Selling 5 million albums in the USA alone, this album marked the great comeback by, by now veteran rockers, Aerosmith. For the first time they used professional songwriters like Desmond Child and Jim Vallance to make this an album full of hit-songs reaching top 20 in the Billboard chart. Did they do in in cost of good songs? Actually no. This album rocks but has more melody and catchy refrains, but anyway manages to be an really good hardrockalbum that stands the test of time and that I find enjoyment to listen to whenever! They also still put their somewhat weird trademark songwriting on the album, like in the song Simoriah. If you don't have this album you ought to buy it!

1)Hearts done time (8,0)

2)Magic touch (8,0)

3)Rag doll (8,0)

4)Simoriah (7,5)

5)Dude (Looks like a lady) (8,0)

6)St. John (8,0)

7)Hangman jury (7,5)

8)Girl keeps coming apart (8,0)

9)Angel (7,5)

10)Permanent vacation (8,0)

11)I'm down (7,5) (The Beatles-cover)

12)The movie (5,0)

Score: 7,58

Steven Tyler (Steven Victor Tallarico) -vocals (b.1948)

Joe Perry-guitars (b.1950)

Brad Whitford-guitars (b.1952)

Tom Hamilton-bass (b.1951)

Joey Kramer-drums (b.1950)

This the debutalbum from "Tremolo"-founder Floyd Rose and Jonathan K. who quit the Seattle-band C.O.R.E to form Q5 together with TKO-members Rick Pierce, Gary Thompson and Evan Sheeley. When my friend Christian played this album for me in the middle of the 80's I was immediately strucked by the fantastic songs and sheer power, melody and heaviness that is all over it. Two of the best metalsongs ever are on it and I can't get enough listening to this all over and over again. This is one of the best albums in rock'n'roll history, whitout doubt!

1)Missing in action (9,5)

2)Lonely lady (9,0)

3)Steel the light (10,0)

4)Pull the trigger (10,0)

5)Ain't no way to treat a lady (9,0)

6)In the night (8,0)

7)Come and gone (8,0)

8)Rock on (8,0)

9)Teenage runaway (7,5)

Score: 8,78

Jonathan K. (Scott Palmerton)-vocals

Rick Pierce-guitars

Floyd Rose-guitars

Evan Sheeley-bass

Gary Thompson-drums

Reaching nr. 36 on the Billboard chart wasn't very good even though they got some good reviews for the album in 1985. It had gone 3 years since the last album and a comeback from Aerosmith wasn't the most interesting in the musicworld at the moment. However Ted Templeman who had recorded with Van Halen produced a full tilt rocking hardrockalbum with Done With Mirrors and I must say there are some really good songs on it, even some of the best they have recorded. The album really "lives" and there is an new found energy that was heard as far back as 6 years ago with the Night In The Ruts-album. Anyway, they toured the album well into 1986 when Tyler and Perry appeared on hip hop-band Run DMC's cover of Aerosmith's song Walk This Way and with that song reached nr. 4 on the charts and again, Aerosmith was on the map again!

1)Let the music do the talking (8,0) Originally a Joe Perry Project-song and a good kick-ass rocker.

2)My fist your face (8,5) Very good partyrock!

3)Shame on you (7,5)

4)The reason a dog (7,5)

5)Sheila (7,0) More melodic than the rest of the songs.

6)Gypsy boots (8,5) Full tilt rock'n'roll!

7)She's on fire (7,5) Slow and heavy.

8)The hop (8,5) Yeah!

Score: 7,88

Steven Tyler (Steven Victor Tallarico) -vocals (b.1948)

Joe Perry-guitars (b.1950)

Brad Whitford-guitars (b.1952)

Tom Hamilton-bass (b.1951)

Joey Kramer-drums (b.1950)

Produced by Kansas producer Jeff Glixman, Magnum's 3rd album saw a change of keyboardist. Richard Bailey left and 28 year old Mark Stanway came in, Mark is in 2014 still a member of the band. He made his 1st appearance with the band at the Reading festival in 1980 and this album was recorded the same year but it took 2 years before it was released. It has some really strong songs that are still played live, such as The Spirit and Sacred Hour and the album peaked at nr. 17 on the british charts. It's the first Magnum-album to feature Rodney Matthews' famous artwork.

