Happy rockin' Easter to everyone!

Hey folks,

I wish each one of you a happy rockin' Easter!!! Hopefully you'll find some great rock/metal albums beside all those Easter eggs. In the last three months, some amazing stuff was released. Just have a look at the review section above. You'll definitely find a record to rock your Easter!

Cheers!

INTERVIEW with Tobias Sammet (Avantasia, Edguy)

Mastermind Tobias Sammet is very busy in promoting his new rock epic "The Mystery Of Time" these days, but nevertheless he found the time to answer some of my questions.
He talks about the conceptual story, musical direction, his future plans and more.

Special thanks to Denys Jaime and Mark Dean for making this  Interview possible!

Please keep in mind, that the Interview was done BEFORE I've listened to the new album.

CD-Review: Avantasia - "The Mystery Of Time"

He did it again: three years ago mastermind Tobias Sammet (Edguy) announced the end of his metal opera side-project Avantasia, but now he is back with a new album and an amazing new "cast" of guest musicians. Can Sammet fulfill the big expectations of his fans this time?

THE POODLES - new album "Tour De Force" in May!

On May 17th (Europe)/ May 22nd (North America), 2013 the wait is over: Swedish Melodic Metal heroes THE PODDLES will release their new album "Tour De Force" via Frontiers Records.

Live-Report: SHAKRA (Berlin, K17 - The Club, 08.03.2013)

With their new album "Powerplay", Shakra reached number one of the Swiss album charts. With this successful record in baggage, the band hits the road to rock the stages in Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands and Austria. The "Powerplay-Tour" started on March 8th, 2013 in Berlin and I was there!

I have to say, I saw this band already two years ago on their "Back On Track" - tour (for the first time ever). It was the same venue and the same support-act (the Swiss Hard Rock band Maxxwell), so I experienced one déjà-vu after another. Nevertheless some things have changed and were even better this time. It starts with the number of visitors. About 120 people attended the show last friday. Two years ago Shakra were just able to mobilize only 60 fans to attend their gig. So this time the audience was much better and the venue was filled quite well. There weren't so many people, who just stood at the bar - most of the visitors were ready for a Rock'n'Roll-party.

CD-Review: Bon Jovi - "What About Now"

It took them nearly 4 years to record a new album, but now they are finally back: the rock legends of New Jersey - Bon Jovi.
The band promised that their new record "What About Now" will be a "big rock record" ... but they said this a hundred times before with each new longplayer. So what can we really expect? Let's find out!

CD-Review: Pretty Maids - "Motherland"

Here they go again: the Danish cult rockers of Pretty Maids are well known for their 80's classic "Future World" and with their latest album "Pandemonium" the band sounded stronger than ever. This one was highly acclaimed by the press and fans. Now they present us their new album "Motherland". Let's see if this is a worthy follow-up to the previous record.

BAI BANG return with new album "All Around The World"

The Swedish Glam-Rockers BAI BANG announced the release of their 8th studio album "All Around The World".
It will hit the stores on April 26th, 2013 via AOR Heaven.

The Swedes shared the stage with bands such as LA Guns, Thin Lizzy, Wishbone Ash, Ratt, Dio, Mötley Crüe, Pretty Maids, Saxon, Axel Rudi Pell and played at festivals such as Sweden Rock, Wacken and Rocklahoma. 

KEE MARCELLO - new album "Judas Kiss" in April!

Former Europe - guitar player KEE MARCELLO seems to be a very busy man. After releasing his Europe-cover album "Redux: Europe" and his biography "The Rock Star God Forgot", he performs in the well known musical "Rock Of Ages" in Sweden.
During this time he also found the time to record a new album. It's called "Judas Kiss" and will be released on April 5th, 2013! It remains unclear in which musical direction Kee wants to go this time. His first solo record was kind of songwriter/acoustic-style, while the follow-up record "Melon Demon Divine" sounded more like Melodic Rock/Metal with lots of modern influences. "Redux: Europe" marked his way back to his roots.
The cover artwork of "Judas Kiss" is much darker and also some song titles seem to be more aggressive this time. No matter what will come - we can look forward to fantastic guitar solos.

 

CD-Review: Vega - "What The Hell!"

This spring seems to be a very good time for Melodic Rock releases. With Covered Call, W.E.T., Bon Jovi or Mike Tramp there are lots of high-caliber records on the way. UK-Rockers Vega also want their piece of pie and send their new album "What The Hell!" into the race. Can they keep up with the fierce competitors?

CD-Review: Covered Call - "Impact"

The Swedish Melodic Rockers of Covered Call released a quite streaky debut album, named "Money Never Sleeps" in 2009. The new record "Impact" is set to release in the beginning of April. Let's see if Covered Call made something different ... and better this time!