Monthly Archive: April 2025

If you need to show someone what’s 80s AOR, just push play on “Vital Signs” by SURVIVOR. As requested, here’s this out of print Japanese CD pressing as part of the ‘Survivor Paper Sleeve Collection‘, reissued later using BSCD2 using the same remaster. A remastering sound, by the way, darn awesome.
Survivor and their record label had a re-think after the lack of hits on their previous album. The move was the replacing of vocalist Dave Bickler with ex-Target and Cobra singer Jimi Jamison, with Frankie Sullivan vacating the producer’s chair in favour of the legendary Ron Nevison.
The results were spectacular.
“Vital Signs” blew the roof of the charts, delivering three US top 20 hit singles (‘The Search Is Over’, ‘High On You’ & ‘I Can’t Hold Back’) whilst the album itself made #16 on the album charts – and yes, become a timeless AOR classic.
Of course it helped that the Sullivan / Peterik axis came up with some killer songs for Jamison to wrap his out of this world vocal cords around, with Nevison giving a glossy radio-friendly sheen, classic AOR sound.

As requested, here’s SURVIVOR iconic album “Eye Of The Tiger” in is Japanese CD pressing as part of the ‘Survivor Paper Sleeve Collection‘, reissued later using BSCD2 using the same remaster. A remastering sound, by the way, that’s darn awesome.
A true ’80s Melodic Rock landmark, “Eye Of The Tiger” marked Survivor’s sales peak driven by the US / UK number 1 hit single title track. ‘American Heartbeat’ also charted well reaching #17 at Billboard, but the whole album was overshadow by the massive impact of title track which was chosen as theme song of the film Rocky III, and since them, become a timeless classic.
However, people may have forgotten how strong the other tunes are.
Great rocker ‘Feels Like Love’ gets your adrenaline going, there’s a catchy funky groove on ‘Hesitation Dance’, driving guitars on ‘Children of the Night’, and primo 80s AOR on ‘American Heartbeat’. And of course superb ballads in ‘Ever Since The World Began’ (a precursor to Vital Signs’ The Search Is Over), and the immaculate ‘Silver Girl’.
For midtempo AOR magic try the brilliant Peterik written ‘The One That Really Matters’ which should have been a top tenner in the charts.

Comprising 4 brothers, Tom, Steve, David, and Carleen Litterer plus guitarist Brent Estlund, LITTERER was a very popular act from Iowa back in the ’80s. They began as “The Litterer Brothers Band”, but by ’84 they started to play hard rock and had shortened it to “The Litterer Band” , and then, just LITTERER.
LITTERER was a very professional band with a complete stage show, gear, costumes, and a strong following. They recorded their debut album ‘Rock This City’ in 1987, self-released, but very well produced. Next year appeared an EP, titled ‘She’s So Dangerous’.
LITTERER style is classic American ’80s sounding melodic hard rock with a style reminiscent of early Night Ranger and Danger Danger (Tom has a voice color similar to Ted Poley), with good vocals, musicianship, and nice choruses / melodies.
“Romancing The Night” is a ‘best of’ compilation made and released by the band themselves, including songs from their 1987 LP and the 1988 EP, remastered and for the first time on CD. Also included is a previously unreleased track, ‘Live On Love’, a wonderful midtempo AOR song. The disc is hard to find now, over U$D 100 at eBay…

As requested, here’s in exclusive the now rare, hard to find album by STOCKHOLM SHOWDOWN, 2002’s “Last Call To Paradise…“.
Sweden’s STOCKHOLM SHOWDOWN was formed by ex- PRINCESS PANG members Stefan “Sterta” Byrstedt (vocals, guitar) and Ronnie “Roze” Johansson (bass, vocals). They have been writing songs together since the mid ’80s – these guys are no boy-scouts, they’ve “Seen it, been there, and done the whole kit”… and that can be heard on “Last Call To Paradise…”
Gone is the slickly produced pop metal, exchanged in favor of a more soulful hard rock sound in STOCKHOLM SHOWDOWN. The band at times comes across as a combination of Cheap Trick and Dogs D’amour. “Last Call To Paradise…” only packs 8 tracks, but no fillers, just rock solid performance from the beginning till the end…

