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| Articles: 2011 Articles |
Airrace - 2011 Back To The Start
 | | Let's be honest here. 'Back To The Start' is one of the better Frontiers releases during the first half of 2011. It maintains the British perception of grittiness, the fighting qualities of the bulldog (literally speaking of course) without letting the sheen of a decades worth of 80's North American AOR dominate precedings. I think this album will surprise a lot of people actually.. |
Alyson Avenue - 2011 Changes
 | | Good to see Niclas and the team back in 2011. They do happen to take lengthy interludes between albums, and considering the band has been on/off now for the best part of three decades, any recorded music from Alyson Avenue is better than none. |
Amaranthe - 2011 Amaranthe
 | | Just quite what Gothenberg based melodic death metallers Amaranthe are doing here on GDAZE might be confusing, but I'll let you read on.. |
Angeline - 2011 Disconnected
 | | I must say, I think I enjoyed this album more than its predecessor 'Confessions', no doubt the band have kicked on solidly since 2010, and this has manifested in what is possibly Angeline's finest moment. 'Disconnected' comes highly recommended. |
Antblad, Chris - 2011 Century
 | | The album comes across as pretty tame actually, and because of that, I was hoping to hear something a little bit more edgy, which didn't really occur. |
Anvil - 2011 Juggernaut Of Justice
 | | Having enjoyed tremendous exposure since the success of the excellent 'Anvil: The Story of Anvil' documentary in 2008, Anvil thankfully have sacrificed nothing when it comes to brandishing their trademark form of heavy metal, pioneered way back in the late 70's. |
Atkins/May Project - 2011 Serpents Kiss
 | | An album that is probably the surprise packet of the 2011 year for me. Al Atkins of course is forever linked to brummie faves Judas Priest.. |
Bad Habit - 2011 Atmosphere
 | | Is there a weakness here? Not to me there isn't. Every song works well, and I could be playing this thing for weeks to come. |
Beautiful Beast - 2011 Adult Oriented Candy
 | | If you're into bands like the aforementioned London, and are still waiting for that killer 2011 glam/hair album to come along, then investigate Beautiful Beat in the meantime. |
Beggars And Thieves - 2011 We Are The Brokenhearted
 | | The fact that this CD has turned heads is a testament that classic rock in its purest form, will always rise to the surface like cream over milk. One of the better albums for 2011, that much is certain.. |
Beitthemeans - 2011 Head Held High
 | | Crawling out the swamplands of Sylacauga, Alabama, comes the power trio called Beitthemeans. I can hear the influences of early grunge, Edgar Winter and Led Zeppelin. |
Benedictum - 2011 Dominion
 | | For old style HM fans, Benedictum deliver a little bit of everything, and keep the flag flying for all the old warhorses, witches and warlocks. |
Best Of 2010 - 2011 (EnglandAshes)
 | | Chris' (englandashes) review and picks from 2010. |
Best Of 2010 - 2011 Dangerzone
| | Alun's (Danger Zone) review and picks from 2010. |
Best Of 2010 - 2011 Eric
| | 2010 was a tough year for quality releases, especially when it came to AOR and Prog. Fortunately the power pop scene picked up the slack with some truly outstanding discs. The 10 of 10 in no order? Eric |
Best Of 2010 - 2011 Gdazegod
| | Georges' (gdazegod) review and picks from 2010. |
Best Of 2010 - 2011 jeffrey343
| | Here are Jeff Hashe's 2010 picks in review. |
Big Life - 2011 Big Life
 | | British melodic rocker Steve Newman has seen enough of his name blasted all over this website during the past decade or more. But in 2011, he tries something a little bit different. |
Bridger - 2011 Bridger
 | | Some good songs here, variable styles, but Bridger really needed to be a little more convincing overall to appeal to hard rock fans. |
Bright, The - 2011 Objects Of My Affection
 | | I was impressed with 'In Lucid Dreams' but I think 'Objects Of My Affection' is a major step in the right direction, and I'm completely sold! Hook line and sinker. |
Bullet (Sweden) - 2011 Highway Pirates
 | | There aren't too many bands worth getting excited about these days, but Bullet are a massive exception to that rule. |
Cars, The - 2011 Move Like This
 | | It was always on the cards that Bostonian faves The Cars would return to their reserved parking space held for them since their industrious days of the 80's. The band have decided to return to the sound from the 70's, and even though Roy Thomas Baker is not involved, sonically, Ric Ocasek has returned them to the era where their songs were fun and interesting. |
