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AOR HEAVEN ::: N E W S L E T T E R ::: 05/07/2019 |
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Howdy melodic rockers,
It's quite annoying as the delivery
of the Colorvine CD is still not sorted, cause our
English supplier even still has got copies. Needless to
comment, this is poor business from start to finish !
Next week will see the next bunch of
Frontiers releases with the focus on the metal / prog /
hard rock genre. Highlight of the week should be the new
Stranded CD which we expect towards the end of next
week.
In label related news we can proudly
announce the re-issue of the meanwhile much sought after
25th anniversary Alien debut double CD due August, the
30th, as a limited run of 1000 copies !
Listen to our upcoming August
releases from Jimi Anderson Group and Rockett Love at
www.metalheaven.net !
wishing you a great week
Georg & Monika
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NITRATE - Open Wide
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A: 11 € |
B: 13 € |
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Night Time City (Edit)
Only A Heartache Away (Edit)
You Want It You Got It (Edit) |
Melodic rock from England with fine melodies and versatile arrangements. Bass and keyboard player Nick Hogg puts out the second NITRATE album with a slightly different line-up. Most remarkable, of course, is the new vocalist Philip Lindstrand (EAST TEMPLE AVENUE, FIND ME) who replaces Josh Mennen (ZINATRA). Marcus Thurston (v, VEGA) is an addition, too. Eleven tracks, at times pretty rough but also sweet like honey, which hint at Hoggs favorites by the name of BON JOVI, MÖTLEY CRÜE or EUROPE, can be found. Mastering by Harry Hess (HAREM SCAREM). Check out the melodic monsters “Only A Heartache Away“ and “Never Surrender“. Most of the material is perfect for lovers of MIDNITE CITY, too, as Rob Wylde (g) did most of the songwriting.
MARTIN STARK |
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ROB MORATTI - Renaissance
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A: 11 € |
B: 13 € |
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Let Me Be The One (Edit)
Lift You Up (Edit)
You Are The One (Edit) |
Ex-SAGA frontman ROB MORATTI (FINAL FRONTIER) follows exactly his passion which is classic keyboard-dominated AOR and makes no compromises whatsoever. “Renaissance“ showcases the singer with his incredible range better than ever and adds another milestone to the fine collection of Canadian melodic rock music. Top class musicians like e.g. Tony Franklin (b, BLUE MURDER) are involved here. Already the mighty opener “You Are The One“ perfectly points out the direction which will absolutely please the fanbase and beyond. “Best Of Me“, emotional and at times reminiscent of JOURNEY is another one of many highlights on this record. A crystal-clear production, that is still powerful, completes the picture. Thumbs up, Mr. Moratti!
MARTIN STARK |
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watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ2NFNdlQvY&feature=youtu.be |
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EXPECTED NEW RELEASES !!
STRANDED - New Dawn
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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AOR respectively West Coast sounds from Canada with amazing melodies and a touching voice (Troy Reid of AGENT) that’s what you get with “New Dawn“. Perfect stuff for fans of BOULEVARD, HAREM SCAREM, FORTUE or CLIF MAGNESS. The production is pretty good with a lot of details that keep the album fresh for a long time. Check out “Take Good Care Of Me“ and “Cindy“ for a representative glimpse on the album.
MARTIN STARK
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITy3_ujoRD0 |
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VISIONATICA - Enigma Fire
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A: 13 € |
B: 15,5 € |
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After an oriental intro, powerful symphonic sounds in the vein of NIGHTWISH, especially in terms of vocals, are coming your way. Vocalist Tamara Amedova has got a beautiful voice which (luckily) does not constantly try to reach new heights like many of her competitors do. “Enigma Fire“ offers film score-like parts but apart from a crystal-clear and powerful production, the lovely voice Amedova’s is what makes this record a really good one.
MARTIN STARK
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdEXPBPnCjc |
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BILLY SHERWOOD - Citizen: In The Next Life
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A: 13 € |
B: 15,5 € |
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Progressive rock with good songwriting, a fascinating story about a traveller in time and space and emotional moments. The fact that BILLY SHERWOOD (YES) plays all instruments by himself is impressive but also the reason why the sound and the overall impression is not very spectacular. Listeners who are into YES, SPOCK’S BEARD or ASIA will certainly nevertheless dig this record as it offers a good alternative for the more recent releases of the acts mentioned.
