The guys are back and rocking at full tilt once again. After the success of HBO’s Peacemaker TV show using ‘Do Ya Wanna Taste It’ as its stunning intro, I thought the guys might turn back the clock a little and head back into the glam-anthem territory of their earlier albums.

But no, here they are as heavy as ever, picking up where the last album Never Say Die left off – that is, heavier straight-ahead hard rock, albeit with that quirky Wig Wam delivery. That’s not a complaint, its just painting the accurate musical picture that is this album.

There are glammy moments of course, the hands in the air anthemic ‘Forevermore’ is classic Wig Wam and the Do Ya soundalike ‘High & Dry’. The belter ‘Bad Luck Chuck’ is as heavy as the band has been, as is the thunderous riffing on ‘Uppercut Shazam’.

Its Wig Wam. Its needed.

Turkish Delight is an all-star project, the culmination of multiple years’ worth of work and a tribute to the life long dedication and passion of Escape Music’s boss Khalil Turk.

To celebrate his time in this crazy business, the respected label owner and A&R man has put a great deal of his own money into assembling a cast of musicians he admires and has worked with over the years.

The hardest thing to do in these circumstances is to remotely record 30+ musicians, multiple players and vocalists for each song in some cases and still make a record sound cohesive and of the one body of work.

Mick Devine, Steve Morris, Steve Overland, Lee Small and Steve Newman are responsible for the bulk of songwriting duties, while the cast of musicians has to be read to be believed.

On vocals alone you have Jeff Scott Soto, Robin McAuley, Billy Greer, Chris Ousey, Mick Devine, James Christian, Jerome Mazza, Lee Small, Robin Beck, Tony Harnell and more.

Joining them are Mike Slamer, Jeff Pilson, Billy Sheehan, Gary Pihl, Vince DiCola, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Ricky Phillips, Josh Devine, Marco Mendoza, Jim Kirkpatrick, Chris Childs, Steve Mann, Mark Stanway and so many more.

What you’re getting here is a superbly crafted ‘various artists’ melodic rock compilation, featuring the artists involved doing just what you want them to be doing – each one delivering a fan favourite performance. A retro tribute if you will but sounding ever fresh thanks to the efforts put into making this record sound as good as it does.

How do you follow up a career defining masterpiece, that itself was an album that followed any number of critically acclaimed records before that?

Take your time…

So Threshold did just that. Some five years since the perfect ‘Legend Of The Shires’, the band resists the temptation to record a sequel to that epic record by just doing what they do best – delivering another brilliant progressive hard rock record filled with hard hitting, memorable songs.

Threshold have always had their sound and this album continues to deliver exactly what fans would expect, but with the usual subtle changes that help each album the band delivers, carry its own identity.

This time around the mood is a little darker, the songs a little heavier and the harmonies buried a little deeper into the songs. As is always required, multiple listens over several days is needed to fully appreciate any new work from Threshold and this album reveals itself beautifully.

The formula of four heavy rockers and a mid-album epic is repeated in the second half of the album, ending with the second epic Defence Condition.

I think the intensity drops off over the last couple of tracks before the closer, but there’s no filler here at all.

The first half of the album is near perfect in anyone’s language, the overall result will satisfy all Threshold fans. Its another brilliant record. Awesome, but not quite another masterpiece.

It could be argued that I have been Heaven & Earth and Stuart Smith’s biggest advocate since the first Heaven & Earth album back in 1998. Stuart told me himself that my review of that outstanding debut put the band on the map back when the internet was just going mainstream and the album itself was only available in South Korea.

I’ve championed the band at every turn and consider the last 2 albums with Joe Retta on vocals, two of the finest sounding classic rock albums of our time.

The line-up for H&E has always been fluid, but on album number 5, things have changed again, with the label gone, Retta gone and in fact, everyone else gone. Stu Smith remains as does his penchant for delivering classic Deep Purple/Rainbow style classic hard rock.

Style wise this isn’t far from what H&E have always stood for and these songs are once again, pretty catchy and feature some sublime guitar playing.

Unfortunately, there are issues the band hasn’t faced before that diminish the end product. First – the production is muddy and at times hard to listen to, with the crisp big dollar sound of the last records missing. The overall sound isn’t even close to the band’s normal high standard.

Secondly - new vocalist Gianluca Pertralia is a major step down from Retta and past vocal guests such as Kelly Hansen, Richie Sambora, Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes.

I find his voice irritating and off-putting.

The vocals, along with the weak production, put a major dent in the band’s otherwise impeccable catalogue. The songs and the guitar theatrics are still here, but overall, a disappointing release that won’t be played half as much as previous albums.