Compared to the first two albums the music on this album is more straight forward and guitar-bass orientated. With their new keyboardist the keyboards were not as important to hear in the foreground any more. Why I don't know. The progressiveness of the former albums were partly still there but not at all as before.

This is a really good album that everyone should own!

1)Soldier of the line (8,5)

2)On the edge of the world (8,0)

3)The spirit (9,0)

4)Sacred hour (8,5)

5)Walking the straight line (7,0)

6)We all play this game (7,0)

7)The teacher (7,5)

8)The lights burned out (7,5)

Score: 7,88

Bob Catley-vocals (b.1947)

Tony Clarkin (Anthony Michael Clarkin) -guitars (b.1946)

Wally Lowe-bass

Kex Gorin-drums (1949-2007)

Mark Stanway-keyboards (b.1954)

With this album Magnum went for a more melodic and commercial direction with keyboards much higher in the mix than the guitars as opposite how it had been on previous albums. In many band's cases that meant worse music that reached the toplists but in Magnum's case the songs on this album have a really really good quality and it rocks as well as containing incredible powerful ballads. Maybe this is the best Magnum-album of all time, I truly enjoy this one the most together with "Wings Of Heaven" that followed "Vigilante". It also was this album that opened my eyes for the Birmingham's bands music and I have not shut my eyes since!

Superb album all categories! And to top the album the cover itself is a great work of art.

The album reached nr. 24 in UK and nr. 16 in Sweden and was well recieved in many european countries. their rise to fame led to Magnum playing on the 1987 Reading Festival. Drummer Jim Simpson who had played on the last album "On A Storyteller's Night" was replaced by Mickey Barker.

1)Lonely night (8,5) Soft but very good driving song.
2)Need a lot of love (10,0) One of the best hardrockballads of all time!
3)Sometime love (9,5) Incredibly great melodic rock! Not heavy but powerful and full tilt partyrock.

4)Midnight (You won't be sleeping) (7,5) Melodic rock.

5)Red on the highway (7,5) A little too noisy rocker but good anyway.

6)Holy rider (8,0) Heavy, noisy and messy but really good!

7)When the world comes down on you (8,5) Very good powerful ballad.

8)Vigilante (9,5) An 80's hardrockclassic. Driving and powerful with great melody! One of the best of the genre!

9)Back street kid (7,5) Good album-closer.

Score: 8,50

Bob Catley-vocals (b.1947)

Tony Clarkin-guitars (Anthony Michael Clarkin) (b.1946)

Wally Lowe-bass

Mickey Barker-drums

Mark Stanway-keyboards (b.1954)

Phenomena is a "supergroup" founded by Metal Hammer magazine Wilfried Rimensberger and record producer Tom Galley. This first album featured such hard rock greats as Glenn Hughes, formerly of Trapeze and Deep Purple; Tom Galley's brother Mel Galley who played guitar for Trapeze and Whitesnake; the famous hard rock drummer Cozy Powell who had played with Jeff Beck Group, Michael Schenker Group, Whitesnake, Gary Moore, Donovan, Rainbow, Bernie Marsden, Robert Plant amongst many others; Don Airey famous from many rock bands such as Colloseum II, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Rainbow, Ozzy Osburne and Michael Schenker Group and many more; Ted McKenna from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Rory Gallagher and Michael Schenker Group among others and Neil Murray who had played bass for Hanson, Colosseum II, National Health, Whitesnake, Graham Bonett, Cozy Powell, John Lord and Gary Moore; Richard Bailey from Alaska, Magnum and Whitesnake and John Thomas from Budgie.

I listened a lot to this album in the 80's and came to like Glenn Huges vocals a lot. The songs are very melodic, with simple riffs and choruses but very majestic and powerful. It's melodic hard rock but very very good! An album everyone should own. An AOR-classic.

