Rocktopia: Blue October - 'Any Man In America' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Alister Strachan: Blue October is an alternative rock band from Houston, Texas. Although they are largely unknown in the UK, they have shifted four million albums in the US largely on the back of their platinum selling fourth studio album ‘Foiled’ in 2006. For album number six ‘Any Man In America’, frontman Justin Furstenfield has taken the bold move of using it as an audio journal to bear his soul on the acrimonious break up of his marriage and the custody battle for his young daughter. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/j0H41

Rocktopia: Black Tide - 'Post Mortem' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Mike Newdeck: Continuing the ongoing trend to “get heavier” comes what may yet be seen as another missed opportunity. No surprise then that it’s from the same stable that bought you the overdone disappointment that was ‘Justice’ by Rev Theory. It’s been three years since the excellent ‘Light From Above’ hit the shelves. That album won many plaudits for its ability to combine classic old school metal, glam and speed metal with more modern metal leanings. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/ldbdq

Rocktopia: Strangeways - 'Strangeways' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Phil Ashcroft: I'm sure just about everyone who reads this magazine must already be familiar with the most revered of Strangeways albums, 'Native Sons' and 'Walk In The Fire', but before these iconic releases the Glasgow band put out this self-titled debut way back in 1986. To be honest, vocals apart it's not that far behind the other two, with excellent songs by guitarist Ian J Stewart and a strong production from none other than Journey's Kevin Elson, and considering vocalist Tony Liddle was drafted in at the eleventh hour to replace the departed Stevie Doherty, his work here isn't bad at all. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/FROpm

Rocktopia: Soley Mourning - 'Zaire' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Dave Evans: Melodic hard rockers Soley Mourning have certainly paid their dues. Whilst on tour with Magnum in 2009 the Black Country band endured something of a 'Spinal Tap' series of events. Broken down tour buses; lost luggage; accidents; exploding drummers (ok maybe not that one), and all out sheer bad luck. The band however persevered and won over the audiences with their powerful performances. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/0v0Kn

Rocktopia: Jethro Tull - 'Aqualung 40th Anniversary Edition' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Ray Paul: Mention Jethro Tull to any self respecting rock fan and the title of ‘Aqualung’ will come up in the conversation. It’s the bands own ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and the release has been called a classic concept album of which Ian Anderson strongly denies! Either way there is a thematic thread running through each song and the legendary cover is often said to be Ian Anderson in his alter ego; you decide! Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/PxZ3m

Rocktopia: Sinner - 'Bottom Line' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Neil Daniels: Eleven years later and ‘Bottom Line’ still sounds great. Fantastically produced by Mr. Sinner himself, every song has something to offer. One of the standout tracks is 'All Men Are Heroes' which is a mix of early Saxon and Savatage with Sinner's gruff vocals and some progressive riffs. 'I Can’t Stop The Fire' could have passed as a Ratt song while the band slows down for the typical ballad 'We'll Make It Alright'. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/PJaJZ

Rocktopia: Sinner - 'Bottom Line' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Neil Daniels: Eleven years later and ‘Bottom Line’ still sounds great. Fantastically produced by Mr. Sinner himself, every song has something to offer. One of the standout tracks is 'All Men Are Heroes' which is a mix of early Saxon and Savatage with Sinner's gruff vocals and some progressive riffs. 'I Can’t Stop The Fire' could have passed as a Ratt song while the band slows down for the typical ballad 'We'll Make It Alright'. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/yhyMk

Rocktopia: Jimi Jamison - 'Live At Firefest' DVD OUT NOW!

Rocktopia News: Jimi Jamison 'Live At Firefest' DVD released. Heard by over a billion people a week as the voice of the classic theme tune 'I'm Always Here' from the global smash hit show Baywatch, and gracing the soundtracks of iconic films like The Karate Kid and Rocky IV, Jimi Jamison is one of the best and most respected singers of the genre. Featuring amazing renditions of 'I'm Always Here', 'Eye Of The Tiger', 'High On You', 'Burning Heart' and much more, 'Jimi Jamison - Live At Firefest' is destined to become one of THE classic live DVDs. Read the full article on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/Fcgxm

Rocktopia: Ronnie James Dio - 'Mightier Than The Sword' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Neil Daniels: It's still hard to believe that Dio died over a year ago and his passing was made more emotional because he was singing as good as he ever had been in his life, and Heaven & Hell was far more exciting than any form of Black Sabbath reunion with Ozzy Osbourne, whose voice, it must be admitted, is sounding very shaky these days. To celebrate Dio's music – which all true rock/metal fans are familiar with anyway – this two disc CD set has been released. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/MTjPQ