Cassle - 2011 Cassle
 | | Archive stuff can be hit and miss but here's one of the better offerings I've heard in recent months. Cassle hailed from Southern California and originally played in a pseudo gothic progressive rock style while later in their career borrowed from the upstart New Wave of British Heavy Metal and very much looked the part. |
Coastland Ride - 2011 On Top Of The World
 | | Sadly in a year that was rife with musical treasures, Coastland Ride's comeback album 'On Top Of The World' falls short as one of its better offerings. |
Coldspell - 2011 Out From The Cold
 | | Really, it's all bruising stuff, and you know this is one classy affair when melody pours through the speakers without Coldspell not even out of first gear! |
Crossfade - 2011 Secret Love
 | | I gave the debut Crossfade album a right shellacking back in 2004. After the debut, am I really in a position to be reviewing 'Secret Love'? Is there a chance of redemption on my part? The short answer is.. yes. It must be said that I had to dig really deep to extract words out of the aether to be cast downward into this review. I'm glad I made the effort, as this 'Secret Love' has some good moments. |
Danger Zone - 2011 Line Of Fire
 | | Though recently released as part of Avenue Of Allies pending January 2011 batch of albums, Danger Zone are in fact an old 80's band, who had resources behind them to crack the big time in the USA, but ultimately got worn down by the industry. |
Deathraiser - 2011 Violent Aggression
 | | It's encouraging to see new thrash bands keeping the scene alive and despite being written off year after year, the genre continues because of Deathraiser and others like them. |
Divinefire - 2011 Eye Of The Storm
 | | As an album, 'Eye Of The Storm' pretty much operates on two speeds: fast and faster. If you can handle that, all power to you. |
Dynazty - 2011 Knock You Down
 | | Lean and mean, trim to bone, chuck in a dab of that aforementioned glam/sleaze and this lot are at the top of their game. |
Elevener - 2011 Symmetry In Motion
 | | Along with the aforementioned Bad Habit, plus new boys H.E.A.T and Houston, Elevener ensure that Swedish AOR is in pretty good hands at the moment. |
Enbound - 2011 And She Says Gold
 | | Meet Enbound. Sweden's latest prog metallers with a surprising connection to one of AOR-dom's most favourite bands of the last few years. Read on.. |
Fiona - 2011 Unbroken
 | | A brace of albums from 1985 to 1992, and then kapoof.. off into the New Jersey sunset for marriage and kids.. until.. some twenty years later.. and wow.. Inspired and encouraged to get back into the groove again amid constant badgering from longtime fans, industry buddies, 'Unbroken' is the result. |
Firewölfe - 2011 Firewölfe
 | | Classic 80's metal is revived by the inter-continental US band Firewölfe. Fans of Savatage should investigate immediately. |
Fowler, Rick (Band) - 2011 Discordia
 | | Rick, now firmly established with his own Rick Fowler Band, he follows up his 2008 album 'On My Good Foot' with this five-tracker 'Discordia'. It's still a rockin' blues album for sure, slightly more on the rock side of blues rather than the other way around. |
Frederiksen, Fergie - 2011 Happiness Is The Road
 | | A pretty good set of AOR tunes from one of AOR's favourite voices.. Dennis 'Fergie' Frederiksen. |
Grand Design - 2011 Idolizer
 | | Much like a well baked cake, if the recipe ain't bust, there's no need to change it, as is the case here for this album. If you loved 'Time Elevation', then I doubt I'll be changing your mind anytime soon. |
Grand Illusion - 2011 Prince Of Paupers
 | | No two ways about it, the songs here are very strong, and I'll go out on a limb and say they are back to the sort of form that made their 2002 classic 'View From The Top' an automatic entry into my top 10 albums of the decade. |
Gunner - 2011 Desire
 | | Argentina's Gunner aren't quite the OTT surprise that their label says they are, but they are close enough to give it a good shake. Pretty good all round |
Halestorm - 2011 Reanimate [The Covers EP]
 | | Six groovy covers, and while I don't normally get my rocks off on cover albums, I'll make an exception for this one. |
Hell In The Club - 2011 Let The Games Begin
 | | Another enjoyable Italian outfit with a touch of dirt and grit, tough and street fashioned, 'Let The Games Begin' winds us back to the pre-grunge era of the late 80's and early 90's. |
