JOE PERRY‘s ‘Sweetzerland Manifesto’ was a perfectly good album when it came out five years ago. To some the most exciting new music from anywhere in the Aerosmith universe in 25 years or so. The good news is that Perry’s upcoming LP ”Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII” is more of the same, but not just the same thing twice.
Four of MKII’s tracks are recasts from the original Sweetzerland Manifesto, albeit with alternate performances from its guest singers – including Gary Cherone, Terry Reid, Robin Zander, and more – and fresh mixes.
But it’s the six all-new tracks that are the draw here, as hot as anything from its predecessor and assuring us that when there’s a guitar in his hand, he’s still Joe Perry 50 years after Aerosmith’s first album…

With their new album “Code Red”, German Hard Rock act DeVICIOUS starts a new chapter. Founded back in 2017 they now release their 5th album in five years. After some sound experiments on the previous CD “Black Heart”, they now go back to their roots to what they do best; Big Arena melodies combined with bombastic choir arrangements and huge production.
The album was produced by bandleader and songwriter Alex Frey himself, and with new vocalist Baol Bardot Bulsara (ex TNT) DeVICIOUS seems to have found the perfect man to sing these songs. With Baol the band is more flexible since he has a wider range and can sing anything from melodic ballads to hard rocking tunes.
With strong songs and a punchy delivery, “Code Red” is easily DeVICIOUS most powerful and mature work to date…

After their AOR infused self-titled debut album, Swedes SNAKES IN PARADISE released this sophomore CD in 1998, “Garden Of Eden“. Difficult times for the classic rock genre, but SNAKES IN PARADISE didin’t care and didn’t joined the alternative wagon like others: “Garden Of Eden” rocks with an ’80 / early ’90s punch.
“Garden Of Eden” still retains the AOR sensibility of the debut LP, but this time the guitars have been turned up to 11, the riffs are bigger and production huge. The band wanted a more classic hard rock sound and they deliver in spades. Shades of ’80s Whitesnake appear here and there, however SNAKES IN PARADISE has their own Scandinavian touch.
This reissue managed by the YesterRock team of NL Distribution and expert Toni Übler handling the remastering is excellent. The drums sound much better and the vocals clearer, and we have as extras the original couple of Japanese Edition bonus tracks, and 3 previously unreleased songs.
You can’t get wrong with this classic stuff…

A strong debut demands a strong follow-up. The melodic rock / AOR sextet BOYS FROM HEAVEN are now ready with their sophomore album, “The Descendant“, to be released June 9th.
The group, though still faithful to the 80s AOR universe, have found greater inspiration in a more atmospheric sound, where dreamy vocals, punchy synthesizers and drum machines are blended with the band’s organic and authentic Rock sound. For this new CD, all musical elements have been meticulously crafted in this incredibly detailed production, which is mixed & mastered by talented Erik Martensson (Eclipse, Ammunition, etc.)
On “The Descendant”, Boys From Heaven present the sonic equivalent of cruising back to the future, straight to the arcade hall, on to the drive-in cinema, and back home to mend a broken heart.
In some ways they fill a rather thin but important gap between AOR and Westcoast, and that’s one of several reasons why we really love these guys. And how often do you get albums these days with clear traces of Bridge 2 Far and prime time TOTO?

Born in Sweden in the early Nineties, it wasn’t easy for SNAKES IN PARADISE to reach the masses at the time with their brand of classic blend of AOR / Melodic Rock. It was a though decade for the genre, but these guys fronted by impressive vocalist proudly carried the flag.
After an indie EP SNAKES IN PARADISE recorded their self-titled debut album 1994’s ”Snakes In Paradise” in LA under the guidance of uber talented Brett Walker, who also co-wrote some songs, did some vocals and play additional guitar.
This reissue managed by the YesterRock team of NL Distribution and expert Toni Übler handling the remastering is simply fabulous. The sound quality has been improved with excellent dynamics (the original CD is really flat) and they added three bonus tracks including the original for the Japan market, plus that impossible to find very early 1993’s EP titled ‘Love Got Wings‘.
We have here primo ’80s influenced AOR spiced with some vibrant melodic hard, plenty of charming melodies and melodic hooks. Easily one of the best albums for the genre during these dark days…

