Before achieving major success as frontman for Danger Danger and The Defiants, and recorded / arranged backing vocals for Scorpions as well as the multi platinum release of Poison’s Flesh and Blood – just to mention a few – Canadian vocalist PAUL LAINE secured a worldwide recording contract with Elektra at only 20 years old.
Laines’ first solo album ‘Stick It In Your Ear’ is considered one of the best melodic hard rock albums from the early ’90s, a cult AOR classic, as a critic once said; “the greatest Bon Jovi album Bon Jovi never made”.
Having dropped out of school at the age of 15, Paul toured with Oscar Wild, a Top 40 covers band, before forming a company with two friends, Les Horn and Fran Adamson, with the intention of raising enough capital to record his first album, and then shop it around to record labels for potential release.
The irony is that the material he recorded back then, for the not-inconsiderably hefty sum of $50,000, remains unreleased (and, according to Paul, will remain so), whereas it was a four-song demo recorded later, costing a mere $1,600, that luckily caught the ear of Bryan Adams’ manager Bruce Allen. This led to a recording deal with Elektra Records and studio time with the late Bruce Fairbairn, alongside a handpicked selection of Vancouver’s finest musicians.
Here we have these songs Laine recorded in the late ’80s – ”Loan Me A Dime (The pre-Major Label Recordings)” – very well, professionally multi-track recorded demos including songs that didn’t appeared into his debut album. Sound quality is very good, and while there’s a drum machine, the guitars kill, and of course, Paul vocals shine…

GRAND SLAM’s album Hit The Ground has been given a makeover and is re-released as “Hit The Ground – Revised” via Silver Lining Music. The re-issue has been remastered and features new artwork. Grand Slam was formed in 1984 by Phil Lynott and guitarist Laurence Archer before being forced to break up in 1986.
Originally released in 2019, Hit The Ground signalled the Archer (guitar), Mike Dyer (vocals), Benjy Reid (drums) and Rocky Newton (bass) Grand Slam incarnation and is an unequivocal part of the band’s re-energising story.
With stylistic salutes and tips to the legendary Lynott melding with the energy and vocal performance of Dyer and Archer’s fiery fretboard forays in cuts such as the crunchy “Hit The Ground” and the thrusting “Crazy”, Grand Slam stride confidently back into the conscience of classic rock devotees who didn’t know what they were missing.
Grand Slam are a band firing intention regarding their future… Let the music do the talking…

Released for Record Day 2024, “Remorse? No!” is a 40th anniversary re-imagined redux of MOTORHEAD 1984’s legendary compilation ‘No Remorse’ featuring previously unreleased, rare versions, and live tracks.
To mark forty years since Lemmy compiled the original, this alternative redux version has been built using demos, alternative versions or live renditions of its tracks, traversing the original Lemmy-selected running order to present a fascinatingly different take on Motörhead’s first decade.
With initial copies sold in handsome black leather sleeve, ‘No Remorse’ arrived in September 1984 as Motörhead’s first retrospective compilation and last for Bronze Records after six career-arcing years.
A limited edition, only 2100 copies will be produced…

American singer / guitarist Tyler Bryant and his band pleased us with their fine last album two years ago. Today, TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN are releasing their new CD “Electrified“, an aptly-titled 11-song album that crackles with onstage rock n’ roll energy.
It takes about 15 seconds for Tyler Bryant to announce himself. That’s as long as it takes to find a groove. Bluesy, yes, but a crunchy, rocking sort. His sort. Their sort. That raw, primal thing. “Electrified” indeed. No reading ‘between the tines’ here; instead, TBATS lay it all out there. Even when he burns slower, as on “Crossfire”, he’s special, the solo, the acoustics. There’s so much going on.
The best thing about Bryant & The Shakedown is their confidence. The strut of ‘Snake Oil’, with its sleazy groove, is the real deal. Everything here is from the highest of top drawers. The ballads, like “Trick Up My Sleeve”, on which the solo is sensational, maybe show a different side, but if they do, they are two sides of the same coin. You’ll not get one without the other…

HUNTER, founded in Mannheim in the early Eighties, were one of the most promising bands in the then emerging hard ‘n heavy scene in Germany. In 1985, the still young formation was able to get a deal with Earthshaker Records and within 10 days they recorded their debut album “Sign Of The Hunter”, which was released in the same year. “Keep The Chance” followed in 1987 on the German label Rockport. Despite offers from the USA for a tour, the band then became quiet and the musicians went their own way for decades. It wasn’t until 2019 that they got together again.
Now they have ready new album titled “Rock ‘n’ Roll V.I.P.“, a classic hard rockin’ platter with that ’80s heart all over, from classic melodic twin guitar riffs to traditional hard n’ heavy vocals. Think Krokus, Victory, Saxon, AC/DC, some early Accept, etc, all fun, enjoyable timeless rock n’ roll…

