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