Arrival has arrived! The new CD of NORWAY, the AOR heroes from New Jersey (AOR state of the USA). The second CD 'Arrival' is the long-awaited follow-up to their classic debut 'Night dreams' from a few years ago. The album is the first official release for the band in Europe. And for the fan of pure 80s AOR/Melodic Rock a la 80s DOKKEN, AVIATOR, early FM… this is a must to pick up. The crystal clear production by guitarist Jim Santos and vocalist/Keyboardist Glenn Pierson makes the AOR of NORWAY sound very HUGE!

There are 11 songs on the CD and most of them can easily be described as fantastic pure
80s AOR songs. Songs like "Givin' it all" (midtempo AOR), "One night alone" (classy 80s uptempo AOR with superb 80s keyboards), "Can't live without you" (huge Power AOR ballad), "When you close your eyes" (midtempo AOR), "Hole in my heart" (a la DOKKEN circa "In my dreams") and closing track "Heaven in your arms" (classy 80s AOR) are quite superb.

The CD is not only filled with pure 80s AOR, but there is also some good harder-edged melodic rock on it such as "I don't wanna love you" (semi melodic rocker a la BONFIRE), "Sendin' a prayer" (midtempo melodic rocker a la 80s SCORPIONS), "Cry baby" (uptempo melodic hardrock a la HEAVENS EDGE, last BRITNY FOX) and "Find my way home". This last mentioned song is also the only weak song on 'Arrival', because this is a heavy groovy Hardrocksong a la LYNCH MOB. Besides it is the heaviest song and doesn't sound like NORWAY at all.

Happily, it is only one track, because the rest of the CD is very much AOR sensational! Crab yourself a copy of this new CD of NORWAY asap!

Rating: 9,5/10

FAIR WARNING is back with their 4th official studio-CD which is simply titled '4'. The previous record 'Go' contained brilliant AOR oriented material which gained them much success in Japan. They ended up high in the national charts over there and saw them releasing albums almost every month! Though these were all compilations, singles, live-albums etc. and although their previous record 'Go' never got an official European release (as far as I know), this new CD is still called '4' and is thus the band's third release in Europe.

Anyway, musically it is a continuation of the AOR style created on 'Go'. Nevertheless, the start of the CD is uptempo melodic heavy rock oriented with nice songs like "Heart on the run" and "Through the fire", both would not fall out of place on the band's debut CD. You can hear right away that this CD has a big budget production, because everything sounds in the right place. The first song that really caught my attention is the fantastic pure AOR semi ballad "Break free" with it's killer chorus, this is FAIR WARNING at their best and is in the 'Go' style.

Next up is "Forever", a good uptempo melodic rocker a la MAGNUM, ZENO. Then we get to hear another great AOR ballad titled "Tell me I'm wrong". Next track "Dream" is a bit simple and weak midtempo melodic rocker. "I fight" follows and is a great uptempo AOR rocker. "Time will tell" and "Find my way" are both nice midtempo melodic rockers, but nothing that special.

The songs "Eyes of love", "Night falls" and "Wait" are all three some of the best ones on this new CD. "Eyes of love" and "Night calls" are both fantastic semi AOR ballads in the best FAIR WARNING tradition. "Wait" is a superb uptempo 80s typed AOR rocker that sounds like a cross between NORWAY and DOKKEN. The closing track of the CD is the experimental bombastic song "For the young", a song that combines Scottish/Celtic/Irish influences and sounds a little like ZENO. A great new CD, although I still think 'Go' is
the band's best release, but without any doubts, I can recommend this CD to any FAIR WARNING fan as well as anyone who wants to hear some great AOR/Melodic Rock! The CD will be officially released by FRONTIERS RECORDS/NOW&THEN on March 27th.

