As requested, now we have here a nice piece of music: 1997’s ROD McINNES album titled “Best Kept Secret“.
The ’90s was an obscure decade for the smooth, delicate AOR sounds, and many very good albums from the genre were released via small record labels, hence, turning out of print soon and hard to find in years to come. One of these is “Best Kept Secret”, by Canadian singer & songwriter ROD McINNES.
Produced by talented knob twiddler Terry Brown (Rush, April Wine, Alannah Miles), expect a crystal clear sound on this CD. McInnes’ style is elegant, Light AOR / Westcoast with a touch of melodic rock in the vein of Tim Feehan, Paul Janz, Kurt Howell, and alike. His vocal performance is sweet and rich in harmonies, while the back up band is excellent featuring Zappacosta / The Bushdoctors keyboardist Marco Luciani and Keven Jordan / Gowan drummer Greg Critchley.
Highlights include the extremely melodic opener “When You Fall” mixing relaxing poppy AOR keys with a Westcoast feel, the gracefuk “Someday” with its lovely little chorus, the Journey-like “It’s OK, It’s Alright”, and the pristine ballad “Trials Of The Heart” that sounds taken from an ’80s movie soundtrack…

Since he left left Rainbow in 1977, one of the more interesting side projects of keyboardist / vocalist TONY CAREY has been the PLANET P PROJECT, a vehicle for some of his more progressive stuff yet quite commercial as well, even with some videos from the first two albums (1983-84) receiving moderate airplay on MTV when originally released.
Tony took up the project again during the 2000’s with the trilogy Go Out Dancing, and in 2013 released this new effort entitled “Steeltown”.
As the album went out of print and Tony Carey thought it needed an update, now we have ”Steeltown (Remixed & Remastered 2024)”, where Carey did a remastering and added some layers of sound to finally remix the whole piece of work. A new artwork is also featured.
“Steeltown” mixes Carey’s AORish melodies known from his solo albums with the light melodious proggy atmospheres of the last Planet P works. Of course, there’s a lot of keyboards, synths, pianos on this album where Carey handles most of the instruments. TNT guitarist Ronni Le Tekro has recorded on some tracks…

A few days ago we featured here one of German rockers JADED HEART best albums. Now, also requested, here’s their fourth record titled “IV“. Yeah, “IV” is also among the band’s best, but for us, it is their BEST. Why? Because everything gelled in this recording: melodies galore, top class vocals courtesy of Michael Bormann, and catchines all over.
From songwriting and arrangements to performances and production sound (handled by AXE’s Bobby Barth), JADED HEART’s “IV” is one of the greatest European Melodic Hard Rock albums ever made.
This Japanese edition, of course out of print, is the one to get: features a re-arranged track list which works much better than the European version, but especially for the awesome bonus track for Japan titled “Under The Sky Of Africa”.
Usually, the bonus track for Japan is placed at the end of the track list – on “IV” it’s the first track – and we can see the reason… “Under The Sky Of Africa” is one of the best JADED HEART songs ever! It’s a crime this track wasn’t included into the European release.
Long story cut short: your Melodic Hard Rock collection isn’t complete without JADED HEART’s “IV”. A stellar album from the genre…

As requested, here’s “Crime Of Love“, the one and only album from Canadian combo BITTER SUITE, a project put together in the early Nineties by songwriter / musician David J Petovar. Most the music was recorded 1991-1992, quality Melodic Rock unfortunately shelved back in the day.
In 2004, with the genre’s resurgence, Petovar made a deal with Metal Mayhem Music to finally release “Crime Of Love”. Some tracks were finished for the occasion, the rest are the original takes.
Spearheaded by Petovar, the roster included George Christon of Kick Axe and Don Wilk of White Wolf sharing the lead vocals with him. The project’s supporting cast included female singers Carry Jay and Kelly Brock, vocalist Mick Dalla, Stephen ‘Steve’ Crane, guitarist Greg Filan, bass player Pete Olster (Young Gun), drummers Craig Brooks (Touch, American Tears) and Randy Black (Annihilator), and more.
This is timeless Melodic Hard Rock with AOR waves. The title track and “Give Me The Night” served up a pounding backbeat and axe solos that reminisced to pointy guitarred, twin axe attacks. “Hard To Say It’s Over” meanwhile is a keyboard-laden midtempo AORish number that showcased the writing versatility…

Leicester, UK power trio SKAM have been around for 13 years, and we featured some of their strong albums, albeit with little to distinguish them from the herd. Well, that will change with their new album “From The Depths“, a true piece of quality Brit hard rock that will surely ensure higher levels of exposure.
They’ve doubled down, built on the best of their past, added a contemporary twist and gone for rock broke. And they’ve succeeded spectacularly. From the sizzling first moments of the opening Rising Fever in which guitarist / singer Steve Hill unleashes a dizzyingly ferocious guitar solo, it’s pretty clear what lies ahead and SKAM don’t disappoint. With a lingering chorus that stays inside the head for days, the Leicester trio have crafted a song that surely ranks amongst the best of 2024…