Hersey, Iain Ashley - 2011 Vintage Love: Best Of
 | | Hersey has a reputation as a purveyor of guitar in the mould of six-string greats Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore. A tried and true Fender Stratocaster player, Iain has described his sound as 'heavy, bluesy, classic rock with a hint of fusion'. |
Hibria - 2011 Blind Ride
 | | 'Blind Ride' at the end of the day is probably not up to the same quality as 'Defying The Rules', but I'll take a lesser Hibria album over most other bands in this genre without hesitation. |
Hitchcock, Toby - 2011 Mercury's Down
 | | It astounds me that the melodic rock and AOR community still fawn over Steve Perry nearly 15 years after his self imposed move away from public view. Come on people, get with the 21st century, he ain't coming back anytime soon, so let's move onto the next vocal king of the genre - one Toby Hitchcock. |
Homerun - 2011 Black World
 | | 'Black World' is not as hard as the album cover and title might suggest. If you can handle a mix of the three bands mentioned in the Background section, then there's every chance you might enjoy this. |
House Of Lords - 2011 Big Money
 | | Like navigating a heavyweight ship on the murky waters of melodic rock, House Of Lords are 'steady as she goes' yet again, and deliver their cargo with maximum payload. |
Human Zoo - 2011 Eyes Of The Stranger
 | | There are a bunch of good songs onboard that are well worth investigating. Admittedly it won't set your house on fire and there are enough references to tell that these guys are very centered among the hard rock genre outfits featured elsewhere on GD. |
Infinity - 2011 Infinity
 | | The pre-cursor to 1993's fantastic Red Dawn, this is Infinity, David Rosenthal's combination with North Dakota's favourite son: Mitch Malloy. |
Issa - 2011 The Storm
 | | Frontiers have been spoiling melodic rockers with some quality releases during 2011, 'The Storm' now added to the stockpile. |
Journey - 2011 Eclipse
 | | Despite a handful of tunes achieving a pass mark, for the first time, I can say unequivocally that this is perhaps the most disappointing Journey album I've listened to. |
Kimball Jamison - 2011 Kimball Jamison
 | | It was kinda inevitable that two of the great voices of AOR would eventually combine for a dual effort. Incredibly it's taken them nearly three decades to join forces, on what is 80's styled AOR within a modern setting, predictably delivered with few surprises.. just what all the regulars would expect to hear from the pair. |
King Kobra - 2011 King Kobra
 | | Ballads aside this is a worthy comeback by King Kobra and is not as pointless as I would've expected.. |
Knight Fury - 2011 Time To Rock
 | | Lovers of 80's trad metal should feel right at home with this one. Go discover! |
Lionville - 2011 Lionville
 | | I like this album, but I'm not totally enamoured with it. No doubt many opinions will differ to mine, but I put it in the good to very good category and not any more than that I'm afraid. |
Longplayer - 2011 Longplayer
 | | A big recommendation of course and a being fan of ELO isn't necessarily a prerequisite for an enjoyable listen but it certainly helps. Longplayer's been well-received by the power pop community.. |
Lost In Thought - 2011 Opus Arise
 | | For anyone interested in bands such as Pagans Mind or Seventh Wonder, and even for those protaganists who support Dream Theater, then Lost In Thought should be on your money list! |
Lucky Thir13n - 2011 March Of The Young
 | | 'March Of The Young' isn't a purists melodic rock CD by any means. There are a few genres to choose from, and from my perspective, I'm not sure if the band have entirely settled on what sound and in which direction they should follow. |
M.ILL.ION - 2011 Sane And Insanity
 | | It horrifies me to admit that after seven albums, this is our very first review of Swedish band M.ILL.ION here at GLORY-DAZE. Oh dear! |
Magnificent, The - 2011 The Magnificent
 | | .. an album that will definitely make my top five albums of the 2011 year. Stunning effort.. |
Magnum - 2011 The Visitation
 | | Back in 2009 I gave a less than glittering opinion on Magnum's 'Into The Valley Of The Moonking' album. In fact, I recall saying the band were now on the 'please explain' list, with a right of reserve to get it right for their next album. Well, 'The Visitation' is that next album.. |
Malison Rouge - 2011 Malison Rouge
 | | Malison Rouge deliver a good first up effort, the musicianship is excellent, the influences are obviously different to many of their contemporaries on the Swedish circuit. I mean who these days is using Queensryche as a reference point in their creative design? |