MARK FREE (now Marcie) is without a doubt not one of the greatest AOR / melodic hard rock singers of all time but also a ‘hired / test vocalist’ who helped to finish some of the most awesome songs from the ’80s later recorded by other artists / bands.
After his band Signal split, Free focused into a solo career recording the lovable album ‘Long Way From Love’ in 1993, and the same year embarked into a series of live gigs. One of these shows were documented by Free’s performance at The Godz 1993 festival released as bonus disc on the Frontiers Music reissue of ‘Long Way From Love’.
This ”Live In Paris” recording is captured during the same fall 1993’s European tour. This is a bootleg, and sure, we have ‘The Gods 1993~Live’, but on this show Free performs two Signal tracks not present in ‘The Gods 1993~Live’.
And the sound quality is very good.
Free’s voice is perfectly audible and he did a strong performance that night. Same for the backing band, comprising almost the complete line up of Swedish melodic rockers Snakes In Paradise whom would release an enjoyable debut album the following year…

We featured here the reissue of ‘Wake Up’, the third album with bonus of COLORVINE, a band which released their self-tiled debut in 1995 (also featured at 0dayrox). Back in their early days, alongside their debut CD, the group (before changing their name to Tower City, and later get back to Colorvine for ‘Wake Up’) recorded many more songs intended for their second ’90s album that never was.
This is a MEGA rare collectors album, and the sound quality in this “2nd Unreleased” is excellent.
Seems part of this set of unreleased Colorvine songs were recorded before (circa 1994) the sessions for their official debut CD, some other tracks, later. The overall sound & style is similar to the first album, melodic rock with power pop punch, however there’s a couple of tracks with different orientation.
I can hear a bit of King’s X (yet much more accessible), and a touch of Extreme hard n’ funk here and there…

As requested by many, here’s without a doubt one the finest works from Glenn Hughes’ fructiferous career: HUGHES / THRALL self-titled album from 1982. Including two previously unreleased bonus tracks and remastered from the master tapes by Rock Candy Records, the album sounds better than never.
Teaming up with highly respected guitar maestro Pat Thrall (Automatic Man, Pat Travers Band, Asia) the duo formed HUGHES / THRALL, a collaboration that not only promised much on paper but would eventually deliver one of, if not the best, post Deep Purple records in that particular cannon of excellence.
Meticulously produced by seasoned studio guru Andy Johns (Free, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen) the record received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic…

Hailing from Los Angeles, WINGS OF STEEL is a young band formed by vocalist Leo Unnermark and guitarist Parker Halub in 2019. After a debut EP and playing the LA circuit like Whisky-A-Go-Go, Viper Room, etc, the band recorded this full debut CD “Gates of Twilight.”
The style is US melodic metal close to Crimson Glory, Fifth Angel, even DIO, thanks to the killer strong vocals by Unnermark. Songs like the opening track Liar In Love or the first single Cry Of the Damned are built upon memorable riffs, power chords and fantastic solos by Halub, who also plays the bass parts.
There is one specific influence in Wings Of Steel’s music, which distinguishes this band in the overcrowded scene – the hard rock bluesy touches. Garden Of Eden, Leather And Lace or Into The Sun show real diversity in the guitar parts and vocal lines, which even brings Led Zeppelin or Scorpions to mind, while the power ballads She Cries (the harmony guitars at 3:20 nearly made me cry with joy) and Slave Of Sorrows even made me think of Steelheart.
It’s a mystery why this fantastic release is not backed by a strong label, because these guys know what they’re doing and they deserve it…

“Death Wish Blues” is the first album from SAMANTHA FISH & JESSE DAYTON, a match made in bluesy rock n’ roll heaven for fans of muscular, fuzzy rock n’ roll with bluesy and at times Americana undertones… a genuine “something for everyone’ body of work.
Dayton and Fish put together a band comprised of keyboardist Mickey Finn, drummer Aaron Johnston and Kendall Wind on bass guitar. Most of the album was recorded the old fashioned way with everyone in the studio playing together creating a musical stew comprised of everything from blues and soul to funk and classic rock.
The album was produced by Jon Spencer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who has the gift of inspiring the best of the artists that he works with, even if it breaks the rules…

After some failed efforts, finally someone has put on CD a really great remaster from one of the most influential albums in Rock history: Universal Japan has released “Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow” on a high-fidelity UHQCD / MQA, with a High Resolution cutting copied from the original UK tapes at FX Copyroom, and freshly remastered. It’s the same remastering / transfer used previously for the SHM-CD, but this UHQCD / MQA is even better.
At the time of the original release, this, the first Rainbow album, was widely praised for its fantasy / heroic-like lyrical content and the innovative rock style, which still influence on many musicians today. The young Ronnie James Dio is at his best here.
When the opening riff to “Man on the Silver Mountain” starts, you know its an instant classic. The addicting riff has the same effect like Smoke on the Water and the powerful chorus belted out by Dio makes this one of the best songs of all time.
This remaster on high-fidelity UHQCD / MQA sounds excellent, with a more pronounced low end than any version appeared before. The backing vocals…