Rocktopia: Axel Rudi Pell - 'The Ballads IV' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Paul Jerome Smith: ARP’s Ballads series always yields significant sales and I have no reason to doubt that 'Ballads IV' will fare any less well than their three illustrious predecessors, released in 1993, 1999 and 2004 respectively. Thus it's a slightly longer gap this time around. Three new tracks open proceedings, the ten other tracks having formerly appeared on 'Mystica' (3), 'Diamonds Unlocked' (3), 'Tales Of The Crown' (2) and 'The Crest' (2). Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/RNQgS

Rocktopia: Badmouth - 'Heavy Metal Parking Lot' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Rob McKenzie: Hailing from Sweden, Badmouth have just released their second album which is, to use an over-used phrase, “in your face”. Adding to this key attribute is the variety of rock genres on display in this very enjoyable album produced by Chips Kiesbye (The Hellacopters). He has certainly caught the band with a good crisp and clear sound with the guitars well up front. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/L6aNr

Rocktopia: Molly Hatchet - 'Greatest Hits 2' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Neil Daniels: As is often the case with sequels to greatest hits collections, Molly Hatchet's 'Greatest Hits 2' picks up where its predecessor left off. More specifically, 'Greatest Hits 2' begins in 1996 when the band signed to the German label SPV whereas the first collection was actually released way back in 1985 around the time 'Double Trouble Live' came out; although the only album the band released during those 11 years was 1989's 'Lightning Strikes Twice'. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/79qJv

Rocktopia: Carl Dixon - 'Lucky Dog' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Phil Ashcroft: Canadian singer/songwriter Carl Dixon is living proof that you never quite know what fate has in store for you. Having been in the right place at the right time, he’s been a member of three classic bands in his native country: Coney Hatch, The Guess Who and April Wine. Then in April 2008, in Australia, he found himself in exactly the wrong place when his car was involved in an almost fatal head-on collision. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/LqMco

Rocktopia: Albany Down - 'South Of The City' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Dave Bott: The debut CD from young British fourpiece Albany Down has been on constant rotation since I received it. It was initially a nice contrast to the plethora of new AOR releases or my usual heavier edged listening preferences but after 5 or 6 spins it has found its way to the top of my grab pile whenever I'm in the car or just cooking dinner in the kitchen (and perfect accompaniment to a nice Shiraz). Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/jXJjY

Rocktopia: Phil Soussan - 'No Protection' - CD Review

A Rocktopia album review by John Tucker: Five years after his first solo album ‘Vibrate’, the multi-talented multi-instrumentalist is back with its follow-up. This time around though Phil Soussan has elected to do without the guest musicians and has written, performed and produced the whole shooting match himself, and in doing so has created an impressive and beautifully cohesive collection of hard rock songs. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/TKZSx

Rocktopia: Judas Priest - 'Single Cuts' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Neil Daniels: The Metal Gods have been filling up their back catalogue recently with a live album and an anniversary set of 'British Steel' and now they have graced us with this single disc CD containing all of their A-side singles. They've wisely chosen to take a chronological track-listing beginning with 1977’s excellent cover of the Joan Baez folk classic 'Diamonds And Rust'. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/VAQCY

Rocktopia: Lindsey Buckingham - 'Seeds We Sow' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by James Gaden: The sixth solo album from the Fleetwood Mac guru, 'Seeds We Sow' finds the veteran musician in fine form. Keeping a solo career ('the small machine', as he calls it) running alongside Fleetwood Mac ('the big machine'), Lindsey has cemented his position in the music world as a prolific and skilled songwriter. After a fourteen year gap between his popular 'Out Of The Cradle' release in 1992 and the sparser sounds of 'Under the Skin', Buckingham picked up the pace by putting out the impressive 'Gift Of Screws' in 2008. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/EU9VX

Rocktopia: Ilium - 'Genetic Memory' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Ant Heeks: Formed in Newcastle, Australia, back in 2002, melodic power-metallers Ilium are now onto their fifth release, but it was their previous album ‘Ageless Decay’ in 2009 that started to get them serious recognition. One reason for that is they were signed to Escape Music which gave them a much bigger outlet for their material, the second reason is that they pulled off something of a coup by enlisting former Riot and Masterplan vocalist Mike DiMeo to their ranks. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/Pf77v

Rocktopia: Grand Design - 'Idolizer' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Ant Heeks: I have to admit that when I reviewed Grand Design's debut 'Time Elevation' I was probably a little unfair to include the definition of the word plagiarism. True, Grand Design’s sound borrows HEAVILY from Def Leppard's eighties output, but it's coupled with a hint of the Scandie sound, and adds a quirkiness somewhat akin to the likes of The Poodles and House Of Shakira. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/EZiRV

