Monthly Archive: September 2024

A true defenders of AOR / Melodic Hard Rock style & sound, MARENNA are celebrating their 10 year debut releasing “Ten Years After“, their new album featured in exclusive at 0dayrox.
Instead of compiling their best songs selected from each album / EP and simply make a Greatest Hits, MARENNA recorded several gigs and present these songs in a live setting. And many of the new live versions sound more energetic, vital – a much more heave guitar work and parping keyboards everywhere.
And to make it even more attractive, “Ten Years After” includes two brand-new studio tracks, “Runaround” and “How Long“, both very strong numbers showcasing MARENNA’s maturity after a decade together.
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

LORDS OF THE TRIDENT is an American heavy metal band from Madison, Wisconsin with almost 2 decades in the business. The five piece band is known for its mixture of classic, power, and modern progressive metal combining strong vocals, complex instrumentation, and an expansive fantasy backstory to create energetic live shows. They toured with varied metal-style acts from Helloween to Steel Panther.
It is perhaps one of the most obvious connections to make, but a pretty large contingent of metalheads are also gamers. LORDS OF THE TRIDENT know all about making things for the sake of sheer enjoyment, as their brand of metal feels tailor made to remembering that heavy rock music can and should be made to be enjoyed from time to time.
This upcoming release, ”V.G.E.P.”, finds them writing and recording songs that pay homage to a favorite video game, such as Final Fantasy, F-Zero, Road Rash – all 80s / early 90s arcade video games.
But apart for being a metal metal band, LORDS OF THE TRIDENT are well known for their love of ’80s culture and a lot of music outside metal. Supporters / Patreon of the band will receive as well cover songs from Stan Bush, Extreme, Scorpions, even Peter Cetera (!) and more…

COUNTERLINE emerged on the melodic hard rock scene in 2017, a project forged by the seasoned talents of Harold Waller and Gg Andreas. Having spent seven years honing their craft in previous bands, where they shared stages with iconic acts like Scorpions, Cinderella, Twisted Sister, Sebastian Bach, etc – Waller & Andreas sought new horizons.
This quest for fresh artistic expression led them to create Counterline, a band dedicated to preserving the best of classic rock / AOR / Melodic Rock sound infused with distinct American overtones. Their debut album ‘One’ was packed with memorable melodies, hooks, and riffs, and sold out its firat CD pressing.
Building on the success of One, Counterline expanded their contract with Lions Pride Music, setting the stage for their follow-up album to be release in October.
Titled “Two“, on this sophomore CD Counterline continues to embody the essence of melodic hard rock, driven by their passion for creating music that resonates with both aficionados of the genre and new listeners. You can hear a maturity on the songwriting and arrangements, more direct n’ catchy choruses, and a polished production…

Some kind of a super group, ELECTRIC TEMPLE formed in 2024 and features Andrew Freeman (Last in Line, Lynch Mob, Offspring) on vocals, Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.) on bass, Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big, KIX) on drums and guitarist / songwriter / producer Tony Childs (Shanghai).
Their combined forces deliver a sonic experience beckoning flavors from hard rock, groove metal and that magic era when bands like Black Sabbath, Dio and Judas Priest established themselves as the Godfathers of the classic “hard rock/metal” genre.
ELECTRIC TEMPLE is set to deliver their debut album titled ”High Voltage Salvation” on October 01, 2024, produced by Childs with a modern punchy delivery, rich in melodies.
In their quest to keep the flames of classic rock burning bright, ELECTRIC TEMPLE champions the belief that “Rock is Religion”. This mantra fuels their relentless pursuit of sonic excellence and their mission to ignite passion in the hearts of all who embrace that old-school rock and roll spirit…

TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up again with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist / producer Peter Friestedt in CWF for a new remarkable AOR release; “CWF3“.
The album features an impressive lineup of iconic artists, making it a true celebration of the AOR/West Coast sound. Alongside Williams, Champlin and Friestedt, contributions from CHICAGO’s Jason Scheff on vocals and bass, legendary drummer John “J.R.” Robinson, backing vocals by Lars Säfsund (WORK OF ART), and Grammy Award-winning songwriters Randy Goodrum and Bill Champlin ensure top-notch production quality and a stellar listening experience.
This Japanese release on Blu-spec CD2 quality disc is being released with the band name CHAMPLIN WILLIAMS FRIESTEDT, features different cover art, and adds no less than 4 bonus tracks worth hearing.
Musically, the album offers a rich journey through rock, soul, and classic AOR elements. Key tracks include the TOTO-flavored “Brighter Day”, featuring stellar lead vocals from Williams, the CHICAGO-sounding ballad “Find The Love”, and the straightforward rock anthem “Wings Of Tomorrow”.
Other highlights are the soulful duet “I Will Find You There” performed by Michael Ruff and Champlin, and ”Sure” (lead vocals Jason Sheff)…