Rating: 8,5/10

This Norwegian band was reviewed a couple months ago when they had an advance demo tape out. Now the band has released their first full-length CD on the English AOR label Frontiers Records. The CD has a very good sound and production, which was done by vocalist and bassist Bjorn Boge. There are 11 songs on the album and musically it has not much to do with AOR. STREET LEGAL is a pure Melodic Hardrockband that combines influences of bands such as WHITESNAKE, HAREM SCAREM, HARDLINE and VAN HALEN.

Most of all, the band reminds me very much of the Danish band PANGEA. Still I have to say that I didn't find the CD as good as the bands I just mentioned. The demo tape of STREET LEGAL last year surprised me and contained a few wonderful songs. Now I listen to their first CD and my conclusion is that the best songs on this CD were also on that tape. In other words, the songs "Chasing the rainbow" (uptempo melodic rock a la early HAREM SCAREM), "Calling for you" (great semi melodic rockballad a la WHITESNAKE) and "Shadow dance" (very good uptempo melodic rocker, WHITESNAKE meets HAREM SCAREM) are the best songs of the CD.

I am not saying the rest isn't good, but it is just melodic hardrock that sounds nice, but is nothing sensational. If you like WHITESNAKE, PANGEA, VAN HALEN… then I could easily recommend this band. Do check out their site at: http://www.streetlegal.no

Rating: 7,5/10

TIM SIMMONS is a multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, USA who has released this CD titled 'Eternal Dream' back in 1995. Tim also did the production himself. I had hoped for some more vocal tracks, because there is only song with lead vocals (by Brad Vosburg), the remaining 9 songs are all instrumental. But happily they are all played very well and are very nice to listen to.

Best instrumental songs are "Eternal Dream" (very relaxing AOR ballad), "Shores of Lavender" (another great AOR ballad), "The Gathering" (midtempo AOR/Melodic Rocker) and the BEATLES-cover "Eleanor Rigby" (which is covered very well and has a very melodic 80s guitarsound). The only song with lead vocals is "She's So Weird", a good melodic rocker in pure 80s style (RATT meets KISS).

It would be great if Tim would put some more vocal tracks on a next CD, because instrumental it sounds very impressive and professional. More info on Tim at: http://www.mp3.com/TimSimmons

Rating: 7,5/10

Californian band playing melodic heavy rock/metal with influences from the 70s and 80s. The band reminds me of a mixture between UFO, 70s TRIUMPH, KROKUS with some 90s heavy groove elements in the guitar approach. The band has created an own sound actually, because a really good comparison isn't possible.

Fact is that the band has a very updated sound, yet still melodic enough for the 80s hard rockfans. Their same titled debut CD contains 6 songs and the best tracks are "Aurora", "Salivate" and "Powerlines" (VICTORY meets KROKUS). Check out this band if you like any of the mentioned bands. Website: http://www.steamroller.net

Rating: 6,5/10

Chris Calamera is another multi-instrumentalist. Chris comes out of Staten Island, New York, USA and has so far released two solo-albums. This same titled CD is a compilation of those two records and is available through mp3.com. There aren't any uptempo rockers on the CD, but if you like calmer lighter AOR ballad oriented material with lots of acoustic guitars, then you will like this a lot. There are 8 songs on the CD and the opening song "Day's end" is one of my favourites. This is a very good semi AOR ballad.

The rest of the CD continues in the same style, although less strong and sometimes a bit poppy. Other songs worth mentioning are "Aliena" and "Lost but not forgotten", two nice semi-ballads. There no real highlights on the CD to be honest, but this CD is still nice to check out if you like calmer AOR/Poprock. More info at:
http://www.mp3.com/chriscalamera

Rating: 7/10

This is actually pretty good stuff. BEN GAREN comes out of AE, USA. This part of the USA isn't well known for rock musicians and now they have a guy called BEN GAREN who is actually very good. This guy is very talented, because he did everything on his own, so here is another multi-instrumentalist for you. And believe it or not, also musically Ben Garen is reminding me of the other multi-instrumentalists who are on the scene nowadays, artists such as DANNY DANZI, PHIL VINCENT, JOE ROBINSON.