MARTIN STARK
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnIlv4H4ps |
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HOLLOW HAZE - Between Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas
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A: 13 € |
B: 15,5 € |
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Power metal with progressive elements coming from Italy is basically nothing special but “Between Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas“ differs from many competitors in having great songwriting and an amazing mix of STRATOVARIUS, HELLOWEEN and LABYRINTH. Vocalist Fabio Dessi foremost, who is basically free from any accent, is a great surprise. The ballad “I Will Be There“ and the grooving “The Upside Down“ are perfect first encounters with the world of HOLLOW HAZE.
MARTIN STARK
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzxmPDapH8 |
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MIND KEY - Mk. III - Alien In Wonderland
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A: 13 € |
B: 15,5 € |
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“MK III - Alien In Wonderland“ is the third effort of Italian progressive metal act and the first in almost ten years. A new line-up is evident but stylistically they mostly stick to the first albums. melodic, playful and versatile sounds, that’s what you get. Let alone the opener shine, which is the title track or the hook monster “Hate At First Sight“ as well as the metal-like “Angry Man“ or “Hands Off Cain“ with its hit potential, to name but a few highlights.
MARTIN STARK
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxHBmpnmUcY |
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GRAHAM BONNET BAND - Live In Japan 2017 (CD + DVD)
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A: 14,5 € |
B: 17,5 € |
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Another live output by GRAHAM BONNET BAND? Well, why not? There’s obviously plenty of material like MSG, RAINBOW, IMPELLITTIERI, ALCATRAZZ or solo stuff. The album contains a fantastic sound and a voice that is (surprisingly) in great shape. An astonishing reflexion of more than forty years of hard rock with an incredible version of the MSG classic “Desert Song“ as one of the many highlights “Live in Japan 2017“ offers.
MARTIN STARK
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U6AVyyeWG8 |
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COLORVINE - Wake Up
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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American melodic rock band COLORVINE (formerly TOWER CITY) is back on track with their new album “Wake Up”. Under the Tower City moniker the group put out a couple of celebrated albums in the genre during the ’90s, then changed their name to COLORVINE due to some industry label issues. As always fronted by brothers Larry and Heath Saltis, these talented musicians are back with a bunch of timeless melodic, energetic melodic songs. Musically, think like a cross between HONEYMOON SUITE, ’80s RICK SPRINGFIELD, LOVERBOY, 7th HEAVEN, some BOULEVARD… you get the picture. Colorvine proves they can still excite listeners with their own brand of Melodic Rock that mixes past and present.
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wan-bAeLFkg |
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NEW RELEASES IN STOCK !
ANGELICA - Angelica (digitally remastered)
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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Angelica traces its history to the late eighties and Ontario, Canada based founding member Dennis Cameron, whom came to the faith in early 1987 following a stint in mainstream bands Antix and Masquerade. The first Angelica album was recorded in Costa Mesa, California with the starting line-up of: Andy Lyon, Scott Ernest, Bob Pallen and Dennis Cameron. The finishing line-up for the album was a little different, cause Driver singer Rob Rock replaced Andy Lyon and what a different it makes. If into melodic metal or any of the projects in which Rock has participated - Joshua, Impellitteri, Driver and his solo material - then Angelica comes with a strong recommendation. Digitally remastered re-issue.
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIp3Xddy_Fk |
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ANGELICA - Walkin' In Faith (digitally remastered)
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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"Walkin in Faith" (1990) is very similar in style to Angelica's debut, although I would say the debut is slightly heavier. Guitar shredder Dennis Cameron's chops are still outstanding. The biggest difference between this album and the debut is that the signature vocals of Rob Rock are absent. Instead Jerome Mazza, who is a competent vocalist with a high pitched smooth voice, takes over vocal duties. The title track is simply one of the best songs the band has ever written and also the remaining tracks saw Angelica heading into a slightly more polished melodic rock sound, somewhere between TNT's "Intuition", Winger and this type of stuff. Digitally remastered re-issue.