JOHN MILES CD re-releases had been sporadic at best, not easy to find. As requested, here’s this 5-CD Box Set “The Decca Albums“, containing a quintet of albums from the British singer, songwriter and musician. Contains expanded editions (including single mixes, B-sides) of the albums Rebel (1976), Stranger In The City (1977), Zaragon (1978) and More Miles Per Hour (1979) and best of all is the inclusion of the 10-track 1978 BBC Live in Concert, accompanied by a 20 page booklet outlining his biography and career… a largely over looked career.
Five albums remastered with a total of 14 additional tracks.
Produced by master Alan Parsons, John Miles released his first alo album ‘Rebel’ in 1976. The single ‘Music’ resulted an instant hit, and while Miles always will be remembered for that stupendous song, the rest of his discography is very good.
”The Decca Albums” is a proof of that…

American melodic rock band COLORVINE were formerly known as TOWER CITY. Under the Tower City moniker the group put out a couple of celebrated albums for the genre during the ’90s, then changed their name to COLORVINE due to some industry label issues. The band remained active all these years, and did their ‘comeback’ as COLORVINE with the album “Wake Up” featured in exclusive at 0dayrox when released in 2019. But the CD only was available in Europe.
A year after, COLORVINE re-released “Wake Up +2“, including two bonus tracks. As requested, here’s that expanded edition. This is great collection of classic Melodic Rock tunes with a modern sound and a wonderful feel-good vibe.
As always fronted by brothers Larry and Heath Saltis, these talented musicians are back with a bunch of timeless melodic, energetic melodic songs, brilliantly focused as songwriters.
This is what Tom Martin of VEGA said about “Wake Up”: “We are digging the new Colorvine album… sounds like Tower City with a modern edge, melodic and timeless”. And that’s more than a relevant compliment for sure, coming from one of the best songwriters from the genre.
“Wake Up” is indeed, a 12-track no-filler album full of lovely, singalong songs with a classic feeling yet wrapped by a modern, updated production. Musically, think like a cross between HONEYMOON SUITE, ’80s RICK SPRINGFIELD, LOVERBOY, 7th HEAVEN, some BOULEVARD… you get the picture.

As requested by many, here’s the release of DEEP PURPLE legendary album “Made in Japan“, in its 4-CD Box Set documenting the band’s complete 1972 live tour-de-force in Japan. For the original “Made in Japan” tracklist the tracks were selected from the different shows – this box set features for the first time all gigs, complete.
We have all three nights (Osaka 15th on CD1, 16th August on CD2, and Tokyo 17th August on CD3) and all the encores collected on a fourth disc (six tracks, including three versions of Black Night!). All the audio for this reissue has been newly remixed by Martin Pullan.
Additionally, we have here a complete Hardcover Book and the awesome Tour Programm re-printed.
The sound and clarity obtained on this release is truly awesome. There’s a subtle remix done from the original tapes to perfectly match the multi-track recording metrics, and now thanks to modern technology, everything fits into place.
Purists don’t be scared; the recording has not been changed, the remix was done to fit the tapes as it should have been done originally but technological limitations prevented. Mastering is first class, no gaps.
This impressive box set isn’t cheap – over $ 250 – but worth every cent. A great piece of Rock history – perhaps the greatest Hard Rock live album ever – now complete, with an incredible sound.

ELD VARG’s debut ‘One Man Army’ is a first class storming album of brutal riff-based heavy metal with a top slice of mystical atmospherics done so well by the Scandinavian bands of the genre – although Eld Varg hails from Scotland.
The birth of Eld Varg can be traced back to 2013. Drawing inspiration from Swedish Heavy Metal giants, Eld Varg set out on a quest of riff laden metal for the ages. As a sign of respect and acknowledgment for the Swedish artists that have inspired this musical endeavour, the name Eld Varg was settled upon, which translates from Swedish as Fire Wolf.
Originally appeared 2021, now the band decided to re-record the whole thing and add bonus tracks for the rel-release of the album as “One Man Army [Reinforced Edition]“. This edition sees each song returned to the forge, tempered in the fiercest of flames, emerging stronger, heavier and perfectly formed.
“The original release of One Man Army was a triumph for the band, but having the chance to revisit and rework these songs was an opportunity we couldn’t pass.” said founder Ollie Noakes. “There has been a lot of growth in the Eld Varg camp over the past year and being able to give back the versions of these songs the fans deserve is the perfect way to put a final stamp on part 1 in the Eld Varg story. This is the version One Man Army was always meant to be.”…