This BEN GAREN can be added to that list, because basically the CD of Ben is filled with good 80s typed melodic rock that reminds me a lot of DOKKEN. There are 4 songs on his mini-CD 'Man of war'. The first two tracks ("New man of war" and "Only a dream") are very nice uptempo melodic hardrocksongs in the heavy DOKKEN style. Although these songs are a bit harder edged melodic hardrock, the sound of it is very friendly and melodic. Just listen to the wonderful melodic guitarsolo in the song "Only a dream", this is very 80s oriented.

My favourite track is track number 3 "Hot touch". This song is a great uptempo 80s typed melodic rocker like DOKKEN meets ALDO NOVA. Closing track is the titletrack and this song is a bit weaker experimental melodic hardrock, still a good chorus. Ben also sent me a rough mix of a new song which isn't included on this CDR, and that new tune was a nice melodic heavy rocker wit a pretty good chorus. Things look bright for this guy I think, because this is quality 80s melodic hardrock which you should check out at:
http://bengaren.homepage.com

Rating: 7,5/10

Guitarist/vocalist from Portland, Maine, USA who sent me two solo-CDs he released the past few years. First one is 'Peasant under glass'. This CD is filled with different rockstyles. This guy is hard to place in one category, because he's got acoustic material ("Last rendezvous" and "My darling Natasha"), folkish ballads a la BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ("Accident on 295" and "They've torn a hole in the sky"), Boogie Rock ("Soft tail boogie" and "The American dream") and happily also Melodic Rock on his CD. Not much melodic rock, but at least there are some good tunes on his CD.

After the intro "Von doom's march", the CD opens with "Skin on skin", a good uptempo melodic hardrocksong that even has some references to KANE ROBERTS. In this same style we can hear later on the CD the best tune of Barry which is titled "Wild things just belong together". And the third melodic rock oriented song is the semi ballad "Ring around my heart". These last 3 mentioned tunes are showing Barry at his best, good old melodic hardrock. Write a few more songs in this style on a future CD and things will look brighter.

If you're interested in hearing a wide diversity consisting of Boogie, Folk, Acoustic and Rock, then purchase a copy of Barry's CD 'Peasant under glass'. E-mail Barry at: thebayb@hotmail.com Barry also sent me a copy of his new 5-track solo-CD which is a
continuation of the style created on his debut, so another very diverse CD. Best song on this CD, which is titled 'A minor second', is the semi melodic rockballad "You understand me". The rest of the CD does have a lot of Bluesrock influences. Contact Barry at above e-mail address for more info on this mini-CD.

Rating: 6,5/10

DAVID NEIL CLINE is a very talented vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist from Detroit who has been on the scene ever since 1987 when he released his first solo EP titled 'A fit of rage'. David has now re-issued that EP on CD and added two new songs. Musically this first album is in the category of DAVID CHASTAIN, JACK STARR… which means you get to hear pure 80s guitar-oriented Melodic Hardrock/Heavy Rock that still focuses on catchy melodies and has very good lead vocals.

The first 3 songs are all very good 80s typed melodic hardrocksongs. "Robbin the cradle" starts the album and is stylish leaning towards a heavier DOKKEN. Next track "Enforcer" is a nice melodic rocker that has a lot of CHASTAIN similarities. These first two songs are songs that were recorded in 1990 and are the bonustracks of this re-issued CD version of the EP 'A fit of rage'. Then we get to hear the best song which is "U", this is a very good 80s melodic hardrocksong which is in the style of BLACK'N'BLUE/KEEL.

