Issue #4 05/01/04
player Thomas Lassar fronting because, make no mistake, ‘De- Hard RoxX 2 is a FREE weekly internet the band. And I must say he tour’ is an absolute gem! does a fantastic job, his Joey 9/10 Dave Cockett magazine for lovers of rock music. To Tempest meets Goran Edman receive your copy every week, e-mail styled vocals adding real matu- THE DARKNESS rity and sophistication to pro- Matthew at [email protected] Permission To Land ceedings. But that’s just the ic- ing on the cake really, what Must Destroy/Atlantic HR2 #4 CONTENTS Page makes ‘Detour’ so special for me 5046674521 is that it represents the strong- ALBUMS OF 2004 1 est and most consistent set of First, let’s get all the griping out Crystal Blue 1 songs Crystal Blue have yet of the way. The Darkness seem The Darkness 1 committed to posterity – even to have sprung up from nowhere better than the much sought af- to become megastars of the Iron Maiden 2 scariest order, whilst other Jetliner 2 ter ‘Caught In The Game’ opus mentioned earlier! Overflowing bands are still wallowing in ob- Lava 2 with grandiose harmonies and scurity, and I’m sure all our read- Rainbow 3 sumptuous melodies, it per- ers could name several bands Section A 4 fectly captures the essence of (Kick, anyone?) who deserve it that magical late 80’s Scandie pe- more and don’t wear silly cat riod, a time when killer hooks suits. Okay, that’s out of the As 2004 kicked into life and we said good- ruled supreme. way, time for a look at one of the bye to another year, the Hard RoxX staff year’s best albums. Svelte opener ‘Damage’ has a took time out from the office party at ‘Permission To Land’ floated thumping backbeat and some my way a few months after its Spearmint Rhinos to pick their musical great guitar/keyboard overlays, release, just as I began to real- perfectly capturing the moody highlights of 2003. Read on.. ise that this silly band might not magnificence of Europe and be so silly. It was the video for ‘I Treat at their exhilarating, bom- ALBUMS OF 2004 up, effectively pulling the rug Believe In A Thing Called Love’ bastic best. Following cut ‘Back from under them. After that, the that turned me around, because On Track’ lowers the tempo a various members drifted off into it was very tongue in cheek, and notch or two; a simmering slow different projects, effectively the song is without a doubt the burner with an absolute peach putting Crystal Blue on semi single of the year. So I bought of a chorus, this track was made permanent hold. the album. for FM radio. Next up there’s the aforementioned ‘Someone’, And to all intents and purposes I think that anyone who refuses it’s swaggering, haunting it looked as if that was where to listen to The Darkness melody lines buzzing round your they’d stay, so imagine my sur- should be tied to a table and head long after the album has prise late last year when it was made to do so. It’s that simple. done. announced that the band had ‘Permission To Land’ is a qual- not only been resurrected, but ity album, with big, juicy guitars, CRYSTAL BLUE they’d also signed to MTM and Three tracks in, three superb superb melodies and a wailing Detour were in the throes of putting to- tracks I might add, yet ‘Detour’ banshee on vocals. It seems that MTM Music 0681-71 gether a brand new studio al- is in no way spent, the remain- Justin Hawkins (for it is he) is bum! Anyone who purchased der of the album proving just as the reason that some of you A band who really should have the ‘MTM Volume 8’ sampler addictive. There’s the smoulder- have been put off. After all, he taken the melodic rock world by earlier in the year will already ing, neo-classically tinged is a stick thin Jessie who wears storm, Orebro (Sweden) based have had themselves a sneak ‘Move On’ for example (highly silly cat suits and has a voice quintet Crystal Blue were a clas- preview of what’s on offer with reminiscent of the much missed that could crack glass at a hun- sic Scandie band in the finest the smouldering ‘Someone’, and Nation at their most poignant); dred paces. Oh, hang on, that’s late 80’s traditions of such lumi- if like me you were intrigued by the vibrant ‘Believe Me’ (Red Freddie Mercury isn’t it? naries as Europe, Treat, what you heard, chances are Dawn meets Terra Nova), or the Skagarack, and Glory. Debuting that ‘Detour’ will absolutely emotive melancholy of ‘You And Comparisons have been made back in ’93 with the respectable blow your mind! I’, but that’s just for starters. In- between The Darkness and six track mini album ‘Out From deed, wherever you look - ‘This Queen, but in reality there The Blue At Last’, Crystal Blue Although they tried, things Is The Time’, ‘Second Chance’, shouldn’t be any serious ones. really hit pay dirt a couple of didn’t really work out with origi- ‘Never Say Surrender’, ‘Sylvia’, They share surface similarities years down the line with their nal vocalist Morgan Johansson etc. - you’ll find the results are in that they are both peacock full length debut effort ‘Caught (it’s him singing on the afore- just as impressive. rock bands with an odd singer, In The Game’. Sadly, soon after mentioned sampler track), so but The Darkness have a lot to its release, and on the eve of a rather than delay the project by All credit to the guys at MTM prove before they share the pivotal Japanese tour, their then looking elsewhere, Crystal Blue for bringing Crystal Blue back same breathing space as Queen. record company (SMC) went tits opted to go with keyboard from the dead in such fine style ‘Permission To Land’, however, Hard RoxX Mail: 23 Stoneyfield Road, Old Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2HP, UNITED KINGDOM Page 1 of 4 Issue #4 05/01/04
