Rambling Man's Reviews

  Living Colour's Corey Glover's side project , Sonic Universe continues to build momentum towards its debut album 'It Is What It Is', ahead of its May 10th release date through Earache Record s. They have released their third single 'It Is What It Is' (the title track). Sonic Universe combines the vocals of Grammy Award Winning singer Corey Grover and Adrenaline Mob guitarist Mike Orlando to create a rock group steeped full of grooves, funk, soul and hard rock. The duo are joined by the slinky basslines of Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson as they gear up for an exciting chapter in their lives. Grover describes the new single as needing self belief to change our old ways Sonic Universe recently signed a global deal with Earache Records, known for hosting legendary rock bands such as Deep Purple. The new ten tracker will be released on Friday, May 10th via all major streaming platforms and retail outlets. It was produced, mixed and engineered by Mike Orl

  WORDS BY ANSELM The UK consistently rides a rising wave in producing new metal acts. Leeds is the city where the band Godeth has emerged. The quintet blends death metal with modern metal stylings in their latest EP, "The Path of Destruction." This album encapsulates all the frustration and rage in a six-track EP filled with chaos and melee.  Established in 2018, the band, fronted by vocalist Miles Case-Watson, features guitarists Dylan Walters and Luke Dyde, bassist Jimmy Johnstone, and drummer Danny Campey. The band has propelled their career to new heights despite numerous challenges and setbacks. They have been featured on BBC Radio 1 and have received extensive coverage on Total Rock and Primordial Radio. This exposure helps build a band's confidence within the music industry and community. This has certainly helped with the development of these Yorkshire men's sounds. They have crafted an intense edge with strong grooves and fiery vocals, which reminds me of

  Words by Anselm Anderson Legendary German metal band Accept returns with an unstoppable force, packed with punishing riffs and head-banging tracks. ' Humanoid' is their 17th studio album, set for release this Friday via Napalm Records. Lead Singer Mark Tornillo and co cover the murky issues of technology and AI in this other blistering release from the legends. In almost fifty years, the band has entertained the masses from all over the world in various guises. I personally feel the band has grown as a unit in that time and has cemented themselves with some of the titans of metal. A significant factor is the addition of Tornillo's vocals. His voice, a torrent of raw emotion like a contemporary Bon Scott, has elevated Accept's music to unprecedented heights."Humanoid" is an album that exemplifies this statement.  Andy Sneap is back behind the producer's table at his Backstage Recording Studios LTD in Derbyshire, England. This helps increase the volume to

  WORDS BY ANSELM One of the best things about writing reviews is you get to cover your favourite artists. Ian Hunter has been one of my favourite vocalists for the past decade, ever since I discovered Mott The Hoople. 'Defiance: Part Two-Fiction' is released today (April 19th) via Sun Records. This is the follow-up to last year's much appreciated ' Defiance: Part One ', which features the usual plethora of distinguished guests from the world of rock. The guest list runs like a who's who of the music industry with notable names including such close friends and lifelong fans as Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, and Tom Petersson (members of Cheap Trick), Brian May (Queen), Lucinda Williams, Dean DeLeo, Robert De Leo, & Eric Kretz (Stone Temple Pilots), Joe Elliott and Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Johnny Depp, Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew (The Boxmasters), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan), Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne),

  WORDS BY ANSELM Canada has produced its fair share of musical stars over the years, with Garage Pop act The Wesleys aiming to be the next. The quartet have recently released their self-titled debut album last week via Little Village Records. The album builds on the success of their EP, titled "Outside Voices." It presents a novel blend of punk, garage, and power pop encapsulated in nine tracks brimming with introspection, delivered through playful melodies and guitar-centric rock. The band rely on their DIY pathos, much favoured by bands these days, The Wesleys aim to produce and write music that is " authentic and natural". Drawing inspiration from their musical heroes like    The Clean, Teenage Fanclub, The Pixies, and The Replacements. To coincide with this release, eager listeners can grab a teaser with the release of a new animated video for 'A Lot to Lose", the last single taken off the album. As co-founder and guitarist, Henry Girard explains  Phi