'Rocktopia: Cosmograf - 'When Age Has Done Its Duty' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Paul Jerome Smith: Cosmograf is a progressive rock project lead by Robin Armstrong, a multi instrumentalist musician from Hampshire. This is his/their third album, and focuses upon the theme of ageing and personal experiences when growing up. Previous albums: 'Freed From the Anguish' (2008) and 'End Of Ecclesia' (2009) were also conceptual, and were concerned with the tale of a man's journey through the second world war and the conflict between science and religion respectively. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/tSdpC

Rocktopia: Candice Night - 'Reflections' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Steven Reid: Since 1997 Candice Night has been the voice of her husband’s musical musings in Blackmore's Night and while there's no denying the talent needed to be part of that band, it could be argued that BN isn’t always the best vehicle to demonstrate the talents of its constituent parts to the full. 'Reflections' is the first solo venture from Candice and one which allows her to step outside of the reasonably tight constraints of her main band.

From: http://ping.fm/Myt48

Rocktopia: Iced Earth - 'Dystopia' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Dave Scott: For the uninitiated, Iced Earth is a heavy metal band coming out of Tampa, Florida. The bands origins can be traced way back to 1984 when figure head guitarist Jon Schaffer and his new band, (then called Purgatory), recorded and released their first demo 'Psychotic Dreams'. Schaffer was forced to change the name due to it already being used and Iced Earth was born. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/yW72T

Rocktopia: Opeth - 'Heritage' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Rob McKenzie: Opeth have just released their third album with Roadrunner Records and their tenth in total. A Swedish band with a massive pedigree has delivered an album which to sum up in one word is “eclectic”. To clarify, the opening track 'Heritage' is a Bach-like piano piece with a bass played as a double bass, followed by progressive rock, classic rock, nu-metal, classical guitar, Celtic… the list goes on. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/YFBL6

Rocktopia: Subsignal - 'Touchstones' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Paul Jerome Smith: This debut album by this progressive metal band (half of whom used to ply their trade in Sieges Even) was reviewed here by my colleague Dean Pedley in issue 39. His summary suggested it was “sophisticated and accessible” and demonstrated “creativity and flair”. The album was called 'Beautiful & Monstrous' and clocked in at just over an hour. Well, I think they got it wrong. This album is over 75 minutes and really is beautiful and monstrous! Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/bGNDK

Rocktopia: Reckless Love - 'Animal Attraction' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Alan Holloway: Last year, flamboyant Finns Reckless Love wowed a lot of people with their high octane debut, an album that felt like all the best bits of Dave Lee Roth, Michael Monroe and Wig Wam all squeezed together and given an unlimited budget at ‘Sleaze R Us’. What I loved about it myself was the sense of boundless energy contained within songs that battered you about the head with their lust for life, whilst vocalist Olli Herman lit a further fire under them when the band played live. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/ucmVP

Rocktopia: Newman - 'Under Southern Skies' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Mark Warburton: Following on from the excellent ‘Big Life’ album that I reviewed earlier on this year for this magazine & web site, Steve Newman returns with a new album ‘Under Southern Skies’ under his Newman banner. Although he has a live band, in the studio it’s Steve on vocals/guitar/keys with drummer Rob McEwan, and what’s on offer here as with anything that involves Steve Newman is hook-laden melodic rock songs with crystal clear production, catchy choruses and a very melodic disposition without any kind of rough edges. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/hmnKk

Rocktopia: Omega - 'Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Gary Marshall: As I listen to this CD for the umpteenth time there is one overriding thought that keeps coming into my head and that’s, if you played it unannounced to a room full of Rock fans I’m pretty sure they’d all be asking if it’s a new Glenn Hughes album. In places vocalist, Lee Small’s (Shy, Phenomena) voice, delivery and phrasing has an uncanny resemblance to the aforementioned Mr. Hughes, which is also evident on the snippets of the new Shy album I heard recently. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/GVuvg

Rocktopia: Grand Illusion - 'Prince Of Paupers' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Az Choudhury: Sweden's Grand Illusion released four very good albums on the Escape label in quick succession at the turn of the Millennium. They then went on a five year hiatus before releasing last year's excellent ‘Brand New World’ which they aired at last year's Firefest. A year later they return with their sixth release. Main man Anders Rydholm writes the music and produces the album as well as playing bass, keyboards and guitar and he is joined by regular vocalists Per Svensson and Peter Sundell. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/oTAhi

Rocktopia: Mecca - 'Undeniable' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Duncan Jamieson: It’s been nine years now since the first Mecca album was released. Nine years is a long time, and there have been a number of changes since the debut. This follow up doesn’t have Fergie Frederikson (who has just released his own solo album); where the debut had a large contribution from Jim Peterik in the song writing department, this sophomore effort relies on the band’s lynchpin Joe Vana for the bulk of the material. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/fg448

