Bruce Dickinson. Balls To Picasso
Not his best or most consistent album, but Change Of Heart, Sacred Cowboys and Tears Of The Dragon are just so memorable.

Labyrinth. Labyrinth
Brilliant and so refreshingly different. Power and Prog vowed into a highly dynamic web.

Labyrinth. 6 Ways To Nowhere
Production is thin and lacks punch, too many songs seem to fade away quickly but a handful of cool ideas are still flourishing. An "only" good album from an otherwise great band.

Manowar. Gods Of War
Majestic and bombastic Metal with enhancing orchestrations makes this a fascinating effort. Unfortunately Joey's "voice in a box" narrations don't work at all. There is too much of it, the decision to use distortions is completely beyond apprehension, the actual words do little extra for the story and the pronouncement falls flat on several occasions.
Most importantly however is the music and here Manowar shows how to combine Classic with Metal with a clear emphasis on full-blown Heavy Metal with guitars on fire, drums of doom and vocals out of hell.
Sons Of Odin, Gods Of Wars, Blood Brothers and Slepnir send you right into the halls of Valhalla.

Metalium. Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six
They are still going strong after six releases and the formula is still pretty much the same. Apart from some enlightening moments this one is not really that exciting.

Neal Morse. Sola Scriptura
Intriguing Progressive Rock. I'm not a fan of mixing religion and music but there is more to it than that luckily. Musicianship is again eminent.

Nocturnal Rites. Afterlife
Stepping beyond the True Metal moniker and going for more trashy and fierce sound, almost futuristic with its unique keyboard structures. A refreshing Power Metal record.

Nostradameus. Pathway
Standard Power Metal with a few inspiring moments.

Pink Cream 69. In10sity
A great Heavy Rock record with lots of weight and... well intensity pretty much sums things up here.

Pride Of Lions. The Roaring Of Dreams
This is just a joy to listen to. It's cheesy, has over the top keyboards and melodies as sweet as sugar...exactly what makes it a great Rock album. The chorus line in Language Of The Heart has me drifting of to melodic dream world. Not quite as outstanding as The Destiny Stone but equally addictive.

Pure Reason Revolution. The Dark Third
A dreamy, moody, mystical and anti-stress release with plenty of experimenting details and progressive structuring.

Saxon. The Inner Sanctum
I'm disappointed with this one, only a few songs live up to the standard I expect from such a great band. Sadly without much inspiration or catchiness.

Saviour Machine. II
No, I still don't like the idea of religious beliefs mixed with Metal, but these profound lyrics have universal meaning. The album is atmospherically stunning and so different from everything I have come across. Fans of Progressive music looking for a challenge should check this out.

Written by Tommy
Wednesday, April 25, 2007