Words by Anselm Anderson Nice Mind Records presents a pleasant treat from North-East singer/songwriter Chris Riley- lead singer of The False Poets- with 'Making Waves', the first track taken from his upcoming solo album, entitled Echoes in the Gloaming, which is due out this summer. The track has nice acoustics and deft touches on the guitar, making it an easy-listening folk song for the summer. I have previously reviewed the past couple of albums for The False Poets, but Riley reverts to a laid-back approach. The introductory slide guitar merged with delicate fingerpicking, creates a rhythmic cascade reminiscent of undulating waves. Riley's warm and welcoming voice sweeps across the music like a surfer riding the sea waves. The production helps elevate the sound like the listener is sitting next to the musician performing the track. Each note strummed is crystal clear and allows the listener to get lost in the track. Chris Riley has released a couple of other tracks to acc

Interview by Anselm Anderson Alt Rock quartet Paraline recently released their debut EP 'Sound Weapon' last month via Eclipse Records. Two brothers formed the band to discover themselves, as they fought issues with the Pandemic and war in Ukraine to produce 'Sound Weapon'. I caught up with lead vocalist Leo Andersen (No relation!😃) to discuss the new album, the unusual recording practices, and adversity in the face of a conflict. Please scroll down to read the full interview. Please introduce yourself to the readers? My name is Leo “Light” Andersen, and I am the band's leader.  Congratulations on the release of Sound Weapon , what has the response to the EP been like? Thank you, and we haven't had a chance to fully gauge the response yet. We've been too busy with producing a new music video to evaluate the results. But our manager says the support from the audience has been overwhelming and that's all I need to know right now. The album is quite varie

The Rockstar Reviewer Vlog debuts with a look at some upcoming new releases. In each episode I decide to pick a couple of albums I like, providing my honest opinions on the subject. This week's show reviews the new album from Classic Rock Legends ( and my favourite) Blue Oyster Cult's reimagined collection 'Ghost Stories'. The brainchild of the Frontiers Music SRL  Chief. The album is a collection of unreleased tracks from the 70's until 2016. The second release from Frontiers Music SRL is the 80's influenced 'Between the Shadows by Sleaze rockers King Zebra. Click on the video below to discover what I think about the releases. Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following  https://follow.it/anselm-s-rambling-man-s-reviews?pub  

The Rockstar Reviewer show returns with a look at Myths of Fate from Symphonic Metal Stalwarts Leave’s Eyes . This is the German’s ninth studio effort, and the first in four years since The Last Viking. Co-Vocalsist Alexander Krull is back behind the producer’s chair to deliver another release of large, bombastic cinematic scores blended with gothic, folk and Metal Elements. The album is out on Friday, March 22nd via AFM Records. Click on the player below to hear my thoughts on the release.   Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following  https://follow.it/anselm-s-rambling-man-s-reviews?pub LEAVES’ EYES is: Elina Siirala – Vocals Alexander Krull – Vocals Micki Richter – Guitar Luc Gebhardt – Guitar Joris Nijenhuis – Drums “Myths Of Fate” track listing: 01. Forged by Fire  02. Realm of Dark Waves 03. Who Wants to Live Forever  04. Hammer of the Gods  05. In Eternity  06. Fear the Serpent  07. Goddess of the Night 08. Sons of Triglav  09. Elder Spirit  10. Einherjar 

WORDS BY ANSELM ANDERSON Metal supergroup Fates Messenger introduced themselves to the metal world with two new singles today. They release two debut singles“Scars” and “Bonechapel', taken from their upcoming debut EP later this year. Formed by members of Above All , Romeo Must Die and Dishounour The Crown , the four-piece are no strangers to the metal scene having toured throughout Europe extensively in different disguises. They have supported Korn, Fear Factory and Entombed among the notable names. Fates Messenger mixed and mastered their music with an expected result. The band’s trade of groove-laden riffs, angst-ridden harsh vocals and bone-shattering drum fills are testament to a burgeoning metalcore revival. “Scars” is a slab of dark, bludgeoning metal designed to arch your neck and raise your fists. The track was inspired by a newspaper story about a teenage suicide brought on by cyberbullying, according to lead vocalist Tony Maddocks. The song hopes to convey a message of