Rocktopia: Almah - 'Motion' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by Alister Strachan: Album number three from Brazilian Power Metal quintet Almah sees the band step out of the shadows of what was originally a solo project put together by ex Angra vocalist Edu Falaschi to become a living and breathing entity all of its own. The first Almah album, released in 2007, was a bit of an all star affair featuring amongst others Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and Kamelot’s Casey Grillo on drums. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/5KT9C

Rocktopia - Alice Cooper - 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Dave Cockett: Much like pop diva Madonna, the original shock rocker himself (that’s Alice Cooper to you an’ me guv) has somehow always managed to stay one step ahead of the game through a combination of remarkably astute judgements, and knowing just when the time is right to move on to pastures new – work out what the audience wants, give it to ‘em big style before anyone else really cottons on, then jump ship just when it’s starting to get on the tired side of passé. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/3YaCt

Rocktopia: Foreigner - 'Acoustique' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by James Gaden: After years of inactivity due to uncertainty over their future, Foreigner are still keen to make up for lost time with yet another release, coming hot on the heels of their studio album 'Can't Slow Down' and their live DVD 'Rocking at the Ryman'. This time the band bring us something Kelly Hansen told me (in Fireworks Magazine 46) they were looking at doing: an acoustic record. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/CQrHV

Rocktopia: Shy - 'Shy' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Steven Reid: It has been six long years since Shy last released an album of new music, which arrived in the shape of 2005’s excellent ‘Sunset & Vine’ opus. The time between ‘S&V’ and this self-titled comeback has seen rhythm guitarist Ian Richardson depart, but the more obvious hole to fill is that of singer and to be fair, to many the face of Shy, Tony Mills. Since then the band has had an on and off and on again marriage with one time Surveillance and Phenomena vocalist Lee Small. However with Mills finally making TNT his first priority, it is the bluesier, richer tones of Small which adorn this album. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/nrAXK

Rocktopia: Echoterra - 'Land Of The Midnight Sun' - CD Review

A Fireworks Magazine / Rocktopia album review by John Tucker: Echoterra was formed by keyboard player Jonah W (Pyramaze) and guitarist Yan Leviathan (Avian) in 2007. The band released their debut album ‘The Law Of One’ in 2009 with ex-Therion singer Suvi Virtanen handling the vocals. Things geared up a notch though at the end of 2009 when ex-Visions Of Atlantis vocalist Melissa Ferlaak took over from Virtanen, and the ‘In Your Eyes’ EP swiftly followed. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/SyDcH

Rocktopia: Gotthard - 'Homegrown - Alive In Lugano' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Ant Heeks: This is a live release from arguably the finest band from Switzerland ever! The show was recorded in July 2010 in front of over 20,000 people at a Harley Davidson enthusiasts rally, something that meant a lot to the band as they are bikers themselves, and it was also a rare chance to play in their hometown of Lugano. The band admit it was a stroke of good luck that the show was recorded, as unfortunately it would turn out to be one of the last shows ever performed with charismatic vocalist Steve Lee, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident just three months later. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/sS44B

Rocktopia: Edguy - 'Age Of The Joker' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Bruce Turnbull: Germany’s Edguy, led by Avantasia frontman Tobias Sammet, are one of the hottest acts in the metal scene, and with their latest slab of genius, the varied and intricate ‘Age Of The Joker’, their position on the top of the scale remains unthreatened. Eschewing most of the hard rock inflections that bled throughout 2008’s ‘Tinnitus Sanctus’, the band’s ninth collection harks back to their glory days, with many sections bringing to mind the kind of frivolous insanity of ‘Mandrake’ and arguably their most famous effort, ‘Hellfire Club’. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/0rUCn

Rocktopia: Anvil - 'Juggernaut Of Justice' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Steven Reid: The last five years for Canada's veteran metal outfit Anvil have made for the sort of tale you just couldn't write and with 'Juggernaut Of Justice', their first set of new songs since 2007's 'Lucky Thirteen', the band finally begin to put those whirlwind years behind them. For those of you unaware (I hope the rescue from the desert island went well!), Steve Lips Kudlow (guitars/vocals) and Robb Reiner (drums) formed Anvil in 1978, releasing excellent albums such as 'Metal On Metal' and 'Forged In Fire', although their big break remained ever elusive. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/gP4PH

Rocktopia: Saracen - 'Marilyn' - CD Review

A Rocktopia / Fireworks Magazine album review by Bruce Mee: have been a huge Saracen fan since 1981, and was the instigator behind getting the band to reform for Now & Then back in the late 90s, so perhaps it may be construed as a conflict of interest for me to review this album. However, as I’ve always prided myself in my honesty and propensity for speaking my mind, I’m going to do it anyway. Read the full review on Rocktopia.

From: http://ping.fm/j2oWS