On their 9th album, Swedish folkrockers Kebnekajse (named after sweden's highest mountain) continues their journey through world music, mixing it with traditional swedish folkmusic and psychedelic rock and beautiful melodies. For hardcore fans this is probably as good as ever, the album got some good reviews, but there are no supergood songs, it is kind of low key, but it never gets bad though. Just not my type of music even if I can enjoy some of it.

The band is still evolving even though their first album was released in 1971. They re-formed in 2001 after a hiatus of about 30 years and this is their 3rd album since that.

1)Snickar-Anders (6,0) A typical Kebnekajse violin-based melodic 70's instrumental prog.

2)Vallåt efter Britta Jansson (6,5) Low key instrumental.

3)Spelmannen (6,0) Kind of a ballad with clear vocals and nice acoustic guitar melody.

4)Aventure (4,0) Slow monotone song for 8 minutes in talked french about Senegal and Scandinavia. Too boring.

5)Svartbergstrollen (6,5) Uptempo violinsong.

6)Vallåt efter Måns Olsson (5,0) Mystic fingerpicking instrumental.

7)Midsommarnattsdröm (6,5)

8)Tikli ja Tiira (6,0)

9)Battery (3,0) Monotone african rhythms.

Score: 5,50

Kenny Håkansson-vocals and guitars

Thomas Netzler-vocals and bass

Göran Lagerberg-bass (b.1947)

Mats Glengård-guitars, violin, mandolin and vocals (b.1952)

Pelle Ekman-vocals and drums

Hassan Bah-jembas, tummpiano, congoma and voals (b.1944)

This Swedish hardcore band has never spoken to me even though they had a long career. That is until I saw them at the Getaway Rock Festival i Gävle in 2012! What a totally wild, crazy and tremendous show that was, although it was on a big un-intimate stage, and I got me a new favourite band in just a few songs time! The absolute power, aggression and of course live-sound of the 2000's made me want to jump into the moshpit and let all aggressions go. But hey, I'm 41 years old, stop it!

But damn it, I want to jump like some crazy idiot when I hear this record because it crushes from beginning to end and most importantly, there are some really good songs on it. Those who know say that they have returned to their roots with this album, that they have abonded their more metallic influences they have had on their previous albums. I'm glad. Buy it.

Raised Fist was formed in the industrial city of Luleå in northern Sweden in 1993 and this is their 5th album and the last album was released in 2006.

1)Friends and traitors (7,5)

2)They can't keep us down (8,5)

3)Wounds (7,0)

4)Afraid (8,5)

5)Slipping into coma (8,0)

6)City of cold (7,5)

7)Volcano is me (7,5)

8)Disbelief (7,0)

9)My last day (7,5)

10)I have to pretend (8,0)

11)Words and phrases (7,0)

12)Keeping it to yourself (8,0)

13)Never negotiate (9,5)

14)Out (5,0)

Score: 7,61

Alle (Alexander Rajkovic) -vocals

Daniel (Daniel Holmerg) -guitars

Marco (Marco Eronen) -guitars

Josse (Andreas Johansson) -bass

Matte (Matte Modin) -drums

With one of rockhhistory's greatest covers Judas Priest's 2nd album was full of heavy riffing, progressiveness melody and pure heavy metal. It was their last album on the small Gull label and when the band switched to Columbia Records they lost the rights to the first 2 albums. The former singer in Judas Priest, Al Atkins, co-wrote the songs Victim Of Changes and Dreamer Deceiver. Except for the song Epitaph this is really really an album worth having for any fans of hard rock. The songs are really good and you can hear what time this music was recorded in, it's full of music that would lead many other bands in the same direction and inspire a whole generation of rockers from all over the world and led to Judas Priest becoming one of the most popular bands of the era and for over 30 years to come!

The drummer Alan (Alen on the album) Moore was also the drummer for Judas Priest in 1971-1972 when Al Atkins was still the singer. After this album he once again quit the band and eventually later retired from music and no one has ever been able to trace him since.

1)Victim of changes (9,0) Absolutely great song with a heavy and powerful but also simple riff and consruction and the toned down part in the middle (written by Al Atkins) that bursts into the final is awesome!

2)The ripper (8,0) A hard, heavy and short rocker.

3)Dreamer deceiver (8,5) Very good powerful ballad.

4)Deceiver (8,0) Great driving rhythm and, as always, very good strong singing from Halford.