More exclusives at 0dayrox: we are presenting new awesome Swedish AOR band TURN BACK TIME. The group consists of songwriters Christer Green (guitar, drums, bass) and Henrik Svedberg (vocals, keyboards), both from Borås in the western part of Sweden. They have known each other and played music together, primarily live, since the early 1990s.
TURN BACK TIME was born out of a longing to write music that goes back to the 1980s, where it all began. Both Christer and Henrik played in various bands during the 80s, focusing on Melodic Rock / AOR, inspired by Europe’s success.
In the autumn of 2020, when they could no longer perform live with their band Luftens Hjältar due to the Corona situation, Christer started writing and recording some basic tracks. At the same time, Henrik was going through a busy period at his regular job. By spring 2021, there was suddenly a bit more time to meet up and finish writing together. During the summer of 2021, the final pieces of the first song “High” were completed.
The band will release their debut album next year, but now it’s time for this EP.
Simply put, this is awesome smooth crytal clear Scandi AOR, with sumptuous melodies and top class songwritng & performances. They also engage a couple of lead singers, backing vocalists and on a few songs, even instrumetalists, to make the product varied and dynamic.
They do here as well a cover of TOTO’s classic “Girl Goodbye”. You need talent to do this cover, just wait to hear the impressive result.
If you love Mecca, Alien’s Jim Jidhed, Street Talk, Strangeways, etc – TURN BACK TIME is must.
You saw it here first at 0dayrox

As requested, here’s a true rarity: the 1994’s self-released album “Cut It Down And Take It Home” by German hard rockers HORNY LITTLE DEVILS, a collector’s piece originally released locally in a limited CD pressing, and now sold at eBay for over € 100.
HORNY LITTLE DEVILS style & sound is pretty late ’80s bluesy hard rock with a strong American influence, a crossroad between the Aerosmith’s most gritty side, Jackyl, even some Badlands, songs with intense groove and mojo. There’s a very good double guitar attack and clean powerful vocals.
It’s surprisingly that HORNY LITTLE DEVILS and this album isn’t more well known by collectors – it isn’t listed at ‘Discogs’ even – as this is a stupendous rockin’ CD. Forget its indie nature: “Cut It Down And Take It Home” doesn’t sounds flat like most of its type – production is fabulous, crisp, musicianship top notch, and the best part of it: there’s some killer songs very well arranged and executed.
Tracks like the punchy ‘Never Take You Back’, the energetic titled by themselves ‘Horny Little Devil’, ‘Can’t Keep You By My Side’, ‘Slip Of The Tongue’, etc, are sure to please every classy hard rock fan out there.
A collectible, rare, and good. You saw it here first at 0dayrox

Some time ago Tanzan Music released “We Still Rock (The Compilation)“, a collection of previously unreleased and re-visited songs coming from some of the most renowned artists of the Italian Melodic Rock / AOR scene and beyond. In a few weeks they will release the second volume, so it’s nice to feature here this first CD.
So if you like band like VEGA, LANESLIDE, WHEELS OF FIRE, ROOM EXPERIENCE, etc, exclusive music only featured into this CD, you need to have “We Still Rock (The Compilation)“.
This release was conceived by an idea from the No. 1 website for this kind of music in Italy (Melodicrock.it), and born in support of ‘A Melodic Rock Night’, the cool mini-festival weekend in Padova, Italy at the Grindhouse Club.
Very special guests for the compilation are the acclaimed British based melodic rockers VEGA, real headliners of this one-off Italian show from their Who We Are European Tour 2016.
Including tracks from the excellent combo ROOM EXPERIENCE, AOR greats CHARMING GRACE, WHEELS OF FIRE and a really nice unreleased tune of LANESLIDE among others, this is a marvelous collection of unreleased tracks finally available in CD format.
They also recorded a new song for this release with many of the artists involved under the banner I.F.O.R., the anthemic tune ‘We Still Rock’…