German melodic progressive metal band IVANHOE are back with a new album titled “Healed By The Sun“. Released by Massacre Records, this album really showcases the band’s musical prowess and unique sound.
While according to the band the songwriting process turned out to be a journey back to their musical roots revisiting all previous IVANHOE albums, the songs on “Healed By The Sun” are catchier and more accessible, and the compositions more sophisticated.
The band’s ninth studio offering was produced by bassist Giovanni Soulas and guitarist Chris Lorey, obtaining a clean & melodic progressive sound from hard-hitting tracks to melodic ballads in the early Nineties vein, yet still modern, powerful.
“Healed By The Sun” is a progressive metal album, however not in the ‘metallic sense’. We find some heavy riffage, but the overall feel of the CD is very melodic, midtempo driven music plenty of nuances…

RIOT are the epitome of longevity and integrity: The New Yorkers play their high-class heavy metal with full fervor and have not let numerous strokes of fate (such as the death of guitarist Mark Reale, since when, out of respect, they are operating as “RIOT V“) get them down.
A lot of time has passed since their classic debut “Rock City” (1977), but RIOT V are still around and now delight their fans with a new slice of trad melodic metal: “Mean Streets“. From the ferocious opener “Hail To The Warriors”, the hypnotic hymn “Feel The Fire” and the up-tempo hitter “High Noon,” to the energetic title track, the band pulls out all the stops. Fast-paced, lively, melodic and heavy – “Mean Streets” is the full service for every melodic heavy metal fan…

The wait is over. JD MILLER is finally ready to release its fourth studio album, titled ”Empyrean”. After hitting the airwaves with successful advance singles, the stakes are high for the Swedish four-piece. But, then again, JD Miller has always been on top of their game – and it’s no different in ”Empyrean”. In fact, quite the contrary.
With guitar player Tommy Timonen (ex-State Of Drama) back in the line up and Jonny Trobro (Find Me, ex-First Signal) as a permanent new bassist, the foursome from Borås spread their sound, to a heavier sound scope (just listening to the opening track “The Butterfly” and you’ll get a view of the heaviest JD Miller ever), but also more accessible, melodic tracks such as “Out Of Control” or “Alive”.
”Empyrean” is a ride that totally justifies the ”Heaviest AOR around” proclamation done by Sweden Rock Magazine, with a twist. JD Miller is now a mature band, keeping however the fresh approach to composition and lyrics.
“The songs and album focus on a story about the complex minds of people considered to be at the wrong side of the law in the universe”, the band states. “The story is accompanied by the music we love in JD Miller, drawing influences from hard rock, metal, classic AOR and anything that’s get’s us going melodically”…

An album title that fits perfectly in two respects: ”Silver Romance” is the name of the latest release by German melodic metal act FREEDOM CALL. The moniker not only stands for the band’s 25th anniversary – referred to by singer/guitarist and band founder Chris Bay tongue-in-cheek as “our silver wedding anniversary” – but also applies to the content of the recording: “Qualities such as clarity, freedom and lightness are attributed to silver as a precious metal,” explains Bay.
Anthemic, melodic, feel good melody that characterize FREEDOM CALL are served since the opener title track, driven by power chords straight from the ’90s power metal playbook. Continuing with the easy listening, Symphony Of Avalon and Supernova are taste sensations that bring the sizzle to proceedings; the former pulling its ingredients from Queen’s We Are The Champions as much as it does pure cheese-fun power metal and Cotton Candy-sweet hooks, whilst the latter’s sparkly Eurovision AOR synths take you on a wild ride through a cosmic supernova, with a chorus so catchy you’ll claim they’ve created ‘power-metal-pop’…

”To Follow Polaris” is a new “full on” Progressive Rock album by THE TANGENT. That’s not necessarily a surprise… that’s what the band are known for. But at the same time, it’s something else too. In a year when members of The Tangent could be seen onstage all over the world with Steve Hackett, Soft Machine, Karnataka, David Cross, It Bites, Cyan and others, it became clear that there was not going to be time to get together for anything more than one gig in April 2023.
So the band agreed that leader/main writer Andy Tillison would keep the material coming and would make an album by The Tangent entirely alone. It would still be The Tangent. For One.
And ”To Follow Polaris” is pure THE TANGENT, that meaning progressive rock with melody, at places intricate but always accessible, spiced with a couple of lite-prog / rock&pop songs…