McManus, Pat (Band) - 2011 Walking Through Shadows
 | | I'll have to admit this is a cranky little album, and it's good for what it is. 'Walking Through Shadows' has a few identity problems, and can't decide whether it wants to be Celtic/Irish, southern rock or classic rock. |
Megadeth - 2011 TH1RT3EN
 | | Whether Mustaine has finally run out of ideas I'm not sure, but this is hardly essential in anyone's book. |
Megaton Blonde - 2011 Megaton Blonde
 | | Easily available on the Retrospect website, check these 80's lost wonders out at all costs. Hot damn! |
Miss Behaviour - 2011 Last Woman Standing
 | | Sweden's Miss Behaviour deliver classy keyboard oriented melodic rock. It's quite close to the style of H.E.A.T with a few variations along the way. |
Moratti, Rob - 2011 Victory
 | | There aren't any other words to describe Rob Moratti in his musical element, but simply to say: Rob is at the top of his game, and without doubt is one of the premier voices in AOR. |
Moritz - 2011 Undivided
 | | Listening to this, Moritz straddle the fence of 'pink and fluffy' AOR alongside an oldschool style of hard rock. A contrast perhaps, but a style which works for these boys. |
Myland - 2011 Light Of A New Day
 | | Without doubt, 'Light Of A New Day' is some way from the classic material found on 'No Mans Land', but regardless, there are many superb moments that will appeal to all Myland fans. |
Night Ranger - 2011 Somewhere In California
 | | While the album is flawed in places, this is far better than I expected and I think the band should rightfully be proud of the end result. This has the type of immediacy that Journey was missing with 'Eclipse' and shows that heaviness and melody can go together without stretching past 5 or 6 minutes a track. |
Ousey, Chris - 2011 Rhyme & Reason
 | | Of late, we've been spoilt by some astonishing releases. I was hoping that 'Rhyme & Reason' would be one of those. I'm sad to say that it isn't, not quite. |
Oz Knozz - 2011 True Believer
 | | Now with us again for their recent 2011 effort 'True Believer', the line-up is stable yet again, but for mine, the music is not as good as its predecessor. |
Pagans Mind - 2011 Heavenly Ecstasy
 | | No two ways about it, Pagans Mind have created a classy CD and aims up as some of the best work they have delivered this side of 'Celestial Entrance'. |
Paradise Inc - 2011 Time
 | | Paradise Inc are a new outfit that reads like an International League of Nations. Consistent with the arrival of new bands out of Brazil every year, Paradise Inc are 2011's newest entry into the ever growing book of Brazilian melodic rock. A good find! |
Presto Ballet - 2011 Invisible Places
 | | Simply a magnificent effort, the keyboard work is just lovely, in particular that lush 70's organ sound rolling through. I would hasten to add that I think 'Invisible Places' is Presto Ballet's best effort thus far. Surely this is already a contender for top 10 of 2011.. |
Reckless Love - 2011 Animal Attraction
 | | A handful of tracks will ensure Reckless Love gets some 'love' in 2011, but I think overall it's slightly down on where they were last year. |
Riverdogs - 2011 World Gone Mad
 | | It's good to see the band combining with MRR to release this part new part retrospective set, but whether that leads to any new material from now into the future remains to be seen. |
Rods, The - 2011 Vengeance
 | | Let's face it, The Rods aren't out here to dazzle us with science. It's a basic formula perfected over many years, and though Dave Feinstein's vocals lack the snarl and bite from their glory days, it's just a great sight to see The Rods back in action. |
Saracen - 2011 Marilyn
 | | For me personally, I didn't find Marilyn Monroe as interesting subject matter, and as a result I couldn't really get into the album as much as I wanted to because Saracen are ranked quite highly in my list of favourites. |
Saxon - 2011 Call To Arms
 | | So another year, another forgettable Saxon release. Like Motorhead and Iron Maiden, the utter predictability of their music has reached its zenith. |
Sencelled - 2011 Sencelled
 | | Well what can I say? So many good releases over the last few weeks, this one right there in the thick of the mix. A great combination of AOR, power pop and modern rock all rolled into one. |
Shotgun Alley - 2011 Shotgun Alley
 | | Here is the debut album from New Zealand based melodic hard rockers Shotgun Alley. |
Shy - 2011 Shy