Cozy Powell died in a car crash in 1998, Mel Galley died of cancer in 2008 and John Thomas died in 2016.

1)Kiss of fire (7,5) Very melodic and toned down start, good but not more than that.

2)Still the night (7,0) More power but not much more than a god refrain.
3)Dance with the devil (8,5) Driving heavy rhythm great powerful singing and a really good song!

4)Phoenix rising (9,0) Fantastic ballad with a superb keyboard intro and Hughes setting in followed by a strong chorus. Melodic and one the most memorable hard rock ballads of the 80's!

5)Believe (8,5) 6-minutes with the best AOR possible!

6)Who's watching you (8,0) Uptempo with a heavy bass riff.

7)Hell on wings (9,0) Great bass-line in this superb melodic hard rocker.

8)Twilight zone (8,0)

9)Phenomena (-) Outtro.

Score: 8,19

Glenn Hughes-vocals (b.1951)

Mel Galley-guitars (1948-2008)

John Thomas-guitars (1952-2016)

Neil Murray-bass (b.1950)

Ted McKenna-drums (b.1950)

Cozy Powell (Colin Flooks)-drums (1947-1998)

Don Airey-keyboards (b.1948)

Richard Bailey-

On this, Dio's 3rd album, the same line up as on the two previous albums continued their march towards the charts all over the world with their melodic but powerful heavy metal with super strong vocals by former Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio. 1985 was also the year of the big breakthrough for poodel hairs and melodic hardrock when many bands turned softer but Dio stayed true to the heaviness they were known for even though more melodic keyboardbased tracks were included even here, but not so much it hurts. Probably the reason guitarrist Vivian Campbell left the band before the next album was that he wanted to play melodic hardrock, which he did in Whitesnake and later in Def Leppard. The album peaked an nr.29 in USA and nr.4 in GB. An good album and an album that shows how good hardrock could be in the middle of the 80's. Nice cover.

1)King of rock and roll (8,5) Live. Intense, driving and great heavy metal!

2)Sacred heart (8,0) Slow, heavy, melodic and great, strong vocals by Dio.

3)Another lie (8,0)

4)Rock'n'rock children (7,5)

5)Hungry for heaven (6,5) Too melodic.

6)Like the beat of a heart (8,0)

7)Just another day (7,5) First good and rocking but the last minute is not good.

8)Fallen angels (8,0)

9)Shoot shoot (6,5) Unfortunately another cheesy refrain.

Score: 7,61

Ronnie James Dio-vocals (1942-2010)

Vivian Campbell-guitars (b.1962)

Jimmy Bain-bass (b.1947)

Vinny Appice-drums (b.1957)

Claude Schnell-keyboards

The debut album from Canadian speed metal band Exciter. Boy this is a fist in the face-metal album for sure! Damn good songs and just full blast all through but anyway done with a great feeling for rhythms and sheer power. A classic and damn good metal album. Get it or die!

I saw Exciter at the 2012 Sweden Rock Festivaland I really enjoyed the show. Of course it can be a little too much listening to their full speed power without mercy for an whole hour but it was worth it for sure!

Oddly enough the band at the time of the recording of this album only consisted of three members, the drummer was also the vocalist which I see as an incredible task listening to the speed of the drumming! The band got a record contract with Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records in 1982 after sending him a demo. Varney include a track from the band on the US Metal vol.2 compilation the same year and after that got to record a full album. Interesting fact is that Heavy Metal Maniacwas released a few months before Metallica's album Kill 'Em All.

1)The holocaust (-)

2)Stand up and fight (8,0)

3)Heavy metal maniac (8,0)

4)Iron dogs (8,0)

5)Mistress of evil (7,5)

6)Under attack (7,5)

7)Rising of the dead (7,0)

8)Black witch (7,5)

9)Cry of the Banshee (7,0)

Score: 7,56

Dan Beehler-vocals and drums

John Ricci-guitars

Allan Johnson-bass