Monthly Archive: June 2023

Metal Blade Records has just released an Expanded Edition of ”Yesterday and Today Live” from hard rock legends Y&T, in a 2-Disc Digipak. Recorded at San Jose Cabaret, December 29 / 31, 1990, Y&T performs here not only like if it was the last day of the year, but the last day of the world. The album was released in 1991.
”Yesterday and Today Live Expanded Edition” adds 2 previously unavailable tracks completing 15 songs and more than 84 minutes of live Y&T recorded in 1990, with never-before-seen photos and two bonus tracks, ‘Earthshaker” and “Rescue Me.”
“Earthshaker” was originally on the first Yesterday and Today (self-titled) album in 1976, and was also the title of Y&T‘s 1981 third studio album. “Rescue Me” appears on the “Earthshaker” album. Both bonus tracks were recorded at the same shows, but never released until now.
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

Virtuoso guitarist & songwriter Boguslaw Balcerak and his project CRYLORD are on fire as less than a year after their lastest album is releasing a new one. Boguslaw Balcerak’s CRYLORD fresh effort is titled ”Ashes II Ashes”, again, a musically strongly neo-classically influenced (read Richie Blackmore / 80s Yngwie) album plenty of traditional hard rock, at places with an AORish sound, rich on dynamics and groove.
Like on all previous, this 4th CRYLORD album again features multiple vocalists among the best for this genre: Goran Edman (ex Malmsteen, Karmakanic, Brazen Abbot), Rick Altzi (Masterplan, At Vance), Mark Boals (ex Malmsteen, ex Royal Hunt), David Akesson (Vypera, Vivaldi Metal Project), Harry Conklin (Riot V), and more
It’s this triumphant combination of experienced talented singers that will draw many to “Ashes II Ashes” and they won’t regret it.
While those vocals are indeed impressive they aren’t everything – the musical component is also very satisfying. There is added appeal on this album as Boguslaw playing erupts with terrific riffs and melodious solos…

Borrowing Queensryche’s logo but musically quite different, “Hail To The King” is the new album from Norwegian band VIKING QUEEN. This five-piece plays classic metal / hard rock with a strong sound reminscent of the first half of the ’80s Scandinavian Metal; the twin guitar attack, Nordic mythology, the epic iconography. All is here, but served fresh avoiding cliches or cheese.
With no frills, Viking Queen is just powerhouse traditional heavy metal / hard rock glinting with steely delight and responsible for thunder claps everywhere. There are no trends here, just good old fashioned fist pumping anthems by the drove, and all led by the commanding vocals of Francis Lecquian who assembled his merry band to march across fens, moors and mountains armed with guitars that act as shields, and drums that boom throughout the ashen sky…

Guitarist and renowned songwriter MATS KARLSSON (220 Volt / The Summit) will release a new solo album called ”Mood Elevator” on June 30th. This is the second solo effort from the Swede, his first being ‘The Time Optimist’ which was released in December 2019 to some great reviews. The latter being a little more laid back than what 220 Volt is known for, and the new album is more of a hard rock, AOR-ish and funkier album.
Indeed, ”Mood Elevator” is the kind of rockin’ music we want from Mats – crisp, vibrant melodic hard rock with a clean production / mix handled by himself. The CD features 11 new tracks penned by Mats, and also a cover of Joni Mitchells “Big Yellow Taxi”.
Many songs bring to mind the melodic side of 220 Volt during the ’80s, but also Mats other side project ‘The Summit’, rock n’ rolling / classic rock songs with a timeless sound. The album’s songwriting & execution is top class, in fact, ”Mood Elevator” is one of the best releases you’ll hear this week…

STRANGERLAND is a melodic rock project created by Alex Patman from Athens, Greece. It all tarted several years ago as a home studio project, ‘stacking’ demo songs with English lyrics. The original name of the project was ‘Stranger’, but after finding that many bands had the same, ‘land’ was added, inspired by the old Greek band, Wasteland. In any case, names are not important. It is just a label.
During the last years, singer David Cagle (LastWorld, Northrup / Cagle, Silent Tiger) joined, by adding his voice and harmonies to complete the final result and then the idea of an album was born. Mike Wikman and Chris Zoukas also added their skillful playing on drums and bass respectivily.
The result is “Echoes from the Past“, STRANGERLAND’s debut album, out June 30 via Lions Pride Music. And the guys makes justice to its title, as this is lovely ’80s inspired melodic rock plenty of sweet guitars, AOR waves / atmospheres, bright keys, smooth vocals and a warm production…

