This album really bridges the gap between Chris Boudreaux's projects; "The Take" which was a very pop/AOR band with fun catch songs and his band "Boudreaux" which was a melodic hard rock/hair metal band with attitude and edge. Soldier will appeal to the AOR fans as well as the hair metal fans as it really does fit between the two genres. Soldier feat. members of Palace, Bad Boys, Ransom, Rocknee, The Take and Boudreaux. Initially released only on cassette way back in 1986 as a 6 tracker this re-issue contains 6 more tracks which were recorded in 1995. Mega rare on cassette this album gives classic 80s AOR fans a run for their money.

listen: https://youtu.be/fsctm0ZqkeQ

Here’s another obscure re-issue from Metallic Blue records featuring Utah based female-fronted Exposure, who deliver a poppy brand of AOR. This reissue is made up of two sessions. The first half of these songs came from Exposure's private cassette-only 5-track EP 'Matter Of Time' released in 1985 on Aircastle Records. Track 6 'Take Me Away' was an additional track, the remaining tracks 7-10 originally came out in 1983 when the band were known as Nightlife.  This band was going to be a very keyboard heavy synth-AOR band with a focus on radio friendly songs – not that far away from the pomp of EVEREST, ZON and SAGA meets the poppy overtones of PAT BENATAR and QUARTERFLASH.

listen: https://youtu.be/mGBaZyaEEbc

Imagine a possible mixture of AC/DC, GREAT WHITE, THE BLACK CROWES and even MÖTLEY CRÜE. Well, BUCKCHERRY sound just like that on “Hellbound“. Full flavored and powerfully produced music, played with an amazing nonchalance. It’s definitely one of their absolute best albums so far. Just take “So Hott“ or “Here I Come“ as reference as they are right in your face. Pure, timeless and authentic rock’n’roll!

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/9n6qSjfvRn0

SOCIAL DISORDER is a Swedish hard rock outfit. Although the band’s name and artwork might be a bit misleading, “Love 2 Be Hated“ is full of finest hard and classic rock. Anders “LA“ Rönnblom (g, KILLER BEES, X-ROMANCE) has a great new band together. Pretty seventies sounding and equipped with plenty of really cool songs, this debut might be one of the surprises of the relatively young year so far. Thumbs up!

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/yFnnJy-v934

Hanover / Germany-based hard rock band FARGO around founder and bass-player Peter Knorn please their fans with their sixth album in total and the follow-up to the comeback „Constellation“ (2018). Style-wise reminiscent of ELOY or JANE at times and equipped with cool melodies and lots of groove allover as tracks like „Closer To The Sun“, „Law Of The Jungle“ or „No Reason To Cry“ easily prove. Timeless music with an authentic production!

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/ARpf_v2wnpI

EYES, featuring members of Swedish band ACES HIGH, have taken the crunchy riffs and melodies from their previous incarnation and brought it screaming up to date for the 2020’s. Big rock, taking you places; lots of attitude. Great songs and grand ambition with true heritage from the days. Classic Hammond-Sound can be found the the album 'Perfect Vision 20/20’, too. EYES is your choice of band if looking for rock tracing its evolution from British hard rock tradition to American melodic stadium rock music.

MARTIN STARK

watch:https://youtu.be/lxGD-Ve9Ys4

The "Crash Of The Crown" album breaks some brave new world ground for STYX, which consists of James "JY" Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals). "COTC" is music that is both concurrently of its time and truly timeless all at once. Although the official release date for this landmark album may be time-stamped as 2021, the omnisciently observational content of "COTC" readily brings to mind an amalgamation of historical events that occurred in 1066, 1455, 1775, 1861, 1941, and even 2001 without citing any of them by name.

listen: https://youtu.be/mNoG4U7QiVc

CROWNE is a Swedish AOR/melodic supergroup. Alexander Strandell (v, ART NATION), Jona Tee (g/keys, H.E.A.T.), John Levén (b, EUROPE) and Christian „Kicken“ Lundqvist (d, ex THE POODLES) are nothing but heavy weights of the scene. This band sounds exactly like you would expect them to sound like given their main bands. Project yes or no, songs like “Kings Of The North“, “Perceval“ or “Save Me From Myself“ are simply amazing.

MARTIN STARK

watch:https://youtu.be/GuvKbyt0bGw

The Swede who regularly sings with PERFECT PLAN surprises with a very fine solo debut. “The Rumble“ has been written by HILLI himself and has been produced by Michael Palace (PALACE, FIND ME). If you are into PERFECT PLAN, you can’t go wrong here, of course. Melodies all over the place and you also get a few little surprises style-wise but he never leaves the path of the genre, driving rockers and big-time ballads included. Nevertheless, the songs are never really far away from PERFECT PLAN, so the question if this output really makes sense might be asked. But probably the sheer quality is an appropriate answer.     MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/tSyGNUvGCeM

The Bombers were an Australian – English supergroup featuring ex- STATUS QUO members Alan Lancaster and John Coghlin plus John Brewster (The Angels) and singer Tyrone Coates. Their one and only album „Aim High“ (1990) still stands as a classic in the vein of Damn Yankees / Night Ranger. More than three deacdes later original singer Tyrone Coates has re-formed the group with a brand new line-up and a slightly different sound. „Man Down“ has pretty much lost the commercial appeal of „Aim High“ for a stripped down riff orientated had rock sound with some boogie rock elements. Even the new recording of their mega classic song „No Danger“ is pretty much useless, cause the original version is unbeatable.

watch: https://youtu.be/C2Wqq-V-HD8

CHALICE OF SIN is a new metal project featuring charismatic frontman Wade Black (CRIMSON GLORY, SEVEN WITCHES, LEATHERWOLF). In close collaboration with Alessandro Del Vecchio (keys) they created eleven classic heavy metal tunes in the vein of METAL CHURCH, SAVATAGE and (of course!) CRIMSON GLORY. The genre is certainly not re-invented here but that’s pretty good, I guess, especially in the given genre. Really well produced and without considerable fillers.

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/bQSAvyscbR8

Finnish guitar-player and former STRATOVARIUS mastermind with his fourth album under the monicker TIMO TOLKKI’s AVALON by now. It came into being again in close collaboration with Aldo Lonobile (g, SECRET SPHERE, SWEET OBLIVION) and an impressive number of different vocalists ranging from e.g. James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER) to Fabio Leone (RHAPSODY) or Katarina Nix (CHAOS MAGIC). A solid but not a very impressive album, though.

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/kz8qsWDNdD0

Many fans would have never expected HELLOWEEN putting out new material, making it the long awaited “reunion album“. 12 brand-new songs of the German heavy metal flagship. Of course, the main key to glory here are the three vocalists Kai Hansen, Michael Kiske and Andi Deris which really make a difference here. The magic of their iconic records is definitely there but also fresh arrangements and a powerful production. The epic and versatile “Fear Of The Fallen“ or the riff-dominated „Indestructable“ make up great first impression of the album.

MARTIN STARK

watch: https://youtu.be/gLV530n3kMw