[email protected] is a huge step in the right direc- who think that the old men of metal Coldplay. tion. can’t cut it anymore that not only is ‘Dance Of Death’ better than Tantalising glimpses of other stel- From the shouty metal of ‘Black ‘Brave New World’, which takes lar pop bands like The Beach Boys, Shuck’ to the searing brilliance some doing, it is far more lively and Roxy Music and Big Star abound, of ‘Love On The Rocks (With musically diverse. Second single with references scattered colourfully No Ice)’, there’s not a dull mo- ‘The Rainmaker’ keeps the pace around these 13 tracks like glitter- ment in sight here. Not afraid to be going, being more of a first track ing breadcrumbs leading to the big serious as well as silly (‘Friday than second, but who says they prize. Night’ being the silliest, but the lyr- can’t have two single type songs All in all it’s a sumptuous musical ics are great), each song is nonethe- eh? opus wrapped in a warm, valve less well structured, full of guitars Things get a bit more traditionally driven production providing the and catchy as hell. Maiden with ‘No More Lies’, as JETLINER ideal post Christmas solution to the atmospheric opening kicks in, Jetliner those HMV and Virgin vouchers you’re expecting a maudlin trapse I resisted The Darkness, preferring Oaktree Records burning a hole in your pocket. to think that I knew better, but I’m through the dark places of Harris’ 634479492129 Highly Recommended. not afraid to admit that I was wrong. mind, but when the intro stops and Brian McGowan ‘Permission To Land’ is essential the drums and guitars kick in, it’s The problem with hype – in this for all lovers of good, honest, ludi- apparent that Mr Harris still has a case comparisons with Queen, crously fun metal music. Nearly as few tricks up his sleeve. Beauti- Wings and early Elton John – is this: good as ‘Dance Of Death’, and fully loud. the product never, ever lives up to that’s saying something. it. Until Jetliner. Mainman Adam 8/10 Alan Holloway In fact, ‘beautifully loud’ is a great Paskowitz (songwriter, piano way to describe the whole album. player and vocalist), born of an As is usual, there’s over an hour of opera singing mother, had major music crammed onto the disc, with success in a previous life as a mem- many songs clocking in at unhealthy ber of the Flys, who scored a Top lengths, but unlike some previous Five single on the Billboard charts albums, ‘Dance Of Death’ doesn’t in the nineties, but that was before suffer from songs being eight min- he rediscovered the piano. utes long just for the sake of it. If a LAVA song here, such as the title track, is A chance meeting with a nine foot Polarity eight minutes long, it’s because it Steinway in the lobby of his hotel Tylden Records GTACD 8200 damn well has to be. There’s a fair after a 2 year layoff from the piano bit of keyboard playing dotted led to a marathon 6 hour songwriting The lexicon of Adult Rock has sel- around the songs, but it doesn’t session. Enthused by events and dom been better translated into song IRON MAIDEN sound like selling out, rather it en- by fate, Paskowitz immediately re- than on this new release from Nor- Dance Of Death hances the moodiness required of cruited two old friends. “The Duke” wegian band Lava. There are few EMI 5923402 some of the subjects waxed lyrical (another piano playing former child reference points to guide us through prodigy) and guitarist Jeff about. these twelve tracks of undiluted So Iron Maiden are back, but should Kluessner became the nucleus of quality - the superb musicianship we care? Oh sure, Bruce is now this new band. Add Rob Jones on As well as one of the best, this is of Toto, interspersed with soulful firmly settled back into his old po- drums and Michael Kujawa on bass also one of the most well balanced workouts and the occasional dash sition, and the band have resigned and Jetliner was born. Maiden albums. Writing credits are of funk lite - is perhaps the closest themselves to producing occasional shared all over the place, with only you could get. albums and tours between now and The resultant band’s self-titled de- Harris getting a song to himself, al- their pensionable years, but really, but album is a