The instrumental "Bad attitude" follows and actually ends the 1987 EP. The two remaining songs ("The metal rules" and "False reality") are much weaker and more Metal oriented. They remind me of VIRGIN STEELE. Anyway, a nice release and you can find more info about David on his website at: http://members.aol.com/Dcline9720

Rating: 7/10

In the same year as above reviewed 'A fit of rage', David also released the CD 'Malefic influence'. This CD has now also been re-issued on CD and actually this is very good stuff. There are 8 songs on the CD and musically it is Classic 80s Melodic Hardrock that leans towards bands like DOKKEN, WHITE LION, RATT, DANGER DANGER… David is a really talented man, because he is playing the guitar/bass/keys very good and also can sing very well.

Anyway, the CD starts with "Malefic influence", a wonderful uptempo classy 80s melodic rocker a la DOKKEN, KEEL, JACK STARR (very much indeed), WHITE LION… This song has a very impressive melodic 80s guitarsound which I always like to hear in times like these. Next track "Governmental brainwash" is a groovy rocker and is nothing special. But then we get a song called "Crazy dream", this is pure Classic 80s fun melodic rock a la DANGER DANGER, DOKKEN… These are the kind of songs every melodic rockfan is waiting for, just straight-ahead have-a-good-time uptempo sing-a-long rock!

The following 4 songs ("We just don't care", "Picking up the pieces", "Suzy homewrecker" and "I've been told") are all typical 80s faster melodic metal songs that sounds like a mix between PRETTY MAIDS, BLACK'N'BLUE, RIOT, JACK STARR and faster RATT. Closing track "A matter of time" moves then again into Classic 80s melodic rock. This final track is the best song of the whole CD and really is fantastic. "A matter of time" is very much in the classic DOKKEN style. If David would have put more songs in this style on the album, then it would be a classic.

Nevertheless this is still a very good record to check out, especially if you like 80s typed melodic hardrock in the style of mentioned bands. More info about David on his website at:
http://members.aol.com/Dcline9720

Rating: 8/10

Finally, David also sent me a CDR copy of his 1990 album release 'Thorough scrutiny' which he is also planning to re-issue on CD. 4 songs are on this CDR and musically it is a continuation of his previous releases. Opener "Kassie lane" is a CHASTAIN/STARR typed melodic heavy rocker. The following two tracks ("Queen of the skyways" and "Life under glass") are both good uptempo 80s based melodic heavy rocksongs a la VICTORY and RIOT.

Closing track "Miss minority" is a nice semi melodic rocker. So, also this is gonna be an interesting release from a very talented man. Besides, he is also working on
some new material. Enough to check out I guess, visit his website at: http://members.aol.com/Dcline9720

Rating: 7,5/10

This is a Canadian band who have put out two CDs that mainly consist of cover material. The band is playing Melodic Hardrock and besides all these covers, they also have some material from their own. The band has shared the stage with legendary bands such as FOREIGNER, LOVERBOY… Most of their covers are from 70s Classic Rockbands such as NAZARETH, URIAH HEEP, NICK GILDER, KISS… Their debut CD 'Roxy roller' was released in 1995 and contained 4 songs.

All 4 are covertunes and the best ones are "Roxy roller" (NICK GILDER original which now sounds like a nice slowtempo party melodic rocker a la BRITNY FOX, yet with more melodic lead vocals) and "Turn on your receiver" (late 70s styled Melodic Hardrock in the KROKUS style). In 1997 the band released it's first full-length CD titled 'Triple ply'. This CD features 7 covers and 3 original songs of the band. We can hear covertunes of KISS ("Rock and roll all nite"), MOON MARTIN ("Bad case of lovin' you"), NAZARETH ("Sun shine") and several others. They have covered them very well and when hearing the original songs of the band, you wouldn't even notice them between all those covers, because they are very well-written and played 70s typed rockers.

