"A gifted lead guitarist firmly in touch with his lyrical voice, Castro writes an alluring blend of straight-ahead blues and Memphis-style soul. While he has his own definable sound, Castro calls to mind great blues-rock players such as Billy Gibbons of Z.Z Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and even Duane Allman." - Blues Revue

Tommy Castro has became one of my absolute favorite blues artists! His powerful electric and soulful blues really moves me and I can listen to these killer songs on the album over and over again. Everything that I like about music is included here and the albums just great all through! Recommended!

1)Lucky in love (9,0) Fantastic start! Uptempo and happy!

2)Like an angel (8,5) Cool organs and horn-rhythmsection in this funky blues.

3)Right as rain (9,5) Unbelievely good and including great female background vocals.

4)Don't turn your heater down (7,5)

5)I've got to love somebody's baby (8,5)

6)I got to change (7,0) A middle-of-the-road song.

7)If I had a nickel (8,0) A superb slow blues.

8)Callin' San Francisco (8,5)

9)Just a man (7,5) Slow bluesballad.

10)Chairman of the board (9,0)

11)My kind of woman (8,0) Very funky in the best James Brown-style!

12)Kickin' in (7,5) Uptempo Chicago-blues.

Score: 8,21

Tommy Castro-vocals and guitars (b.1955)

Randy McDonald-bass

Billy Lee Lewis-drums

Keith Crossan-saxophone

+

Delbert McClinton-vocals on 4.

Dr. John-piano on 5 and organ on 4.

Jimmy Pugh (Robert Cray Band)-organ and piano

John Turk-piano

Tom Poole-trumpet

It's 12 years since this Swedish synthpop-band released their last album. Only the frontman Johan Kinde from the original band is still in the band and he really IS the band nowadays. Theres a lot of melancoly and lyrics about lost love, forbidden dreams and regret on this album which is in Swedish. I can listen to this without problem since there's a lot of 80's pop in it, but nothing I would put on very often if I owned the album. Its just doesn't lift me up and there is much better pop in the 80's vein than this to listen to.

1)Skönhet kräver ingen tolkning (8,0)

2)En enda kyss (7,0)

3)Eld och vatten (7,0)

4)Förbjuden frukt (7,5)

5)Ung igen (6,0)

6)Det verkade så viktigt då (6,0)

7)Fascinerad (4,0)

8)Tills gryningen skiljer oss åt (6,0)

9)Jag hade slutat drömma om att känna så här (6,5)

10)Hon är allt jag ser (6,5)

11)Jag borde vetat bättre (5,5)

Score: 6,36

Johan Kinde-vocals

Jan Lundkvist-?

Lake Of Tears from Borås, Sweden, released their 1st album in 1994 and this is their 8th album and the first I have heard. Appearently they have changed style many times and this album is rather dark, moving towards death metal but I even hear more melodic music like the finnish band Him here and there. The singer has an okey voice but it can get annoying to listen to for an whole album. There are some good songs on the album but nothing I would care to listen to again. It's an album and band that is quickly forgotten after every album they release.

1)Floating in darkness (8,0)

2)Illwill (7,5)

3)The hating (7,0)

4)U.n.s.a.n.e. (6,0)

5)House of the setting sun (6,5)

6)Behin the green door (7,5)

7)Parasites (5,5)

8)Out of control (6,5)

9)Taste of hell (6,0)

10)Midnight madness (6,0)

Score: 6,65

Daniel Brennare-vocals and guitars

Fredrik Jordanius-guitars and bass

Johan Oudhuis-drums

+

Mathias Lodmalm-vocals

Johan Örnborg-guitars

Freddy Zielinski-bass

Cited as a huge indirect influence, and as one of the true founding fathers of occult metal, the band formed in 1982 from the carcasses of UK metal bands RACE AGAINST TIME and PARALEX, whose ‘White Lightning’ EP was listed by Metallica as a favourite, and which was subsequently included on the Lars Ulrich, Geoff Barton ‘NWOBHM ’79 Revisited’ sampler album.

Despite over five years of constant touring, the band were cruelly overlooked by the ’80’s music press, who just didn’t get it. HELL were too different, too extreme, too musically intelligent and far too thought-provoking for all but the most enlightened to understand them. The final crushing blow came when their long-awaited 1986 album deal with Mausoleum collapsed as the label went bankrupt, followed by the tragic suicide of singer/guitarist, Dave Halliday in 1987. The remaining members drew a line in the sand and stopped playing overnight.

I took this from Hell's homepage:

Cited as a huge indirect influence, and as one of the true founding fathers of occult metal, the band formed in 1982 from the carcasses of UK metal bands RACE AGAINST TIME and PARALEX, whose ‘White Lightning’ EP was listed by Metallica as a favourite, and which was subsequently included on the Lars Ulrich, Geoff Barton ‘NWOBHM ’79 Revisited’ sampler album.