The story of VOODOO ANGEL began in an unassuming rehearsal room, where the band members, after a few rounds of beer, found themselves on the edge of chaos. What started as a typical jam session quickly escalated into something far more intense. With their amps cranked to the max, the band members began tearing through pop-rock classics with a ferocity that foreshadowed the energy that would define their sound.
Then came the fateful cover of “Billie Jean” – a moment that would forever change the band’s trajectory. Their first viral hit – a sleaze-metal rendition of that pop classic – has garnered 200,000 views on YouTube. VOODOO ANGEL released their debut record in 2022, but via a small label.
Now, under Lions Pride Music world-wide distribution, with their new album “Midnight Rouge“, VOODOO ANGEL are ready to conquer the masses.
”Midnight Rouge” is nothing short of brilliant – an exhilarating blend of passion, innovation, and sheer artistry. With this release, the French melodic hard rock collective spearheaded by the multi-talented Jean-Luc Rumèbe, has truly ascended to new creative heights, delivering a record that is both thrillingly eclectic and deeply cohesive…

Classic Rockers TESLA have new music to offer: the ”All About Love” Extended EP, featuring a special edition single on a limited collector’s 12” vinyl. The release showcases TESLA’s new song “All About Love” in the three formats that TESLA the band is famously known for: ELECTRIC, ACOUSTIC, and LIVE performances.
Music lovers will state that a great “song” will sound great played in any of these formats, so TESLA’s Brian Wheat and Frank Hannon have teamed up to produce this 12” Vinyl EP of their new single “All About Love” showcasing these different versions of the song: (acoustic, electric, hybrid, live).
The Extended EP also includes a live version of “Walk Away” (a concert favorite from “Reel To Real, Vol. 1”), and another new song, “From The Heart”.
Brian Wheat added: “We spent six months on ‘It’s All About Love’, and I think we got this one right. Honestly, I’m really, really proud of it. It’s what I think a TESLA fan would expect from TESLA – right down the middle. Jeff sounds great. Frank’s doing classic guitar licks again”…

Finnish melodic hard rockers FIRE ACTION are releasing a new album, ”Until The Heat Dies”, via Steamhammer / SPV. With three albums to their name, FIRE ACTION are anything but newcomers and have long established themselves as an integral part of Finland’s hard rock metal scene.
Fronted by veteran Pete Ahonen (Burning Point, Stargazery, Ghost Machinery) FIRE ACTION is all about anthemic choruses and easy 80s-like melodies. Yeah, sure, we heard all this before, but ”Until The Heat Dies” is a cool album impeccably played and produced.
Never afraid of a catchy melody, the Finns find a good balance between melody and heaviness. Also some keyboards like on “Hard Days, Long Nights” are part of the game and what blows out of the speakers is certainly entertaining. Especially the dark pounder “Dark Ages” shows the heavier side of Fire Action’s music…

SCARRED FOR LIFE emerged in 1990 from the vibrant and ever-evolving New York City rock music scene, rooted in the raw energy and diverse influences that defined the era.
Ranging from hard rock in the vein of Skid Row to Nineties metal, now Eonian Records put out the band’s self-titled album featuring the 3 recording sessions SCARRED FOR LIFE did back in the day but never released.
The first SCARRED FOR LIFE recordings were taped with Jim Reeves, a seasoned producer with a rich history at Columbia Records including ZZ Top and Gregg Allman. For the tracks from a second session, the band chose to work with Jim Sabella (Public Enemy), while the third session was at Purple Light Studios in Brooklyn and mastered at the prestigious Masterdisk Recording Plant by multiple Grammy nominee Roger Lian.
Well recorded and produced, “Scarred For Life” is a testament to this band unwavering dedication and adaptability to times. From their gritty beginnings in the Bronx to their rise in the iconic NYC venues such as CBGB, The Ritz, L’Amour, etc, these songs showcase a group of capable musicians and a wide range of hard rock / metal influences…

A true living legend, STATUS QUO has endured for over 50 years and is known for worldwide hits and tours to millions of fans across the globe.
Now they are releasing “Driving To Glory“, a new compilation collecting together, for the first time, many of the band’s rare tracks from the late 1990s and early 2000s, some of which have been unavailable for over 20 years. Until now, many of these songs have only been available on CD singles, a movie soundtrack, or editions of albums only available in one country.
This remastered compilation is supported by the band and has been overseen by the recordings’ original producer, Mike Paxman.
Known for their hard driving style, it’s fitting that this STATUS QUO collection is called ”Driving To Glory”. Many of the songs included were recorded for soundtracks or to go with non-album single releases — this collection brings them together for the first time. As example, the full length version of ‘Famous In The Last Century’ was previously unreleased until now.
This CD version of “Driving To Glory” includes no less than 7 extra tracks. A cool collection of tracks all together into disc, songs that otherwise would have ended into obscurity and deserve to be heard…