PAUL Di’ANNO, the iconic former frontman of Iron Maiden, releases his brand new album “The Book of The Beast” where the singer celebrates his entire career, featuring 5 previously unreleased tracks alongside re-mastered and reimagined classics from his time with Battlezone, Killers, and his solo ventures.
A standout feature of the album is the darkly reworked versions of two Iron Maiden classics. Paul is joined by former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin on a haunting rendition of ‘Remember Tomorrow‘, and ‘Wrathchild‘ features original Dragonforce frontman ZP Theart on a powerhouse duet with Paul. Both recordings also guests the drums of Russ Gilbrook (Uriah Heep).
With a career that spans over four decades, Di’Anno’s influence on heavy metal is undeniable. While the first two Iron Maiden albums (‘Iron Maiden‘ and ‘Killers’) cemented his place in metal history, ‘The Book of The Beast‘ reintroduces fans to his solo work. Tracks like ‘Madman in the Attic‘, ‘The Living Dead‘, and ‘Children of Madness‘ have been meticulously re-mastered, bringing new life to these often-overlooked strong heavy rockers…

L.A. melodic hard rockers THE BRAVE were originally signed to Pakaderm/Word Records in the early 90s releasing two critically acclaimed albums (‘Battle Cries’ and ‘Trust’) under the Grammy award winning production of John & Dino Elefante and yielded 7+ Top 10 CCM singles. Their debut album, Battle Cries, mixed by none other than Neil Kernon, delivered a huge arena rock sound, laden with fiery guitars and class harmonies rich in melody and attitude.
THE BRAVE remained active in one way or another with some line up changes and exploring new musical grounds, but since their last couple of albums they recaptured the style and vitality of those early ’90s years – that enjoyable, bright melodic hard rock sound ready for the arenas.
2024 THE BRAVE – still including original members Stayce Roberts (vocals / guitar) and Malcolm Paris (bass) – are releasing their new CD ”Carnival Of Sins”, an album with 12 new all-original songs finding the band stretching their musical skills even further than the last LP allowed.
Produced by Roberts & mixed by JR McNeely, the new tunes rock with melody and a lot of classic American-hard groove, catchiness, and clean production…

From Stockholm, Sweden, rockers GLORIOUS BANKROBBERS started operations in 1983. Their debut album was released the year after, but not much else happened. The band was put on ice, restarted again, and their second LP from 1989 was a different beast, and a really good one
That were when things started to happen, and the single for the song ‘Dynamite Sex Dose’ was all over the MTV program Headbangers Ball. In 1990, the band flew to the USA to get a record deal and did a few shows. They opened for The Sweet at The Cat Club, and the band played at the legendary New York City music club CBGB. That particular show was released as a mini-live album called LIVE AT CBGB’S in 1991. Since the band didn’t get a record deal, they split up.
The band joined several times for gigs as requested by fans, until last year when Glorious Bankrobbers made a comeback and released a new studio LP. Now 2024 the 5-piece is back with a new album called “Rock N’ Roll Church”, and its title speaks for itself.
In 2024 is classic rock with driving hard rocking guitars and most the songs on “Rock N’ Roll Church” sound a lot like Seventies Aerosmith. And it’s really cool!

ZERO ONE ZERO is a classic American Hard Rock band hailing from Connecticut, which started as an idea between guitarrist James Ferrentino and vocalist Rob ‘Boots‘ Zawisza who were sick of the current state of rock music. Something they were passionate about, and decided to start writing some no nonsense kick ass rock n roll. They enlisted veteran drummer Mark Ahles whose crushing technical style was just just what the project needed. To round out the lineup they called on Marc Russell to bring the thunder and a wealth of experience.
ZERO ONE ZERO debut album was released 2019, and in late 2020 the second, both well received in the indie scene and radio charts. With a superior production a better distribution deal, the ban is releasing new effort “Traces Of Yesterday“.
The band says; ”There comes a time when enough is enough and you want to take your music back! Rock music has turned into a bland cookie cutter version of it’s former self. “Traces Of Yesterday” was recorded as it’s supposed to be; musicians playing real instruments. No help from auto tune, digital stuff or canned instruments. No Bull Just Rock!”.
And “Traces Of Yesterday” really sounds ‘like a band’. Authentic, honest heavy rock driven by power chords and strong vocals…

There’s great new for classic Melodic Rock / AOR fans: HEART 2 HEART is dropping their highly anticipated new album ”Alley Of Dreams” today. The band formed over a decade ago in Barcelona, Spain, and since then have been releasing music created with true love for cult Melodic Rock / AOR with a modern edge.
With influences from Eclipse, W.E.T., Work of Art, H.E.A.T, Care Of Night, etc, Heart 2 Heart was founded in 2012 with the goal of creating songs that no one could get out of their head. In 2020, they presented their new songs to producer Carles Salse and began working on the new album ”Alley of Dreams” which took them 4 years to finish.
This is classic stuff with the modern Melodic Rock sound from the current Scandinavian scene, lead by the female voice of Sara Verge (also perform the prominent keyboards on all songs), with a fine guitar work and a solid production. Excellent Swedish musician / singer Satin appears in a duet on a song.
”Alley of Dreams” is a very well, professionally done album Mixed by expert Chris Laney at LaneyLand Studio, and Mastered by genius Erik Martensson at Mass Destruction Production…