This album is some kind of an unexpected release: take a look at the cover art – that’s pure ’80s. And there’s all Eighties inside for sure. Titled “Revamped, Vol. 1“, this is a solo album by drummer OPUS, founding member of American metallers Dead By Wednesday.
On “Revamped, Vol. 1”, OPUS make covers of ’80s songs, hand picked from the soundtrack of our youth, the playlist that many grew up with and enjoyed. These are tunes that shaped an entire generation.
Most of the selections are from New Wave, Pop-Rock acts / artists such as Richard Marx, Real Life, Berlin, Michael Sembello (a crazy cover of ‘Maniac’, from Flashdance soundtrack), Eddy Grant (!) and more, but also mixed in with some classic rock songs from The Rolling Stones and Blue Oyster Cult.
All re-done by OPUS and his partner guitar shredder Joey Concepcion in a ‘metal way’ while keeping the integrity and essence of the original still throughout…

Legendary band THE GUESS WHO influenced many musicians and bands not only from the Canadian rock scene, but world-wide. Still lead by founding member Garry Peterson, THE GUESS WHO will release a new studio album, “Plein D’Amour“, on June 30 through its new partnership with Deko Entertainment. Artwork for the LP is provided by iconic graphic designer Ioannis (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin).
“Plein D’Amour” was recorded at Villa Sound in Singhampton, Ontario, Canada, with Adam Fair, and it features such standout tracks such as “Headline”, “Across The Line”, the title song – all delivering the band’s unique sound: timeless Classic Rock.
The band has crafted a collection of songs that raises the bar and continues to take it up a notch both musically and sonically, conjuring THE GUESS WHO’s very own style with references to ’70s like Queen, Mountain, Aerosmith, and more…

Eight years after first album ‘Leaders’, South American melodic hard rockers SUPREMACY returns with new full-length album titled “Influence“, via Danish label Lions Pride Music.
Formed in Bogota, Colombia, back in 2009. The band’s early years were filled with great shows, playing alongside mainstream bands such as Scorpions, Cinderella and Baron Rojo. This helped the band building an own personality and style within the hard rock genre. First full-length record ‘Leaders’ was released in 2015, featuring the collaboration with European rock industry icons such as Jakob Samuel, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Robert Säll and Nigel Bailey.
After a lengthy pause due to the pandemic situation, the new album “Influence” will make its way out to the world mixed & mastered by producer Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios. The new record is a tribute to all of the band’s influences, embracing a variety of sounds mostly from the ’80s.
A major highlight on the “Influence” CD is the collaboration with the legendary ex-KISS and current Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick, who teamed up with the band for one of the main singles of the album…

Hard rockers SERGEANT STEEL are back with a new album, their fifth studio record titled “Mister Sippi” to be released on June 30th, 2023, the successor to their successful ‘Truck Tales’ from 2020. SERGEANT STEEL has always worked with different influences for their interpretation of Hard Rock.
Formed in 2007, SERGEANT STEEL brand of hard rock has been inspired by the ’80s Sunset Strip scene like GUNS N’ ROSES, RATT and other stadium rock heroes such as early BON JOVI, CINDERELLA or WHITESNAKE combined with the music by legends like AEROSMITH, RAINBOW and JUDAS PRIEST.
In recent years new influences such as LYNYRD SKYNYRD and MOLLY HATCHET have been added – SERGEANT STEEL literally got to the bottom of the matter on “Mister Sippi”. Two key songs for the new album (“Down To Mississippi“, “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool”) are a proof of the bluesy hard rock approach of the band, still mixed with ’80s swagger and radio-ready melodies.
The band has worked with top-notch producers over the years, including Beau Hill, Peter Mew from Abbey Road Studios, and Michael Wagener, whom helped to shape the band’s sound.
But “Mister Sippi” has been produced by themselves, with Wagener – now in well-deserved retirement – supervising the final mix & mastering…

New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts RAVEN are ready to deliver another electric mayhem with their upcoming new album “All Hell’s Breaking Loose“, their 15th studio LP, set for release June 30th. The Newcastle pioneers, formed by the Gallagher brothers (bassist/vocalist John and guitarist Mark) and rounded out by drummer Mike Heller have emerged from Heller’s own ‘Heaven And Heller Studios’ in Los Angeles with 10 crisp, visceral metal classics, each fused with riffs, twists, turns, chaos and more hooks than all the Hellraiser movies combined.
Among the stand-outs are lead single “Go For The Gold” with the redline pushed hard by a cavalcade of riffs and furious, percussive madness, yet behind it all a melodic journey that makes it multi-dimensional skull-crushing; 100% full on Raven lunacy.
Title track “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” twists and turns with accents and flavours buried inside the metal assault. Meanwhile “Surf The Tsunami” sees Heller gatecrash your eardrums with a furious flurry of his own, before some crazy twister riffs bring on the full metal chaos…