DIRTY PASSION is a Swedish Malmö based rock band formed in 2006 by members Emil Ekbladh (vocals), Christopher Olsson (guitar), Bjorn Wilander (bass), and Markus Winberg (drums). The group released a couple of promo singles and toured with – and played support act to – bands like Saxon, Y&T and Towers of London and in early 2010 they supported Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z’Nuff for a month long European tour, playing 22 concerts in seven different countries.
In October 2010 the band signed a record deal with an independent label to release their debut album “Different Tomorrow“, requested by one of you.
Emil Ekbladh: “The album was mixed and processed using a lot of analogue equipment, which gives the recordings a great warmth and presence. Each instrument feels more alive. No one does this anymore, now that almost everything is digital. We’re really proud of the result and I’m sure fans of classic hard rock will love the album”.
Dirty Passion describe their music as classic melodic hard rock, heavily influenced by the old school bands from the 1980’s. We must agree; the sound of Dirty Passion is in this range, musically they have pointers towards bands as Y&T, Europe, April Wine and the like.
But also a contemporary Scandi influence is evident as they remind of bands like Amaze Me or Dreamhunter…

There is definitely something in the water over in Gothenburg, Sweden, that encourages the creation of good music. Masterminded by well-respected keyboardist Jeppe Lund, STRATOSPHERE blends elements of neoclassical style together with a huge dose of classy melodic hard rock to come up with a tight and polished sound that is sure to impress anyone who likes this genre.
Fronted by the familiar and distinctive voice of Goran Edman (Malmsteen, Street Talk, John Norum), on their album “Fire Flight” Stratosphere makes classically influenced metal that is not overly pretentious or highbrow and is easily accessible to the casual listener. The music from start to finish is dominated by vocals, guitar and keyboards over a big rhythm section, and each song is well crafted and performed.
The engineering is crisp and clear giving the entire album a pristine and unified sound no matter the intensity or musical arrangement…

In addition to his various solo releases, singer / songwriter Mikael Erlandsson will be best known to melodic rock listeners for his involvement with Last Autumn’s Dream. However Erlandsson is always involved in many projects, one of these named SALUTE, where he performs alongside guitarist / producer Martin Kronlund and Gypsy Rose drummer Imre Daun.
After their promising debut ‘Toy Soldier’, “Heart Of The Machine” is SALUTE’s second release and its eleven songs, as you’d expect, are heavily influenced by late ’80s / early 90s melodic hard rock. One of the inmediate notice when you play ‘on’ is the improvement in the production department. The album sounds big, bright, shiny ‘stereo’, and perfectly mixed.
“Higher” opens with a pounding riff undercut by a slab of keyboards, creating a sound that’s unmistakably Scandinavian. Anchored by a rock-solid bass line, it’s an opening number which instantly shows the power behind pairing of Erlandsson and Kronlund. Erlandsson’s vocals are assured and Kronlund’s solo work is equally confident…

Multifaceted artist, MICHAEL BORMANN is a busy man. Best known as founding and long time member of Germany’s melodic hard rock band JADED HEART, the singer / songwriter still maintained involvement in countless projects (CHARADE, ZENO, BISS, THE RAIN) as musician, producer, engineer, songwriter… everything.
As requested, here’s “Different“, a solo album released by AOR Heaven Records. It isn’t an arbitrary title, as Bormann explores different classic rock ways, always melodic. Except a few contributions (Marco Grasshoff of Rage, Eric Ragno), Michael did everything on this recording, a true ‘solo’ album.
The opening track “Life Is A Miracle” starts off with a knockout punch that has a beat that will be burnt into your memory. This is one of those tracks that you can be anywhere in the world and you will hear that beat in the back of your mind and start to chant. A good starter…

And here’s another request fulfilled: TWO FIRES third album “Burning Bright” in its American version.
From the understandably Journey-esque ’90s ‘super group’ The Storm, rose Two Fires, featuring singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos. They chucked out two wonderful albums during the past decade, and some years they were back for another go with “Burning Bright”, which unsurprisingly… sounds rather like Journey.
The album was released by Frontiers Records, however, in US / Canada & South America was exclusively licenced to Clique Records, due to an arrangement by Kevin Chalfant.
This ‘American’ CD version (pretty hard to find now) features a special artwork and a slightly different mix – more Americanized indeed.
The difference with the European release is really, really subtle, but enough to turn this version a collectors item…