"Good ol rock'n'roll" is sounding like a mix between KISS and KROKUS. "Fermez la bouche" is nice uptempo melodic hardrock a la KROKUS. And the third original song of the band is "One more spin", a nice partyrocker. Concluded, if you want to hear a good coverband that also has a couple of 70s typed rockers from their own, then do check out MEN WITHOUT SHAME at: http://www.menwithoutshame.com

Rating: 7/10

Check out the website of SCOTT MICHAEL WEBB where you can download a new song of him. The song is called "When pin drops" and is a nice semi-ballad with a very nice guitarsolo. E-mail him at: spikespad@yahoo.com

Rating: -

2ND OPINION REVIEW

Holy moses, it amazes me sometimes how much an artist matures in the space of a few months. This brand new single from Nebraska based singer/songwriter Scott Michael Webb is awesome, it's pure aor a'la NELSON, STAN BUSH, 8084, DON HENLEY, DENNIS DeYOUNG, HUGO, BRUNO ROCK, and NIGHTRANGER, with a subtle hint of the guy from pop heroes WET WET WET, the song also features a gentleman by the name of Scott Heim, whom I know absolutley nothing about, so unfortunatley I cannot tell you what this guy plays, all I can say is that both gentleman together have made a terrific radio friendly song that you will love.

Don't be put off by that comparisment to WET WET WET though, beacuse Scott's voice is pure gold and the production on this song is huge, Scott really has developed his style and put a lot of hard work into this lush song. "When The Pin Drops" is a wolloping song with some nice accoustic guitar chords flowing in tune with Scott's vocal melodies, this is catchy enough to leave you humming all day and could very well get Scott the label attention he deserves. Watch this space!!

Website: http://www.mp3.com/ScottMichaelWebb
Email: webbs@nntc.net

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Not bad at all, this band are from Los Angeles and their songs are based around accoustic pop rock. I really loved the accoustic and superbly sung "Round The Bend", this song is a gentle smooth song to sing along with, the lyrics sung by Alison remind me of Anna Savhed from TWO PIECE PUZZLE and also JANINE STANGE from CLEAR BLUE with a touch of ALLISON LINDSAY from CHALLENGE and CYNDI LAUPER, this song is very sexy and the whole song makes you feel warm and cosey.

"Bring Me Home" is more uptempo and catchy, and "Make Up Your Mind" is a strong pop song flowing with great singing from Alison, whilst the rest of the album contiues in this style, and now and again offers a bit of reggae into the music, but it's not so bad, and shows that the band like to experiment and dish out some tasty safe lightweight pop rock.

email: alisonallison@yahoo.com
website: http://home.earthlink.net/~fantini/

Rating: 5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Mariah's Trench are a promising band worthy of your attention. The band play melodic rock with touches of aor here and there. "Beyond Orgasm" features a collection of cool songs that have a touch of elegance about them. Musical comparisments are rich in variety baring styles to TAKARA, PHIL VINCENT, MANIC EDEN, BAD MOON RISING, HARLAN CAGE, VALHALLA, LILLIAN AXE, EMERALD RAIN, PASSION STREET and JOURNEY with some rather fiery guitar work from David Watson, who plays with this clean and sharp sound that is most rewarding to the listeners ears baring the same style as PETE LESPERANCE(HAREM SCAREM) and MIKE DMITROVIC (EMERALD RAIN).

But the songs are not as good as the afforementioned bands, but the band seem to know where they want to go. The production is ok, nothing too brilliant, but at least the band tend to make up for this with the some of the songs. Check out "Endless Voices" TAKARA meets JOURNEY, "Sword Of Justice", "You're The One", "Throw Your Stone", PHIL
VINCENT meets TAKARA, "Upon The Mighty Wind" EMERALD RAIN meets HAREM SCAREM, and the ballad "I Believe It's True" which is a deadringer for TAKARA.

Throughout the album you get a few short instrumental pieces where David heats up the guitar, these short cuts are quite dark and progressive and tend to have an slight QUEENSRYCHE edge to them. Overall this album is ok, i'd like to see the band build on their production sound, and then we may have another band to shout about.

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)