5)Prelude (-) 2-minute keyboardthing.

6)Tyrant (8,5) Superb heavy metal!

7)Genocide (8,0) Very simple but oh so good.

8)Epitaph (3,0) Stupid piano-vocal-ballad.

9)Island of domination (8,0)

Score: 7,62

Robert Halford-vocals (b.1951)

K.K Downing-guitars (b.1951)

Glenn Tipton-guitars and piano (b.1947)

Ian Hill-bass (b.1951)

Alen Moore-drums (b.1947)

Suddenly it happened to Chicago, they reached the toplists all over the world. From this album 4 singles were released and all reached top 20 on the Billboard and the album reached nr. 4 and nr. 1 in Sweden! I remember that the songs were played a LOT on radio. Even if the band had hits before, they were more of a jazz/fusion/progressive rockband than a popband. This album is a pure popalbum though, but with a lot of horns and a little jazzinspired, and the last to feature superb singer Peter Cetera. He created his own successful popcareer after Chicago. Today these 1980's popsongs might seem dated but I really really like them still. The incredible sense for melody and poppy power is significiant on the whole album and is one of the best popalbums of the 80's, that's for sure. Except for the 8-man strong band, there are many well known artists playing on the album, like Michael Landau, Jeff Porcaro from Toto and Richard Marx.

1)Stay the night (8,0)

2)We can stop the hurtin' (7,5)

3)Hard habit to break (7,5)

4)Only you (8,0)

5)Remember the feeling (7,5)

6)Along comes a woman (6,0)

7)You're the inspiration (8,0)

8)Please hold on (6,5)

9)Prima donna (7,0)

10)Once in a lifetime (7,0)

Score: 7,30

Peter Cetera-vocals and bass (b.1944)

Bill Champlin-guitars and keyboards (b.1947)

Chris Pinnick-guitars

Danny Seraphine-drums (b.1948)

Robert Lamm-keyboards (b.1944)

Lee Loughnane-trumpet (b.1946)

James Pankow-trompbone (b.1947) 

Walter Parazaider-woodwinds (b.1945)

Uriah Heep's 7th album was recorded in Munich, Germany. The members of the band had began fighting over different things; David Byron was drunk most of the time and Ken Hensley was jealous over the attention David was getting and Gary Thain's drug addiction was taking it's toll, and got worse when he was electrocuted on stage in Dallas during a show and later when he left hospital he in Sounds Magazine accused manager Gerry Bron of turning Uriah Heep into a mere "financial thing". Thain was fired and died of a heroin overdose in december the same year 1975. He was replaced by John Wetton from Family and King Crimson. The album is okey, not bad at all, but something is clearly missing compared to past albums and they had moved into a more commercial direction even though it's clearly Uriah Heep that's playing!

1)Wonderworld (7,5)

2)Suicidal man (8,0)

3)The shadow and the wind (5,0)

4)So tired (8,0)

5)The easy road (7,5)

6)Something or nothing (7,5)

7)I won't mind (7,0)

8)We got we (8,0)

9)Dreams (6,0)

Score: 7,17

David Byron (David Garrick) -vocals (1947-1985)

Mick Box-guitars (b.1947)

Gary Thain-bass (1948-1975)

Lee Kerslake-drums (b.1947)

Ken Hensley-organ and guitars (b.1945)

Recorded at a remote cottage in Wales named Bron-Yr-Aur, Led Zep's 3rd (!) album moved towards folk and acoustic rock as well as the high energy hardrock they were known for. Since the cottage had no electricity or running water the composing became more acoustic and calm, as an opposite to the hard working they had just been through on a lengthy north american tour. The album reached nr. 1 in many countries like the U.S.A., Australia and U.K but were a dissapointment to many fans.

The drummer John Bonham drank himself to death in 1980, 32 years of age.

1)Immigrant song (8,0) 2-minute heavy uptempo song with Plant's trademark shouted vocals.

2)Friends (6,5) Somewhat strange intensive acoustic and violin-song.

3)Celebration day (8,0) Good driving slideguitar tune but a bit too monotone.

4)Since I've been loving you (8,0) A 7-minute sensitive slow heavy blues.

5)Out on the tiles (7,5) Messy, intense and heavy. Nice change of riff but rather monotone track.

6)Gallows pole (4,5) Monotone and messy banjo-hardrock. Why?