American classic rock / classic hard rock hope ACE MONROE are back with a new full album “Wild Card“, and yeah, good ole rock n’ roll isn’t dead in the U.S.
Formed by young dudes in their twenties, ACE MONROE already surprised with their previous releases, and let me tell you these guys aren’t a promise anymore: they are here to rock. Hard.
To understand the group’s sound, you’d have to know who inspired them. From a songwriting standpoint, vocalist Robbie Dylan and lead guitarist Josh Alfano learned a lot from Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones, who they say span so many different styles and melodies all while maintaining their own unique identity. Other musicians and bands mentioned include greats such as Tom Scholz of Boston, Paul McCartney and of course, Led Zeppelin.
Along these influences, “Wild Card” brings to mind, for the most part, the organic sound of Tesla mixed with ’70s Aerosmith, that type of pure American feel, with melodic classy riffs and that vocals plenty of swagger. Expect no facades, no mysticism, no pretenses. Expect only one thing with Ace Monroe — sleek, unapologetic, hard-driving music that not only rocks, but rolls.
I’d suggest you that start listen to this album with with the hard rocker “Try”… what a killer tune. Or the broken “Talk”, a truly impressive hard rocker. Not to say the other tracks aren’t good – all are groovy, foot tappin’, including a couple a great slow bluesy numbers…

For the first time in decades, One of the best CCM AOR albums – STEVE CAMP 1983’s “Fire And Ice” – is being released 2025 in stunning remastered audio in Collectors Edition packaging. Just released by Girder Music as past of their Legacy Series limited to 500 copies, the album has been remastered by specialist Rob Colwell.
Originally released in 1983 on Sparrow Records, this album marked a significant shift in Camp’s musical direction – delivering a rock-driven sound mixed with synth-infused Hi-Tech AOR – earning a spot on CCM Magazine’s The 100 Greatest Albums.
Apart from Camp’s smooth voice, there’s incredible talent behind “Fire And Ice”. Rob Frazier, the vocalist from Petra’s ‘Washes Whiter Than’ album and a respected solo artist, co-wrote many of the songs on this record and contribute backing vocals.
Additionally, the unique Dann Huff, legendary guitarist for White Heart and later GIANT, play as session musician here. Known for his jaw-dropping skill and ability to bring an electrifying energy to any song, Huff’s contributions are a major reason why ”Fire And Ice”, at places, rocks as it does…
You saw it here first at 0dayrox

As requested, here’s more from the very good FRONTLINE discography, album “Against The World” in its Japanese CD pressing release including 2 exclusive bonus tracks.
“Against The World” is perhaps FRONTLINE’s toughest sounding record. Their first couple of albums held strong comparisons to Journey and sure enough, vocalist Stephan Kaemmerer retains that style to his voice. Anyway, this record has a more distinct European melodic hard rock feel – natural for a German band. While guitar-driven, keyboards still play a strong role – leading the intro for a few tracks, but generally act as a support to strong guitar parts.
This is still very much 80s style melodic rock, but the production is tighter, which helps the record sound more contemporary. Frontline’s unique vocal harmony production style is again the main force behind the strong choruses and anthem like hooks. If you have heard their previous albums, you will know what I mean.
Comparisons this time to Hugo, and his awesome debut album. Hugo as you know, is a strong resemblance to Journey’s Steve Perry, but with a darker edge. So to with Frontline and the style of this album…

Love the album cover. Love that retro feel reminiscent of Scorpions’ Blackout. And love even more the music inside of “Psychodrome“. Please allow Austrian quintet VENATOR to transport you back to 1983 when the spandex was tight and stripey, the riffs were mighty, and every chorus of every song made you want to thrust your fist skyward in triumph.
These dudes—Jakob Steidl (drums), Anton Holzner (guitars), Leon Ehrengruber (guitars), Hans Huemer (vocals), Stefan Glasner (bass)—are sure to scratch all your trad metal itches. Strong Blackie Lawless-esque vocals, galloping trad-metal rhythms aplenty and just the right amount of guitar heroics.
”Psychodrome” is a killer set of wonderful material that rivals a lot of the obscure / underground artists of 1983/84 that came from UK and Scandinavian territories in terms of charisma, finesse, and that ”it” factor to appease a wide selection of traditional melodic heavy metal fans…