After a decade of studio silence former SKID ROW frontman SEBASTIAN BACH is back with his upcoming solo album, ”Child Within The Man”, set to drop on May 10, 2024, via Reigning Phoenix Music.
“An album more than 10 years in the making…” That’s how singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star, and actor Sebastian Bach describes his new album ”Child Within The Man”. The 11-track album was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Elvis Baskette. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album’s tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.
”Child Within The Man” features guest appearances from guitarists John 5, Steve Stevens, and Orianthi — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with Myles Kennedy (“What Do I Got to Lose?” and “To Live Again’). Devin Bronson on guitars, Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Coulson (drums) round out the players on the album…

Cambridge, UK, rockers THE TREATMENT are ready to released their highly anticipated sixth studio album, ”Wake Up The Neighbourhood”, a fresh collection of songs offering a tantalizing glimpse into the electrifying energy and unapologetic rock ‘n roll spirit that defines the band.
With influences ranging from the timeless melodies of Def Leppard to the raw energy of AC/DC and Thin Lizzy (second tracks is titled ‘Back To The 1970s’, go figure), ”Wake Up The Neighbourhood” is an effective exercise of classic rock revivalism done with authenticity. From blistering hard rock anthems to soul-stirring ballads, the album offers a diverse range of twist that will captivate audiences worldwide.
A crunching power drenched guitar assault pours from the intro of opener Let’s Wake Up This Town, as Tom Rampton’s phenomenal vocals kick in the door and let this monster loose. The rhythm section…

Former Nightwish vocalist ANETTE OLZON (also partner of Jani Liimatainen in The Dark Element) is set to release her third solo album entitled “Rapture”. Similarly to Anette’s second solo album Strong, the new record explores a much heavier and faster musical offering compared to her debut and once again stakes a claim for Anette’s well-deserved standing as one of the world’s top female hard rock / metal vocalists.
The music for “Rapture” was written and composed together with acclaimed Swedish guitarist and producer Magnus Karlsson. Together, Anette and Magnus managed to create a powerful collection of songs, which showcase Anette’s enormous vocal range alongside Karlsson’s incendiary riffs.
Musically while we are in a territory encompassing various genres from light symphonic to melodic metal and a dash of darkness, the songs remain catchy and boldly melodic…

Here’s in exclusive the Bad Reputation remaster of 1989’s LORD TRACY debut album “Deaf Gods Of Babylon“, a pretty killer underrated melodic hard rock record / band.
Founded by ex- Black Oak Arkansas bassist Kinley “Barney” Wolfe, drummer Chris Craig and guitarist Jimmy Rusidoff, the band recruited Terry Glaze, formerly of Pantera, as lead vocalist. Their first album, “Deaf Gods Of Babylon”, was released in the fall of 1989 on UNI Records / MCA.
LORD TRACY wasn’t you tipically hair metal band, musically with many influences and an acid sense of humor. Musically, “Deaf Gods Of Babylon” is classic bluesy hard rock, with melody, and cool, fun twists.
This much needed remastering gives the album a new sonic dimension. Where the original CD feels flat, on this Bad Reputation remaster the guitars scream, and vocals are huge…

In 1989 big line-up changes occurred within DIO. Guitarist Craig Goldy was replaced by 19-year-old wizard Rowan Robertson; keyboardist Clive Schnell – in the group since 1983 – gave way to Jens Johannsen; founding bassist Jimmy Bain left and the role was filled by Teddy Cook; and most surprising of all, Ronnie’s old mate from Black Sabbath, Vinny Appice, went, with former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright filling his shoes.
But, after a brief Sabbath re-union in 1993, which saw the album ‘Dehumanizer’ released, Appice came back, alongside more new members: guitarist Tracy G, keyboardist Scott Warren of Warrant, and bassist Jeff Pilson of Dokken. During this era, the band abandoned fantasy themed songs and focused on modern issues.
As a result, some fans regard the albums made during this period – notably 1993’s Strange Highways – as somewhat lacking, while the majority view them positively, as a step forward.
While out touring and promoting Strange Highways, DIO performed at ‘The Edge’ in Palo Alto, California on October 2nd, 1994. Putting on a solid and hugely enjoyable show, the entire event was recorded for live radio broadcast along the West Coast.
This stunning DIO concert is now released in full titled “At The Edge“, a bootleg with a fine audio quality…