Sweden's Enforcer return with another album of retro early 1980's style Iron Maiden, NWOBHM, speed metal and some very early Mötley Crüe. So this is old school metal and they make it damn good! Very fast songs and the production is also very 80's, not the best but rough and you better turn the bass to maximum to get more power, even if this band produces enough power in their songs! Listen, play air guitar, headbang and enjoy! The only negative thing about this album is that it can be too much to listen to the same tempo almost all the time, but the playing time is quite short so maybe that's no problem anyway. Compared to the last album the vocals are much better.

1)Bells of Hades (-) Intro.

2)Death rides this night (8,5)

3)Run for your life (8,0)

4)Mesmerized by fire (8,0)

5)Take me out of this nightmare (8,0)

6)Chrystal suite (8,0) Instrumental.

7)Sacrificed (7,5)

8)Silent hour/The conjugation (8,0)

9)Satan (8,5)

Score: 8,06

Olof Wikstrand-vocals and guitars

Joseph Tholl-guitars

Tobias Lindqvist-bass

Jonas Wikstrand-drums

This is the first country album I write about. I know there's a LOT of country music around but it ain't my first, or even second priority when it comes to music, but in this album I found some really good stuff! On Bentley's 5th album he puts some bluegrass in he's country and I find some real passion and feeling in these songs. Ecspecially the singing talks to me. I can't help singing along! The album reached nr. 9 on the Billboard chart so it seems he's a well known artist over there. Most important with this album is that it features COUNTRY, not pop!

There's many guest artists on the album, such as The Punch Brothers, Chris Thile, Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson, Del McCoury, Alison Krauss and Kris Kristofferson.

1)Up on the ridge (7,0)

2)Fallin' for you (7,0)

3)Senor (tales of yankee power) (8,0)

4)Rovin' gambler (7,5)

5)Draw me a map (8,0)

6)Bad angel (8,0)

7)Fiddlin' around (6,5)

8)You're dead to me (7,5)

9)Pride (in the name of love) (6,0) U 2-cover, not the best version I've heard.

10)Love grows wild (7,5)

11)Bottle to the bottom (6,5) With Kris Kristofferson.

12)Down in the mine (7,0)

Score: 7,21

Dierks Bentley-vocals and guitars (b.1975)

+

many many guest artists.

The British heavy rockers Saxon's 20th album! Time flies! This album goes back to more classic heavy metal that Saxon got their breakthrough with in the early 80's, even though it's of course updated to modern technology. What is good is that it sounds good, and what can it do with the almighty Andy Sneap involved in making the album. He has created a great thundorous and powerful sound and the songs are heavy and really really good, I actually haven't heard this band as good as this for a long time, this is a great album well worth the money it costs! The old fellow still rocks! Buy buy buy!

1)Procession (-) Pompous intro.

2)Sacrifice (8,0) Ultra heavy and damn powerful pure heavy metal!

3)Made in Belfast (7,5) More melodic with a fist raising chorus.

4)Warrior of the road (9,0) Back to the metal! Pounding fast heavy metal.

5)Guardians of the tomb (8,0) Good!

6)Stand up and fight (9,0) Heavy and melodic, just the way I like it!

7)Walking the steel (7,5)

8)Night of the wolf (7,5) Sounds very much like melodic Saxon in the end of the 80's.

9)Wheels of terror (7,5) Slower but heavy. Unfortunately the album looses tempo in the end.

10)Standing in a queue (7,5)

Score: 7,94

Biff Byford-vocals (b.1951)

Paul Quinn-guitars (b.1951)

Doug Scarratt-guitars

Nibbs Carter-bass (b.1966)

Nigel Glockler-drums (b.1953)

This 80's synth-pop album by one of the most popular artists of the era was Jones 2nd. It reached nr. 2 on the British charts, probably because he had had great success with he's first album the year before and that the song Things Can Only Get Better was a good song. The rest of the album does not include any hits or songs that touches  me, a case for many of the pop hit-artists in the 80's. Unfortunately a not so good album by one of my absolute favorites in the 80's, but it's never really bad though.

1)Things can only get better (8,0)

2)Life in one day (5,5)

3)Dream into action (6,5)

4)No one is to blame (5,0)

5)Look mama (7,0)

6)Assault and battery (6,5)

7)Automation (6,5)

8)Is there a difference? (6,0)

9)Elegy (5,0)

10)Speciality (6,0)

11)Why look for the key (6,5)

12)Hunger for the flesh (4,5)

Score: 6,08

Howard Jones-most instruments (mainly synthesizers) (b.1955)

Martin Jones-bass

The year after their big breaktrough with the live album from Fillmore East, the Allman's put some leftovers from that live album on this double album, plus a few new studio recordings. It was the last album to feature one of the brothers, namely Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle crash in october 1971 (2 months after i was born!) while this album was recorded. 2 sides of the album consists of a 33 minute live jam session bases around the song There Is A Mountain by Donovan. The album is very blues-based, ecspecially the live songs. The african rhythms put an another level to the music and fits great with the jazzy and progressive elements of The Allmans's music. It's a great album with great playing and great songs. It still rocks and stands tall after 40 years!

1)Ain't wastin' time no more (7,5) Typical Allman floating sound and african-like rhythms.