 | | Shy have defied the odds and returned in 2011 with an album that should set tongues wagging and heads turning. Yes, it's that good! |
Six Shot Revival - 2011 Greatest Hits Vol 1
 | | Had SSR been around in the 80s, they would have been huge. But what we have got here is one of the most exciting bands to come out of the USA in a long time. |
Sixx:AM - 2011 This Is Gonna Hurt
 | | With this album, I feel Sixx:AM are well on the way to a best seller, and hopefully I'll explain why. |
Slaves To Fashion - 2011 Artistic Differences
 | | With Slaves To Fashion, the name might suggest glam metal or some such, but it's a technical brand of progressive metal with commercial leanings that is the name of the game here. |
Soul Seller - 2011 Back To Life
 | | Soul Seller have a solid sound, All the right attributes in the right departments, and 'Back To Life' is a great (but late) start for the boys from Northern Italy. |
Stampede - 2011 A Sudden Impulse
 | | Another of the original NWOBHM contenders from the 80's has new life breathed upon it. Stampede, who as it turned out, formed from the ashes of the excellent Lautrec plus Wild Horses before them - are back in the saddle for 2011. |
Steel Panther - 2011 Balls Out
 | | This new album gives the band renewed energy with a fresh set of tunes, guaranteed to put the Sunset Strip back in the spotlight. It's clear that the 'awesome foursome' have upped their quest in their search for 'pussy', and I'm not talking about the next door neighbours missing cat! |
Strangeways - 2011 Age Of Reason
 | | This is still not 'Native Sons Part 2' or 'Walk In The Fire Part 2', but still very melodic and still very listenable in the context of modern AOR, but unfortunately, there is only a handful of good tracks, plus it is seriously lacking balls, energy and interesting guitar solos. |
Sunset Boulevard - 2011 Hungry Hearts
 | | A private release by this Finnish duo, all the songs hover in that four minute bracket, and you really can't do anything but support musicians who are offering up music like this on their own bat. |
Sunstorm - 2011 Emotional Fire
 | | In the final wash-up, I will go on record as saying that 'Emotional Fire' is a great CD, Turner still has the goods as a singer, even considering his age now, and the songs are pretty damn good all round. May we make it to Sunstorm 4.. if so I will be a very happy man. |
Sweet Savage (Nth Ireland) - 2011 Regeneration
 | | If you have read about this band and this album and were thinking it was a NWOBHM affair in the vein of White Spirit, Diamond Head or Grand Prix, you will be sorely mistaken. 'Regeneration' is a very heavy album, and will definitely appeal to heavy metallers more so than melodic rockers. |
Tora Tora - 2011 Revolution Day
 | | Though Memphis might be the home of more famous celebrities in the world of music (think Elvis..), one shouldn't forget the contribution of 80's hard rockers Tora Tora. |
Turbulence - 2011 Keepers Of The Light
 | | A few years ago, we were introduced to Swedish AOR band Turbulence, courtesy of their 6 track EP from 2008. 'Walk Through Fire' was a decent affair, the band have now followed it up with another self-released EP, this time containing five new tracks. |
U.D.O - 2011 Rev-Raptor
 | | As much as I didn't want to, I can't help but compare the latest offering from U.D.O. to Accept's excellent 2010 comeback release 'Blood Of The Nations.' There's no denying Udo's status as a metal legend, but I can't help but feel 'Rev-Raptor' pales into insignificance compared to the trail Accept are currently blazing. |
Uriah Heep - 2011 Into The Wild
 | | This recording doesn't seem to have gained much of a profile since it's release earlier this year and it's a shame as it's easily the bands most consistent effort in 16 years.. |
Victory - 2011 Don't Talk Science
 | | It appears that this is Victory's final album. If this is their swansong, then they've gone out with a helluva bang. |
Vomitron - 2011 No NES For The Wicked
 | | I'm thinking that perhaps some of the Nintendo design staff (especially the Music Department) must have been closet hard rock or metal fans, as all of the themes that Peter Rutcho has hand-picked for this album sound tailor-made for our favourite genres. |
Von Hertzen Brothers - 2011 Stars Aligned
 | | This album made Chris's Best of 2011 list. Read more to find out why.. |
Voodoo Six - 2011 Falling Knives [EP]
 | | London rockers Voodoo Six return with a new EP 'Falling Knives' in readiness for an assault on the 2012 year. |
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