemic choruses, and pure, unapologetic, in-your-face attitude, Mädhouse joins the members of the new “Big Four” in the world of melodic hard rock.
Everyone knows Crazy Lixx, H.E.A.T and Hardcore Superstar, but Mädhouse proves on ”Plead The Fifth” that they also deserve a top spot in the echelon of newer bands from the genre. Mädhouse shows the aging bands from the L.A. scene that what they started will be continued, and will be done right.
Yes folks, ”Plead The Fifth” is one of the best ’80-style melodic hard / glam metal albums of the year…

With a thunderous crunch and genuine ‘in-your-face’ production that places the PA up against your ears, DIAMOND HEAD are presenting ”Live and Electric”, a live album that delivers every nuance of that four-letter word thanks to a song selection that covers Diamond Head’s seminal career, and a sound that leaves you breathless in the stalls and smelling the sweat and leather of a classic British Heavy metal night.
Recorded in 2022 on the band’s tour with Saxon, ”Live and Electric” takes in performances from Aberdeen, Blackburn, York, Cambridge, Cardiff and Bexhill, creating in the process an unmistakably British energy which is superbly recorded and mixed by Jay Shredder, with singer/frontman Rasmus Bom Andersen mastering.
By now, the rock and metal scene knows all about lead guitarist and founding member Brian Tatler, whose riffs have genuinely defined a genre as well as influencing one of the world’s biggest-ever rock bands, Metallica, but the contribution of Andersen to these Diamond Head performances is explosive as he bursts with power, presence and personality across the likes of “The Messenger” and “Bones”.
The seamless way in which old classics such as “The Prince” and newer stormers like “Belly Of The Beast” thunder down the tracks is a testimony to the lock-tight no-nonsense foundation that Paul Gaskin (bass), Andy “Abbz” Abberley (rhythm and lead guitar), and Karl Wilcox on drums add to the alchemy and the balance of respect plus re-invigoration for treasures “It’s Electric”, “Helpless” and “Am I Evil?” is electrifying.
”Live and Electric” is a true roots representation of Britain’s metal communities, and a wonderful live celebration of Diamond Head’s distinctly British heavy metal music which feels as fresh, vital, and important now as it ever has before…

Hailing from the northern part of Mexico, from the arid desert of Torreon, LAGUNA is a five-piece melodic hard rock band ready to release their debut album, ”The Ghost of Katrina”, via Frontiers Music. Drawing from the European and Scandinavian melodic hard rock scene, LAGUNA’s sound is an electrifying blend of powerful production, anthemic choruses, and in-your-face guitar riffs, with influences from the likes of One Desire, H.E.A.T, Brother Firetribe, and other renowned acts from the scene.
The album, produced by Jimmy Westerlund (known for his work with One Desire and more recently Giant), perfectly captures LAGUNA’s high-energy and dynamic style, bringing to life a heavy yet melodic sound that’s both thrilling and emotionally charged. The songs feature strong hooks, vibrant instrumentation, and an intensity that reflects the band’s unrelenting passion for classic melodic hard rock music…

Reputed combo DOUBLE VISION – The Ultimate Foreigner Experience, the #1 Foreigner tribute band in the United States, finally now making its foray into the world of original music, ready to establish their foothold in the melodic rock genre.
Featuring dynamic frontman and singer Chandler Mogel (Outloud, Jeff Waters’ Amerikan Kaos, Punky Meadows, etc.), super drummer Scott Duboys (Warrior Soul), bass player Scott Metaxas (Prophet) as well as guitar virtuosos Chris Schwartz & Paul Baccash, and keyboard maestro Alex Lubin.
Double Vision recently considered working on their own music, still owing a debt and strong influence to the Foreigner sound. Gathering the immediate interest of the Frontiers label who supported the band’s plans, now they are releasing this self-titled album.
While they showed they are truly second to none at recreating the masterful songs Foreigner fans worldwide have come to love, Double Vision now enters the second phase of their career, primed and ready to establish a strong foothold in the melodic rock realm with an album that truly recreates the magic of the 80s rock vibe with a contemporary take.
Well, this CD is something of a revelation. In a world where much AOR is quite formularised, Double Vision have managed to create an album that stands proudly different. It brilliantly evokes the early 1980s in a way that pays homage rather than simply being derivative. It is very melody-focused but without limiting itself to the very obvious AOR chord structures and riff styles.
Basically it does what Foreigner did in the formative days of AOR Melodic Rock. Great job, Double Vision! You achieved your aims in quite spectacular style…

For the second blow, FRONT ROW WARRIORS from the Stuttgart area come out to once again break a lance for their melodic metal trad hard rock punch and will release their new album “Running Out Of Time” on July 11, 2025, which was produced by Achim Köhler (Primal Fear). The female fronted melodic metal band, founded in 2019, had already caused quite a stir in 2023 with their debut “Wheel Of Fortune” and shines with anthemic ’80s hard rock, with a pinch of AOR and the melodic metal of the early ’90s.
Front Row Warriors are a band that dives deep into the atmosphere of 1980s Metal music with female vocalists as Warlock / Doro Pesch, Blacklace, Lita Ford. The band deals fine with a more Pop Metal grip intertwined with more vigorous songs, a thing that was very common back then.
So, of course, there are delicate moments as the ballad “Seems Like Paradise” that could be in any 1980s Lita Ford’s album or the neat intro of “Theory of Mind.” Some sugarcoated songs are always delicious in the voice of such vocalists as Elkie Gee. As a homage to such an icon as Pat Benatar, the band recorded one of her greater songs “Heartbreaker,” a ubiquitous song at the MTV back then…