2)Les brers in A Minor (9,0) Absolutely fantastic! 3 minute tuning of instruments and then the greatest jam-song I can imagine. 9 minutes is way too short!

3)Melissa (7,5) A nice mellow ballad.

4)Mountain jam (8,0) Good quality jam-session. Part 1.

5)One way out (8,5) A Sonny Boy Williamson-cover. Good live-blues.

6)Trouble no more (8,5) Muddy Waters-cover. Again some good heavy Chicago-blues. Greatly played by a fantastic band!

7)Stand back (8,0)

8)Blue sky (8,5) Dickey Betts on vocals in this sweet calm Allman-rocker.

9)Little Martha (7,0) Duane and Dickey plays acoustic.

10)Mountain jam (6,0) Not very interesting second part of the jam.

Score: 7,85

Gregg Allman-vocals, guitars, organ and piano (b.1947)

Duane Allman-guitars (1946-1971)

Dickey Betts-vocals and guitars (b.1943)

Berry Oakley-bass (1948-1972)

Butch Trucks-drums and percussion (b.1947)

Jain Johanny Johanson-percussion (b.1944)

Just like Hot Tuna's latest album two years earlier there is a big difference between songs, as some are quite mellow and half boring and other rock like like hell with blistering guitar solos and long jamming sessions.

Sammy Piazza had left the band and was raplaced by Bob Steeler who really lifts the songs with his frantic drumming! Kaukonen's guitarplaying is also very nice. The album reached nr. 75 on the Billboard chart.

1)Sleep song (5,5) Boring sleepy song.

2)Funky nr. 7 (7,0) A nice guitar-chaotic funky rocker.

3)Walkin' blues (7,5) A Robert Johnson-cover. Bluesrock that just goes on and on but it's good anyway.

4)Invitation (6,0) Flowing rock song that's too long.

5)Hot single nr. 1 (8,5) Very good 70's rocker with a nice slow flow, good melody and nice guitarplaying.

6)Serpent of a dream (7,0) Nice mellow Wishbone Ash-flow in this one.

7)I don't wanna go (7,0)

8)Great divide: Revisted (5,0) Very boring, gaasp.

Score: 6,69

Jorma Kaukonen-vocals and guitars (b.1940)

Jack Casady-bass (b.1944)

Bob Steeler-drums

On this, the 4th album by american band Hot Tuna, the band moved from towards more rock and hard rock, leaving the more acoustic sound of the last first 3 albums behind. Vocalist and guitarrist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Cassidy had just left Jefferson Airplane for good and former 2nd drummer Papa John Creach had left for Jefferson Starship. They continued as a trio for the next years.

This album is very much in the vein of the 70's rock. Simple riffs, melodic singing, superb guitar playing and good songs. There are some highlights on it but some are too weak and, should I say cheesy. There were better bands than Hot Tuna in the 70's but it's not bad at all.

1)I see the light (8,0) Good Wishbone Ash-like mellow rock flow.

2)Letter to the north star (6,0) Happy jump-pop/rock.

3)Easy now (9,0) Damn good rock song!

4)Corners without exits (6,5) Mellow rock-flow.

5)Day to day out the window blues (7,0) Same as above but with more ZZ Top blues feel.

6)In the kingdom (4,5) Strange.

7)Seeweed strut (6,0) Acoustic instrumental.

8)Living just for you (6,5)

9)Soliloquy for 2 (6,0) 60's style ballad.

10)Sally, where'd you get your liquor from? (4,0) Happy-happy, traditional acoustic instrumental.

Score: 6,35

Jorma Kaukonen-vocals and guitars (b.1940)

Jack Casady-bass (b.1944)

Sammy Piazza-drums

Pride Of Lions is a band featuring Jim Peterik of Survivor on guitars and amazing singer Toby Hitchcook. This album is packed with 1980's style melodic hard rock as good as any popular band in the genre from those golden ages of Adult Orientated Rock, also known as AOR. The production is not the best though, the bass can hardly be heard and there's too much stupid god preaching and the vocals doesn't always fit the music and the singing is too loud here and there. But there are some good songs and good playing and good clear singing. An okey album to listen to when you want to listen to rock with melody, powerful songs and some nice ballads.

1)Immortal (8,0) A very good and intense melodic rocker.

2)Delusional (7,5) Melodic hardrock with loud vocals.

3)Tie down the wind (7,5) "Big" and intense.

4)Shine on (6,5)

5)Everything that money can't buy (7,5) A good powerballad but they are trying to make more of it than they have to.

6)Coin of the realm (7,0) Good main riff but it's again, too much.

7)Sending my love (6,5) Almost too cheesy ballad but they stay on the right side of the cheesy-line.

8)Vital signs (7,5) Rock'n'roll.

9)If it doesn't kill me (7,0)

10)Are you the same girl (8,5) A pompous and really good powerballad! Yes!

11)Ask me yesterday (7,5) A good rocker.

Score: 7,36

Toby Hitchcook-vocals

Jim Peterik-vocals, guitars, percussion, keyboards and bass on 3. (b.1950)

Mike Aquino-guitars

Bobby Lizik-bass

Klem Hayes-bass

Kelly Keagy-drums

Ed Breckenfeld-drums