ASPEN CREEK is new Westcoast AOR project from Sweden put together by digital creator / Sales Manager Jacob Borgenstierna who has a hobby: write songs inspired by the golden age of FM music, late Seventies / early Eighties smooth music.
His dream was to see / hear his songs recorded and now the dream come true: ASPEN CREEK’s debut album titled “Tomorrow Take You Home“. But Jacob wanted to achieve this goal in a stellar way, with professional production & mix and utilizing expert musicians from the genre.
For the lead vocals we find the wonderful Lars Säfsund (Work Of Art, Art Of Illusion) performing most of the songs, but also talented Ole Børud, Ash Haynes, English singer Charlie King, and Kiralina Salandy from Canada, while renowned American songwriter Michael Ruff is also involved.
On “Tomorrow Take You Home” expect class and finesse all over, lovely melodies and pristine sound. A really welcomed, quality product and a proof classic rock is still alive around the world…

German metal masters HELLOWEEN continue the reissue of their back catalog on CD with fresh remasters and bonus tracks. ”Better Than Raw (Remastered 2024)” is the band’s eighth studio album, and as part of the 40th anniversary of the band, the record has been remastered by Sascha Bühren at TrueBusyness Music Productions Berlin, and the cover art updated.
Helloween continued to record over a decade and a half after their debut album. And to some success, actually. Granted, that success was largely limited to Europe and Japan, but it was enough to sustain the group. And, weirdly enough, through sheer existence – continual touring and recording – Helloween accomplished something very rare indeed for metal bands in their second decade: they actually began to improve.
The band continued to refine its sound, and 1998’s ”Better Than Raw” is proof of that – perhaps their best album of the ’90s one one of the best from their catalog…

As part of the 40th anniversary of the band, German metal masters HELLOWEEN continue the reissue of their back catalog on CD with fresh remasters and bonus tracks. ”Metal Jukebox (Remastered 2024)” is the band’s 9th studio album, now remastered by Sascha Bühren at TrueBusyness Music Productions Berlin.
On ”Metal Jukebox (Remastered 2024)” the band decided to make a covers album with songs that influenced them, but also used to play at rehearsals. We find songs from Scorpions, Jethro Tull, ABBA, David Bowie, Frank Marino, and more – all fun.
ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love on Me,” as strange as that sounds, comes across as a power metal radio ballad that carries a certain appeal with it, while they pour forth “White Room” by Cream with amazing, psychedelic sounding success. When they cover prog rock favorite Focus and their endearing instrumental hit, “Hocus Pocus,” with utter craziness and convincing success (complete with yodeling), one can’t help but wonder if they are partaking in too many ’70s extracurricular activities.
When David Bowie, oops, I mean Andi Deris, sings “Space Oddity,” you get a creepy feeling, because Deris appears possessed by the spirit of the man from Mars himself…

HELLOWEEN continue the reissue of their back catalog on CD with fresh remasters and bonus tracks. ”The Time of the Oath (Remastered 2024)” is the band’s seventh studio album, and as part of the 40th anniversary of the band, the record has been remastered by Sascha Bühren at TrueBusyness Music Productions Berlin. The reissue includes an extra disc of bonus tracks with B-sides and cover songs of Judas Priest, Status Quo and Jean Michel Jarre (!).
Despite the difficulties that had plagued them in recent years (including lineup changes, and even the suicide of founding drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg), Helloween had been gradually finding their way back to the glory of their early days with each succeeding release.
And with 1996’s ”The Time of the Oath” they pretty much arrived, delivering some of their best collection of songs in almost a decade. Arguably one of the finest moment of the band’s latter-day career, while still melodic and commercial, ”The Time of the Oath” also offers a fond welcome back for old-school fans…

Sweden, Gothenburg based new band PLEASURELAND are about to release their full length debut, the self-titled “Pleasureland“. And if you love classic Scandianvian AOR with smooth vocals, melodic guitars and fluffy keyboards, be prepared for a pure 47 minute delight.
PLEASURELAND is formed by experienced musicians coming from from different musical backgrounds, but take for sure they share love for that classy ’80s sounds.
This fantastic six-piece has the best of two worlds: while on most the songs the lead vocals are performed by Björn Segerblad, he’s always is complemented by Jonna Sailon – so we have male / female vocals alternating lead / backing, creating wonderful harmonies. And what amazing singers are both!
And then we have an elegant guitar player, a skilled bassist performing 4 & 5 string basses, a dynamic drummer and a keyboardist with all the ’80s synth tricks at service.
And of course, the songs. We LOVE every song here. Take Eighties Swedish / Nowegian AOR, add ’80s American flavor ala Survivor / White Sister, and a pinch of British melodic rock circa 1987 = “Pleasureland”.
Indie release? Who cares; “Pleasureland” sounds better and more fresh than many major label releases, and we repeat: these songs are awesome classy AOR second to none…