wonder to behold. A though he does share credit on all Unquestionably, ‘Polarity’ is a real should we? Yes, of course we treasure trove of sublime, ragged the other songs bar ‘New Frontier’, accomplishment, brimming with bloody well should. edged pop percolated through sev- sinuous melodies and embedded which sees Nicko McBrain get a rare enties rock, and filled to the brim with delayed action hooks which credit along with Bruce and Adrian. From the opening first single ‘Wild- with grown up lyrics that resonate burrow in deep, then surface when est Dreams’, it’s patently obvious with sharp observations and neat you least expect them. that Maiden haven’t decided to let Perhaps the biggest surprise of the one liners. album is saved until the end, as slowing down actually slow them You don’t get to be this good over- ‘Journeyman’ delivers seven min- down when it comes to making qual- Paskowitz clearly has no problem night of course, and it should come ity metal music. The sceptics utes of electric guitar-less music. with setting out his songs to reflect as no surprise to find that five al- amongst you will scoff and point Keyboards, acoustic guitar and a range of influences, and yes, there bum band Lava have been around out that a galloping, in your face drums accompany Bruce through a are easy comparisons to make with for 25 years and accordingly, have opening track is tradition, and superb song that can only really be Elton John (‘Little Steps’), Wings paid their dues. Interestingly, they doesn’t necessarily mean a great al- described as Iron Maiden’s first (‘Unbreakable’) and Jellyfish were Randy Crawford’s backing bum. After all, ‘The X Factor’ ballad! Bollocks to anyone who (‘Breaking’), but ‘You’re My band during her several European started with ‘Man On The Edge’ thinks of it as selling out in any way, Prayer’ and ‘These Days’ hint at a tours, and fittingly, there’s a genu- and look how shit that was. because it’s a perfect end to a per- depth of songwriting skill and me- ine sense of intimacy at the heart of fect album. lodic flair equalled only by Jetlin- her duet with Lava vocalist Egil Fair enough. Let me assure those 9/10 Alan Holloway er’s British contemporaries, Eldoen on the deeply soulful bal-
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[email protected] lad, ‘Shine A Little Light’. than later, it will appear on ebay not particularly interested in. What ready for you to pick it up at its seemed like 100 CD’s later I become Considering this is Lava’s first al- true market value. the proud owner of the entire Rush bum for 12 years, you might think back catalogue. After trying to play the sophisticated production, cour- one of the Rush CD’s I decided that tesy of bassist Rolf Graf and gui- this was not a good idea and per- tarist Svein Den Hauge is a little haps I ought to concentrate on bands too polite and polished, but what I actually liked. they show in abundance is the ob- sessive’s attention to fine textural detail, and as principal songwriters, the ability to write an eloquent melody. The subtle surge of ‘Fly small wallets and large “wants lists” Like An Arrow’, the restrained would spend hours and hours every power of ‘Black rain’, the gentle week, trawling the second hand CD westcoast lilt of ‘Emergency’ all shops of the nearest city (London accumulate a wealth of mood and in my case) looking for the latest Having recently moved house I had atmosphere, drawing a series of releases at knock down prices. I rediscovered my very first “wants compelling performances from can still remember the excitement list” and in no time at all I picked Eldoen and (on ‘Black Rain’) from of finding both Yesterday & Today up on ebay most of the outstanding guest vocalist Chris (MM’s releases on CD for £2.00 each. items by bands such as Precious The Metallica back catalogue soon Earthband) Thompson. Thanks to ebay all that wasted time Metal, Tami Show, Petra, Shotgun followed and then late one night af- has now been consigned to the past Symphony, Stryper and ter numerous beers and a flick ‘Polarity’ is an unambiguous tri- as the Internet revolution shrinks Nightranger. After that I had a through my rock bible I realised that umph for Lava, and rumour has it a the world down to the size of your funny turn and decided to fill out apart from ‘Stranger In Us All’, I wider European release on a bigger PC. You name it and sooner, rather my collection with bands that I was didn’t own a single Rainbow CD. label will happen early in 2004. Highly Recommended. Brian McGowan
RAINBOW Rainbow/Straight Between The Eyes Rising/Finyl Vinyl (Part I) On Stage Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll/Bent Out Of Shape Down To Earth/Difficult To Cure Stranger In Us All/Finyl Vinyl (Part II)
Having taken a year out from re- viewing music and putting together magazines and websites I am in no position to pontificate on the year’s best releases. I did however spend some time enjoying myself on ebay.