Here’s in exclusive a great live document from ANDY TAYLOR 1987’s ‘Andy Taylor Japan Tour’. This is a recording of Taylor and his band performance during ‘The Thunder Tour’, captured at the NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan on 8 July 1987.
This was the fourth of six dates performed on that tour, and was filmed for Japanese TV. The show began with the title track to Taylor’s debut solo album ‘Thunder’, and inside tracks. The song ‘When The Rain Comes Down’, from the Miami Vice 2 soundtrack is also included. The show also featured a cover version of The Rolling Stones’ 1978 song ‘Beast of Burden’, and T. Rex’s ‘Get It On’, previously recorded by Taylor with The Power Station.
The recording was unofficially made available as ”Thunder In Tokyo” by a Fan Club, and sound quality is excellent, A+.
Andy and his band rocks much harder live than into the studio, there’s a monster bass guitar presence and of course Taylor shreds all over showcasing his EVH influences.
As 0dayrox extra, we added one song performed that night but discarded for the TV broadcast; The Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me’, delivered in a very Van Halen-esque version…

In 1985, rock singer / songwriter Randy O. and his band Odin released their debut studio EP ‘Don’t Take No For An Answer’. Their debut was a top selling record for indie ‘Greenworld Records’ charting in Japan for 9 months. Their underground success even landed them a segment in the now cult 1988 Music Documentary “Decline of the Western Civilization Part II” featuring bands such as Aerosmith, Kiss, and many other star studded acts of the time.
Later, Randy would leave Odin in search of other musical pursuits and founded a new band; LOSTBOYS. Randy O. was signed to Vicky Hamilton’s management company, who handled acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Poison and Stryper.
Randy and the band ended up landing a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1988 and would release LOSTBOYS debut CD in 1990 titled “Lost & Found” featuring Jeff Duncan, former lead guitarist of Odin (and year later fo Armored Saint) and his brother Pat Gainor and second guitar.
Now FnA Records is releasing release “FROM DEMOS TO ATLANTIC“, a 18-track album of demos that eventually got the band signed to Atlantic Records, plus pre-production demos while preparing the debut album, all previously unreleased versions / songs remastered.
Sound quality is very good, professionally multi-track recorded songs, and alongside the unreleased tunes, some of these early versions are better than the finally released – rawer, aggressive…

As requested, here’s ROX DIAMOND debut album “Rox Diamond” remastered some time ago including a bonus track. This remastered CD version sold out, but then reissued again, now an expensive disc.
If there was an award for ‘Bad Timing’ then surely Rox Diamond would be in with a good shout to claim such an accolade.
If there was an award for “Bad Timing” then surely Rox Diamond would be in with a good shout to claim such an accolade. Releasing their debut album way back in 1992 to rave reviews which ultimately should have propelled the group to the next level, sadly all was not to be as in the blink of an eye the Seattle scene was in the throws of hitting top gear with the likes of Rox Diamond directly in the firing line.
”Rox Diamond” was released in Europe and Japan, and in early 1992 traveled to Tokyo to tour and support it. A live DVD of the band was recorded; ‘Live in Japan’. The excitement was short lived unfortunately due to the death of their manager shortly after returning from Japan.
“Rox Diamond” is pure AOR / melodic hard rock with a late ’80s style. You can definitely hear the influence of bands like Journey or Streets, with catchy keyboard riffs, lots of vocal harmonies and some solid guitar work.
And what a collection it is – this is the way classic AOR / melodic rock should be played!

“Okay, so you think REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Survivor, you really think this music is old fashioned? Well, then you are old fashioned! Or maybe just old.
We, as youngsters, and as a band, LOVE this music! You go try to buy vinyl of any of these type of bands in any record store and you will pay loads of money… If you can find any of their vinyl at all. We feel this music is really hot and our songs are in the same league.
So whether you like it or not, this is what we do. This is who we are. This is AOR!”
That’s how they present themselves: this combo named AOR isn’t the French outfit but hailing from the Netherlands, a project from songwriters Stanislaw Kirner and Elian de Montcorbier, both veterans from the European scene. They put together established musicians from various regions of the world, and the result is Dutch AOR’s debut album titled “The Promised Land“.
“The Promised Land” is a pretty uptempo record with rocking melodic guitars and classy vocals / multi-part harmonies (almost all members contribute) with a first half of the ’80s sound similar to LeRoux, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, i-Ten, 707, and more, with a clear sharp production.
Songs like the Totoish / early Giant ‘Old Age Rebellion’, the elegant ‘The Man Who Didn’t Fit’, the wonderful AOR driven title track (a highlight), the hooky melodic rocker ‘When I Look In The Mirror’, or the Survivor-esque ‘New Tomorrow’ are a pure delight…

A couple of days ago, July 5, 2025, Heavy Metal fans crossed continents to converge on Birmingham, England, and throw devil horns in honor of the Prince of Darkness and Black Sabbath. Titled “Back to the Beginning” this was a 10-hour concert at the Villa Park soccer stadium in Birmingham, England (very near where the band was formed in 1968) billed as Ozzy Osbourne’s last.
Including many super groups as opening acts, the event concluded with the final live performances of both the Ozzy Osbourne Band and original Black Sabbath line-up : Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward – first Sabbath show with Ward since 2005, and the last.
Ozzy, no longer able to walk due to advanced Parkinson’s disease, sang while seated on a throne. But heck, he sounds very well considering his health issues. At least he was able to get this momentous final sendoff and goodbye in his hometown with the original Sabbath while they’re still on this Earth and able to get up on stage, kick ass and take names!
Here’s the complete Ozzy Band (with Zakk Wylde, Mike Inez, Tommy Clufetos & Adam Wakeman) show / audio, and the final Sabbath performance – ever. Sound quality is very good…
You saw it here first at 0dayrox