Despite over five years of constant touring, the band were cruelly overlooked by the ’80’s music press, who just didn’t get it. HELL were too different, too extreme, too musically intelligent and far too thought-provoking for all but the most enlightened to understand them. The final crushing blow came when their long-awaited 1986 album deal with Mausoleum collapsed as the label went bankrupt, followed by the tragic suicide of singer/guitarist, Dave Halliday in 1987. The remaining members drew a line in the sand and stopped playing overnight.

A teenage Andy Sneap was a permanent fixture on the front row of almost every show HELL played and was also taught to play guitar by Halliday. He then went on to form Sabbat and become a renowned metal producer. Upon meeting again, the remaining members of HELL – Kev Bower (guitar/keys), Tony Speakman (bass) and Tim Bowler (drums) talked with Andy about re-recording the old material to release in conjunction with the old demos. With Sneap replacing Halliday on guitar and David Bower on vocals, the band has recorded 10 HELL classics from the 80’s.

One hugely respected European journal has already described ‘Human Remains’ as one of the best things they have heard in the last 15 years and THE band to watch out for in 2011.

Like a venomous creature preserved in amber, HELL’s legacy becomes reborn – pure and untainted, cast forth screaming.

This sums the band up. I was not aware of that they formed already in 1982, when I heard this album. It hit me like a wall and I love listening to the album on HIGH volume and the songs are just crushing and so intelligent. Really good heavy metal just the way I like it. A new favorite band! Also the booklet and album cover are very nice and professional, all together making this a must-have-album.

1)Overture: Themes from "Deathsquad" (-) Intro.

2)On earth as it is in hell (8,5) A very good and intense hardrocker.

3)Plague and fyre (8,0) Progressive heavy metal.

4)The opressors (7,5)

5)Blasphemy and the master (7,5)

6)Let battle commence (8,0)

7)The devil's deadly weapon (9,0) Damn good and progressive metal like I have never heard before. Reminds me of Nightwish in the powerful and orchestral arrangements.

8)The quest (7,5)

9)Macbeth (7,0) A little too messy and not the best melody. Very cool Macbeth-devil talk in the beginning though.

10)Save us from those who would save us (8,0)

11)No martyr's cage (7,0)

Score: 7,80

David Bower-vocals

Andy Sneap-guitars

Kev Bower-guitars and keyboards

Tony Speakman-bass

Tim Bowler-drums

Australia's Airbourne's 2nd album sounds very very much like their 1st from 2007. It's still a copy of AC/DC but not at all as good as AC/DC, but this album is at least a bit better than the last one. The songs are just better all through and there are some really good ones but also some that could have been much better with some more work made with them. Still, this IS kick-ass-rock'n'roll, so you might as well enjoy it!

1)Born to kill (7,5) Oozin', steamin' rock'n'roll but way too repetitive.

2)No way but the hard way (8,0) AC/DC-copy midtempo rocker that...rocks!

3)Blonde, bad and beautiful (6,5) Copy of the previous songs and deadly repetitive.

4)Raise the flag (8,5) Strong and intense rocker.

5)Bottom of the well (7,0)

6)White line fever (6,5) Just another song that sounds just like many of the others on the album.

7)It ain't over till it's over (7,5) Full tilt!

8)Steel town (5,5) Same same same...

9)Chewin' the fat (6,5)

10)Get busy livin' (6,5)

11)Armed and dangerous (6,0)

12)Back on the bottle (7,5)

Score: 6,88

Joel O'Keeffe-vocals and guitars

David Roads-guitars

Justin Streets-bass

Ryan O'Keeffe-drums

Related albums: 58) Airbourne-Runnin' Wild 2007 (Score: 6,64)

The first Venom-album I write about. They are not a favourite band at all and have never been, but it was interesting to really listen to an album by this band. Or should I say Cronos band? A lot of band members have come and gone during the bands 30 year carrier, even Cronos himself was out on some albums but returned in the middle of the 90's. Venom's music is considered as Black metal but on this album also more melodic songs that can be described as harder heavy metal, appear. I love the cover but the songs don't put up to that standard, making this an album I have no interest in listening to again. It just gets too noisy and uninteresting and Cronos dark "screaming pig" vocals is really not very fun to listen to for an whole album. It's not bad but it's not very good either.

1)Hammerhead (5,5)

2)Nemesis (6,0)

3)Pedal to the metal (6,0)

4)Lap of the gods (6,5)

5)Damnation of souls (5,5)

6)Beggarman (6,0)

7)Hail satanas (6,0)

8)Sin (7,0)

9)Punk's not dead (6,5)

10)Death be thy name (4,5)

11)Lest we forget (-)

12)Valley of the kings (6,0)

13)Fallen angels (6,0)

Score: 5,96

Cronos(Conrad Thomas Lant)-vocals and bass (b.1962)

Rage-guitars

Dante(Danny Needham)-drums