7)Tangerine (8,0) Very nice acoustic and electric short melodic song.

8)That's the way (5,0) Incredibly boring acoustic song.

9)Bron-y-aur stomp (7,0) Nice acoustic stomp.

10)Hats off to (Roy) Harper (6,0) Another acoustic. Intense and strange bluesy vocals.

Score: 6,85

Robert Plant-vocals and harmonica (b.1948)

Jimmy Page-guitars, banjo and bass on 8. (b.1944)

John Paul Jones (John Paul Baldwin) -bass, guitars, mandolin, organ and synthsizers (b.1946)

John Bonham-drums (1948-1980)

Bonnie Tyler's 5th and most successful album including the monsterhit "Total eclipse of the heart". The album went straight to nr. 1 on the british charts, the first album by a female to do so. It also reached nr. 4 in the U.S.A Jim Steinman of Meat Loaf-fame produced the album and if one compare Meat Loaf's and Bonnie Tyler's music they sound very very similar with it's pompous melodic arrangements, progressiveness and quite nice guitarwork. The album has some re-worked coversongs and I don't understand why. It seems unnescesary when there were so good songwriters involved in the album.

The very well known guitarrist Rick Derringer had prior to this album played with Weird Al Yankovic for some time. Pianist Roy Bittan is mostly know for playing in Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band.

1)Have you ever seen the rain? (6,0) Creedence Clearwater Revival-cover in a heavyrock-vein with screaming guitars and heavy rhythm. It was at a time when rock still could reach the charts!

2)Faster than the speed of night (7,0) Pompous Jim Steinman-arrangement but it could have been better.

3)Getting so excited (5,0) Embarresing uptempo pop-rocker aimed for the charts...

4)Total eclipse of the heart (8,5) Incredibly pompous and powerful ballad and one of the biggest hits of the 1980's. At the time it was still possible for a 7 minute-song to reach the charts!

5)It's a jungle out there (7,0) Pretty good pop-reggaesong.

6)Going through the motions (6,0) A Blue Öyster Cult-cover. Just a supermelodic rocksong.

7)Tears (7,5) Duet with Frankie Miller. A good powerful ballad with very good singing by two excellent singers!

8)Take me back (7,0) Written by former Bob Dylan-guitarist Billy Cross. A good powerful melodic rocksong in the vein of Steinman/Meat Loaf.

9)Straight from the heart (6,0) Bryan Adams-cover. Another powerful ballad.

Score: 6,67

Bonnie Tyler-vocals

Rick Derringer (Richard Zehringer) -guitars (b.1947)

Steve Buslowe-bass

Max Weinberg-drums

Jimmy Maelen-percussion

Larry Fast-synthesizers (b.1951)

Roy Bittan-piano (b.1949)

This is the 2nd album from british hard rockers Uriah Heep. From the beginning, like on this album, they put in some progressiveness as well as jazz-fusion in their music. This is partly why I like Uriah Heep's music so much. But they also made some really really good pure rock'n'roll-hardrock and both can be heard on this album. The 16-minute title track includes a 24-piece orchestra and this is one of the best collaborations between rock and orchestra I have heard! The name Salisbury comes from a military training field in England, that's why there's a tank on the cover. Personally I don't understand why they used that photo. The album reached nr. 1 in Finland and nr. 103 in U.S.A

The drummer Keith Baker had played on one single track on the last album but now got the full time job. He was also the original drummer for Supertramp in 1969-1970 (Supertramp were then called Daddy).

1)Bird of prey (7,5) Quite progressive song with many elements and a nice change of tempo at the end but Byron's singing here and there sounds strained to say at least...

2)The park (8,5) Very sweet and mellow song with great sensitive vocals. Very good!

3)Time to live (8,5) Great powerful short song.

4)Lady in black (8,0) Good melodic acoustic sing-a-long tune. A little too repetitive.

5)High pristess (7,5) A good hard rocker.

6)Salisbury (9,5) 16 minutes very progressive song that starts with organ and an orchestra, then hardrocking and then a long bass- and drumdriven jazzy part and the guitarsolo at the end is mighty and the orchestra, organ and background vocals melts together really nice. A trememdeous song!

Score: 8,25

David Byron (David Garrick) -vocals (1947-1985)

Mick Box-guitars (b.1947)

Paul Newton-bass (b.1945)

Keith Baker-drums (b.1948)

Ken Hensley-organ, piano and guitars (b.1945)