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53CDh61P6yM |
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ANGELICA - The Demo Sessions (digitally remastered)
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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The Demo Sessions is the original demo recordings with Andy Lyon, the original lead singer of Angelica. These 9 songs were recorded before Dennis Cameron landed his 5 album record deal with Intense Records. The first 5 Songs (Demo One) were presented to the label. The last 4 (Demo Two) was their second demo that the label requested, giving them enough for a full album. The songs here are in the same order as found on the two original demo cassette tapes. Angelica’s debut album was recorded with the vocals of Rob Rock (Joshua, Impellitteri), however this is the demo contains Andy Lyon, the original lead singer. These 9 songs were recorded before they landed their deal with Frontline records. |
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V.A. - MRR 100 -Left Off The First 99 (2 CDs)
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A: 13 € |
B: 15,5 € |
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Melodicrock.com is celebrating their 100th release with this double CD. This however, isn’t your average ‘best of’ affair – this compilation will feature songs that didn’t make the albums MRR released – hence the title ‘Left Off The First 99’. ‘Left Off The First 99’ will offer a range of bonus tracks featured from the first 99 releases, plus some exclusive unreleased tracks from the recording sessions that spawned those albums. And for good measure – a little taste of what’s to come in the year ahead, with some exclusive preview tracks from upcoming MRR releases. Limited to 500 copies and with artists involved like Mecca, Boulevard, Street Talk, House Of Shakira or Tony Mills this is indeed value for money. |
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FICTION SYXX - The Alternate Me
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A: 12,5 € |
B: 15 € |
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Fiction Syxx follow up last year’s debut ‘Tall Dark Secret’ with ‘The Alternate Me’. Fiction Syxx is the brain child of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Mark Allen Lanoue and he is joined again by guitarist JK Northrup (King Kobra/XYZ), drummer Rory Faciane and on keyboards Eric Ragno. Fiction Syxx do everything to the maximum, be it the crunching guitar riffs, show stopping keyboard solos or layered back vocals, and all too good effect as the driving rocker ‘Tragic Magic’ shows. Fiction Syxx are hard to pigeonhole, as they cover progressive rock, AOR, melodic rock and more. Their key goal is melody though and ‘The Alternate Me’ sees them building on their strong debut album.
listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8nCz-UOREk |
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COLD CHISEL - East
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A: 5,5 € |
B: 6,5 € |
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The release of East (1980), their third album, is when Cold Chisel moved from being Australia's best pub band and became a legend. The largely autobiographical or topical nature of many of the songs, especially "Standing on the Outside", "Star Hotel", "Rising Sun", and the sheer depth and variety of material on this album placed Chisel in the top rank in Australia. "East" is a masterpiece, although the other albums aren't far behind and there are plenty more hits than you will find on this CD. Not the least of these of course is the Walker composition Khe Sahn which is laying claims to being our new virtual national anthem.
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFKxbr4_-Vc |
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FIRMO - Rehab |
A: 6 € |
B: 7,5 € |
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Italian singer and songwriter Gianluca Firmo was the driving force behind the project ROOM EXPERIENCE (2015), which featured Pink Cream 69 singer David Readman on vocals. Firmo wrote the entire album, which was well received from the press and the fans. Three years later Gianluca Firmo is ready to deliver his first solo album by using his own name and handling for the very first time all lead vocals on his own. With the help of his fellow countrymen Davide Barbieri, Mario Percudani and the mighty Paul Laine (DANGER DANGER) on backing vocals you can be sure to get a great slice of classic melodic rock stuff. The vocals of Gianluca Firmo are solid, but he's a better songwriter as a singer !
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpTFtvyE4k0 |
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PLEASURE MAKER - Dancin' With Danger +1 |
A: 7,5 € |
B: 9,5 € |
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PLEASURE MAKER is a Brazilian hair metal outfit which has released their debut "Love On The Rocks" in 2004 and the follow up "Twisted Desire" in 2008. After a seven-year break, the band reunited in 2017 to record this third album, “Dancing With Danger”. That means that you get another dose of 80s inspired melodic rock with the occasional touches of glam. Main musical references are Dokken and Ratt as the guitar playing of guiatrist Alex Meister combines elements of both Warren DiMartini and George Lynch. Listeners who are not yet familiar with the band might have a difficult time with singer Claudio's high pitched, banshee like voice but personally it didn't stop me from having a good time with this disc.
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_rh0NB0Ps |
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ROCKETT LOVE - 08/30
JIMI ANDERSON GROUP - 08/30
ALIEN re-issue - 08/30
SABATON - 07/19
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