To be released by a German label next June 30, “Live At Rockpalast 1981” is a really good 38 SPECIAL live recording from the early Eighties. This show is, indeed, a memento of an exceptional performance of this legendary Southern Rock band in Germany. The sound quality is very good. This is not a bootleg, but an official Rockpalast licenced release.
Since 1976, when Lynyrd Skynyrd manager Peter Rudge signed them to A&M Records (their self-titled debut was produced by Edgar Winter’s White Trash’s Dan Hartman), the band has released more than 15 albums. and is still touring relentlessly, bringing their signature brand of ‘muscle and melody’ to the fans worldwide.
38 Special’s “Live At Rockpalast 1981” show (Loreley, August 29, 1981, The Outlaws, Nine Below Zero and Thin Lizzy were in the festival line-up that day as well) was off the rails, an excellent high energy show. Vocals and sound were on point. The band looked like they were having just as much fun as the audience…

Aussie metallers NIGHT LEGION had a pretty successful self-titled debut album in 2017 but then disappeared. The band was picked up by specialized metal label Massacre Records and now are ready to release second studio album, ”Fight Or Fall”. The new LP sees the debut of vocalist Louie Gorgievski, whose other bands include Crimsonfire and Arkenstone.
What has not changed is founder, guitarist Stu Marshall songwriting approach: the sound of the new album is pure metal, some kind of a blend of Dio, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden.
”Fight Or Fall” ticks all the boxes as far as the metal blueprint goes. There are plenty of soaring vocals, galloping melodies which drive the songs forward, lyrics that tackle fantasy, swords, death, and glory, and an element that all power metal bands need.
It’s all here. Oh, and an album cover that feature some very angry looking werewolves…

If there’s a cult metal band out there that should be VIRGIN STEELE. At a time when cultural innovation is being side-lined like never before and many unusual forms of music are succumbing to the temptation of the more commercially lucrative mainstream, VIRGIN STEELE are the shining, silver lining.
For over 40 years, mastermind David DeFeis has kept one of the most imaginative bands in the US metal genre on track with his excellent songwriting and charismatic voice. At the same time, DeFeis has never stopped evolving as a composer, musician and producer, updating the band’s classic sound with exciting new influences.
VIRGIN STEELE is releasing their new album, ”The Passion Of Dionysus”, on June 30, 2023, where continues to push boundaries and deliver their unique brand of metal…

MERE MORTALS’ origins would begin as an enigmatic progressive hard rock band on the Upstate New York club circuit named LUFTWAFFE. It was the mid-Eighties, and leader / main songwriter Robert Acquaviva (later guitarist for melodic hard rockers TOURIS) decided to take the band in a new, more adult-oriented rock direction, focusing on keyboard-driven songs with catchy hooks and harmonies. Keeping with the same line-up, the band would change their name to MERE MORTALS.
Two singles from their 1986 debut LP would receive much regional airplay that helped to create a buzz for the band. Quickly taking advantage of the hype, MERE MORTALS return to the studio three months after the release to record their follow-up ”Immortalized” released in 1987.
The album consisted of nine new songs that the band had already been performing live, now sounding much more oiled as unit and recorded with better production. This is classic mid-Eigthies Melodic Rock / AOR including lovely songs like the layered ‘Breakin’ Up’ (akin White Sister), ‘Don’t Hold Back’ (with some Night Ranger on it) or ‘Liar’, recalling the sound of Giuffria first album.
Now after decades, finally the album is being ‘Immortalized‘, reissued / remastered. Past year we featured the advanced digital release, now, as requested, here’s the CD version including bonus track.

MERE MORTALS would waste no time heading into the studio to begin laying down tracks. One of the first songs recorded would be a cover of the infamous Benny Mardones hit ‘Into The Night’. As the writing continued, the addition of a keyboardist into the band would increase the AOR caliber of their material.
The first MERE MORTALS album was titled “Omnia In Numeris Sita Sunt” (a Latin phrase meaning Everything Lies Veiled In Numbers) appeared in 1986, a private LP vinyl release, for years much sought after by collectors.
After decades finally the album is being reissued / remastered. Past year we featured the advanced digital release, now, as requested, here’s the CD version including 4 bonus tracks.