To the uninitiated, ebay has become the second hand record shop of the world. Not so long ago, record col- lectors such as myself who had Hard RoxX Mail: 23 Stoneyfield Road, Old Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2HP, UNITED KINGDOM Page 3 of 4 Issue #4 05/01/04
[email protected] the most impressive debuts you’re likely to hear this, or indeed any, year.
Although ‘The Seventh Sign’ is deftly underpinned by a complex, brooding mass of progressive themes, pulsating riffs, and multi- layered sounds, what Section A have done so beautifully is to marry them to some truly stunning vocal melo- dies. Andy Engberg is literally on SECTION A fire throughout this record, his pas- sion drenched, emotive performance The Seventh Sign easily matching anything he did with Lion Music LMC 072 Lion’s Share, his commanding vo- cal roar the crowning glory of each Released right back at the beginning and every song. Not to be outdone, of last summer to surprisingly little Enevoldsen turns in a sweltering fanfare (at least around these parts performance too, his blistering at any rate), Section A is the first fretboard forays tempered only by full blown vocal band project of the need to mould them expertly Danish born guitarist Torben around the mood of each piece. Enevoldsen. Already a six string maestro of some considerable re- Kicking off with a suitably atmos- pute, Enevoldsen has a couple of pheric intro, opener ‘The Seventh all instrumental solo albums to his Sign’ suddenly explodes into vivid, name – both are worth investigat- vibrant life in a vortex of ominous ing further if you’re a guitar fan, riffs and spiralling keyboard flur- although of the two, 2001’s ‘Heavy ries. A totally enthralling slice of Persuasion’ effort is particularly theatrical melodrama, its catchy noteworthy. Now however he’s blend of Vanden Plas suss and Tal- decided that it’s time to step be- find in the loft that date back to the isman melodies make it one of the yond the confines of the instrumen- time the house was built. Inside album’s real highlights – phew! And tal niche market into the turbulent, were six battered but glorious Rain- without even pausing for breath the oft clouded waters of the progres- bow CD’s featuring all 10 major la- band then launch full tilt into the sive rock/metal mainstream. bel releases apart from the compi- soaring ‘Riot’ – very Lion’s Share, albeit noticeably more progressive. lation ‘Best Of Rainbow’ Technically speaking, Section A is a Elsewhere there’s the bittersweet three piece at the moment with angst of ‘Pray For Rain’ (Vanden Enevoldsen handling all of the gui- Plas circa ‘The God Thing’), its tars, bass and most of the basic key- delicate light and shade offering tem- board duties himself. As for the porary shelter from the searing riffs, remainder of the band, the budding the malevolent urgency of ‘Tomor- all star line up is completed by re- row’, the staccato bombast of ‘Kill- nowned Vanden Plas drummer ing Fields’, and the kerosene fuelled A search on the UK ebay site re- Andreas Lill, and former Lion’s excesses of ‘Into The Fire’ - but vealed nothing. A quick switch to Share vocal powerhouse Andy you shouldn’t just take my word the American site and I discovered Engberg. Add in the odd splash of for it, best thing you can do is go a Russian entrepreneur selling Rus- colour in the shape of guest key- and check it out for yourself. sian versions of the entire Rainbow board solos from Derek Sherinian back catalogue on six limited edi- (Dream Theater, Planet X) and I have no compunction in naming tion CD’s. If that hadn’t floated Gunter Werno (also of Vanden Plas), ‘The Seventh Sign’ as my album my boat there was always the en- I know I don’t need to bore you and the resulting maelstrom of of 2003, a shimmering, rarefied mas- tire Rolling Stones back catalogues with the band’s history or describe Vanden Plas, Lion’s Share, Royal terpiece which raises the standards on 30+ CD’s or the Beatles back the quality of the music; it’s been Hunt and Talisman (plus the odd of melodic/progressive metal yet catalogue or Queen’s…. the list discussed at length. I also know nod towards the neo-classical metal further. Absolutely brilliant! was long and tempting. Being that most of you have these babies style of Malmsteen, Stormwind, drunk I placed a reasonably high bid in your collections, however I like Ring Of Fire, etc.) makes for one of 9/10 Dave Cockett on the Rainbow CD’s and won the to think that maybe, just maybe, collection for a paltry $30. I’m the only rock fan in Great Brit- Dave Cockett, John Hegarty, Alan ain who has a Russian set on CD. Two months later a small parcel was And that my fine friends was my Holloway, Matthew Honey and Brian delivered, wrapped in brown paper highlight of 2003. Long Live Rock McGowan would like to wish the readers and held together with string. It ‘N’ Roll looked like the old newspapers you Matthew Honey of Hard RoxX a happy new year!
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