A staple of the Atlanta music scene, GREAT WIDE NOTHING – comprising bassist/frontman and primary songwriter Daniel GRAHAM, keyboardist Dylan PORPER and drummer Jeff MATTHEWS – has spent nearly a decade in the trenches, gradually amassing a cult following with their expansive, wide-screen arrangements and pop-friendly hooks, counterbalanced by bombastic, balls-out musicianship.
Never the type to wait for anyone’s help or permission to do exactly what they want, GREAT WIDE NOTHING has carved out a unique niche for themselves without the backing of a label or any form of management. They’re a truly independent band; one that has earned their stripes – and the respect of their peers – the old fashioned way.
Musically, their new album “A Shout Into The Void” is a fascinating and diverse palette of sounds, one time sounding like FROST* most commercial or John MItchell’s ARENA, at others ’80s RUSH meets pop-rockers ICEHOUSE.
Results pretty amazing how these guys keep you hooked for 45 minutes of energetic, highly melodic, and pulsating thrills to be found here…

Formed in 2016, Stockholm-by-way-of-London power rockers THE RIVEN have carved a uniquely compelling place for themselves, drawing musical influence from a wide array of genres. Hard rock, old progressive, early heavy metal, and even simply rock ‘n’ roll itself. The quintet have forged their own path, displaying a sound fitting firmly within the late ’70’s and early ’80s.
After a complete listen to THE RIVEN’s new album “Visions Of Tomorrow” we ended with a deep, satisfied grin on our faces. That pure, powerful, intoxicating joy of true musical pleasure. The kind of moment that justifies why we fell in love with rock and heavy music in the first place. Why we’re still here, decades later, embracing it, supporting it, and celebrating all these fresh bands – like THE RIVEN – that emerge, pouring their heart and soul into this music, delivering the kind of raw, honest energy that still moves us.
Their music is a melting pot of hard rock, vintage progressive sounds, early heavy metal, and pure, unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll. This fearless approach leaves no stone unturned, weaving in lyrical themes that span from the rawness of everyday life to vivid fantasy landscapes, often merging the two. The result? A sound deeply rooted in the spirit of the late ’70s and early ’80s, yet pulsing with a fresh, modern vibrancy…

Pioneer U.S. Metal guitarist JACK STARR joins forces with Warlord / Alcatrazz vocalist Giles Lavery to unleash the sequel to Jack’s legendary 1984 solo debut album “Out Of The Darkness.
Almost four decades after that cult LP, the recording of “Out Of The Darkness II” finally crystallized. Jack previously said about the album, “This is the album I always hoped I would make, one that would be filled with power and glory but also melodic and passionate at the same time. This is the sequel to my 1984 album Out Of The Darkness, and it truly is a worthy successor that I believe will be embraced with the same affection that greeted the original. So yes, Out Of The Darkness Part II is here – Keep the metal burning.”
Rounding out the lineup is Gene Cooper on bass, ex- Manowar drummer Rhino, and newly appointed Warlord shredder Eric Juris on second guitar. Also featured on the album are guest appearances by Mark Zonder (Warlord, ex-Fates Warning) on drums and the awesome Jimmy Waldo (Alcatrazz, New England, Warlord) on keyboards.
With “Out Of The Darkness Part II”, Jack Starr returns with a fiery call to arms, blending classic Hard Rock / American Metal grit with a timeless message of freedom and resistance. It’s a record that channels decades of passion, struggle, and triumph into a bold new chapter…

We don’t feature too much Thrash Metal here except from the ‘four greats’, simply because in our humble opinion there isn’t too much interesting bands in the genre currently. Well, “Face The End“, the new CD from GAME OVER changed that. This is really well thought thrash metal, ‘listenable’, catchy.
With this album a new chapter begins for Game Over: turning into a five-piece act with the entrance of Danny on vocals and Leo on bass, the band aims to take its sound to the next level both in the studio and live. ‘Face The End’ is an album with a dual soul: a warning about the Western world’s critical state and a call to face challenges that often mark new beginnings.
The Game Over sound has reached new heights with heavier riffs transitioning from blistering fast sections to crushing mid-tempos and catchy breakdowns. Then anthemic gang choruses, and subtle synths parts create some eerie atmospheres inspired by ’70s and ’80s horror / slasher films, blending sheer intensity with haunting storytelling. Do you like early ’90s Megadeth? Better check out GAME OVER 2025…