   Photo Credit: Silfan van der Kaap  Words by Anselm Anderson A special set of ' Stand Up For Cancer' concerts has been announced for CatFish guitarist Matt Long. The series of Benefit concerts take place in May and June this year with shows throughout England. Kent, Staines, Luton, Darlington and Milton Keynes are the places to pay tribute to Catfish vocalist and guitarist Matt Long, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year. Unfortunately, recent scans have unveiled that the cancer has spread throughout his liver and stomach lining. Matt's Mother, Fiona has arranged a GoFundMe campaign to raise £100,00 for private treatment in the States. Matt Long has undergone surgery and Chemotherapy but doctors discovered it had spread to his stomach and liver. The family reveal that without this treatment Matt only has a 15% chance of survival. It is always sad news to report about the ailing health of talented musicians, but I hope Matt Long can get the treatment to help him be

The Rockstar Reviewer show returns with the rambling man behind the microphone. On this week’s show, I look at the five-track debut EP by Ana. The Australian debutants are a female-fronted symphonic metal act, hailing from Melbourne. They signed with Eclipse Records last year, and The Art of Letting Go is an insight into what they can do. The Episode was filmed a couple of weeks back, but the EP is released this Friday, March 29th. Apologies for any confusion. Click on the player below to listen to my thoughts. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS https://www.eclipserecords.com/band/ana/ Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following  https://follow.it/anselm-s-rambling-man-s-reviews?pub

Canadian Alt-Rock Act Digital Opium released the highly addictive “Make Ya’ Dance” last December. The track is the debut of the newly formed band from London, Ontario, Canada. The song is written to get you in the groove and to start those hips swinging. The band, led by the bluesy vocals of Craig Jamieson, are known for their “infectious melodies and energetic performances”. They had full creative control over “Make Ya’ Dance”, making the song even more enjoyable. The band cite The Black Keys and The Beatles as influences. I can understand how these bands have had an impact on their music. The groovy guitar play and soft vocal melodies remind me of these bands once upon a time. The track makes me feel Digital Opium aim to break into the mainstream. As for the single, The band wrote this with a strong desire for people to enjoy it. I think they would be proud of the final product. The production is sharp and clear enough to listen to the instruments and vocals to be heard. “Make Ya’ D

Photo Credit: Pearl Cook Words by Anselm Anderson London-based alt-rock ban d Night Thieves adds to a list of talented British bands. It’s hard to deny that some of these bands have the potential to reach a wider audience, and Night Thieves is one of them. You may be wondering who they are – they are a quartet from London, England, and their members include lead vocalist Jess Moyles, guitarist Paul Andrew, bassist Rick Hunter-Burns and temporary drummer for this recording, Tom Connolly. In addition, Ryan Delgyn has since joined on drums permanently. The band have won many plaudits through established magazines and radio stations like HRH Magazine , Planet Rock, BBC Radio One and Kerrang! to name but a few. Polarity will be the band’s third EP and promises a formidable use of engaging dynamics and punishing rhythms. This is the reason I chose to write this review. I was struck by the lead vocalists’ use of vocal lines, complemented by the pull-and-stop tension of the guitar harmonie

South African Blues guitarist Dan Patlansky is set for a busy 2024. His new album “Movin’ On” is set for release on March 1st via Virgin Media Group , which was preceded by a single “Who I Am”. He has also announced an eight-date tour of England with some new venues added to the bill. The Rockstar Reviewer grabbed an opportunity to speak with Blues guitarist Dan Patlansky about his latest single “Who I Am”, his upcoming release “Movin’On” and his UK tour in April. Dan provides more information about the tour and the new release. He also reveals the gear used to record the album, as well as his writing process. Please read below for the full interview. Hello Dan, How are you? Dan: I am doing great thanks for asking Congratulations on your new Tour and Album. First, I would like to begin by asking about your tour. You have announced an eight-date tour of the UK, next April. What can you tell me about those dates ? Dan: Yes, I picked some of my favourite venues, cities, and towns to