Treat really are on a blinder since reforming and this, their third studio album since then, is a testament to the ability of the band to keep delivering each time, yet do so in a fresh manner each time. 

Tunguska is the perfect companion piece to the timeless classic Coup De Grace and the album between, the more modern sounding Ghost Of Graceland.Tunguska has elements of both – the modern forward momentum of Ghost and the classic anthems of Coup. 

In all honesty – if you’re a fan of Scani melodic rock, all three are as essential. Period! So we have another high energy album here featuring 12 amazing compositions – all layered in vocal harmonies - 10 mid-up tempo tunes and a couple of monster ballads. Tomorrow Never Comes and the impossibly good Build The Love are genre defying classics. 

The diversity among the tracks might give some fans reason to rate this downwind of the last 2 albums, but I embrace this evolution in Treat’s history. Best Of Enemies, Creeps and Man Overboard are probably the most challenging songs to dissect, but for me they still kill and add texture between the anthems of Always Have, Always Will; Progenitors and Rose Of Jericho. It doesn’t stop there though, Riptide, All Bets Are Off and Undefeated give the last half more energy than the first. 

The only caveat I will impose is the sequencing. I would not have chosen the running order of the songs as has been done here. I think there are a couple of options to make it even smoother. Highly digestible Scandi melodic goodness right here. The band can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned, and this makes 3 from 3 in the classic album stakes.

The choruses are huge, the hooks even bigger and the sound is baby bum-cheek fresh. The harmonies really are something! I just love these guys. Get it!

There is a sense of comfort when diving into a new NEWMAN album. Much like Ten, Vega (to name just two), you know exactly what you are going to get, and Steve Newman never disappoints.

With a history dating back to his debut in 1997 that stretches over 2 decades and 15 releases, you are always going to have albums that fans rate more highly than others and differing opinions of just which those albums are. But one thing you cannot deny is that NEWMAN delivers something great on every record. And of course, ‘Ignition’ is no exception.

There a few twists in the tail, the electro-Def Leppard-groove of the title track is certainly one, but mostly this is just classic Newman.

 Another collection of strong, classic melodic rock. 

Toby Hitchcock is one of the voices of the last decade or so. Since his Pride Of Lions debut, his powerful tenor has been front and centre for some of the genre’s best anthems and most epic ballads. Any Toby Hitchcock is good Toby Hitchcock. And for the most part, this album is no different. Songs are delivered by the who’s who of the AOR scene, with at least another 4-5 classic songs here – Queen Untouchable, Promise Me, No Surrender and This Is Our World. Man, the guy can sing. 

I like that a lot of the album is uptempo and flows at a pretty hectic pace. I don’t think this is as strong as Toby’s Erik Martensson-helmed debut. Even though this album is also a Swedish production, the differences are quite stark. Reckoning sounds firmly planted in the 80s, with the keyboards and production style a more distinct European in flavour.

The songs are enjoyable but not to the same level as the debut or Pride Of Lions. There is one issue that desperately needs to be addressed. The keyboards. We need to talk about the keyboards. As has been the case with all Daniel Flores productions, the keyboards dominate. They are the highest element in the mix, aside from vocals and there are just way too many layers of them. There is no letup in the sonic bombardment. There needs to be more space for the rest of the instrumentation to breathe. Even during guitar solos the keyboards still dominate.

I like Daniel a lot – very talented and sweet guy – but there must be an intervention. The keyboards are simply overbearing, and the production style is becoming very repetitive. Find Me (all 3), the second First Signal album, the Palace debut, Cry Of Dawn and now Toby Hitchcock – largely all sound the same.

So moving forward I hope some individual personality can be infused into these projects. And that's the main essence of what's missing here - its own personality. That said, there’s still plenty to enjoy and Toby’s vocals are powerful, emotional and totally immersive. Fans of Find Me, Daniel’s other AOR work and 80s keyboard melodic rock will enjoy.

Much hype for this debut album from this Los Angeles based melodic rock band, touted as a modern equivalent to the Big 3 (Foreigner, Styx and Journey).

And despite the obvious shortcomings in the album’s production quality, the opening anthem ‘Until The Dawn’ certainly gets your attention. Unfortunately, that’s clearly the album’s best track.

The guys have talent and the singer has a sure set of lungs on him, but when the album is dominated by ballads (a couple of very good ones) and the rockers fall short, the song consistency comes to light and the production issue becomes something that can’t be ignored.

I compare this more to Two Fires – a band with huge potential and great performers – who couldn’t get all elements to come together for that killer album.

Once you get past the absolutely horrendous “drum” sound and the somewhat muddy mix, the new House Of Lords (or on this occasion, House Of Spiro), offers some of the band’s best tunes in several years. A production budget would have raised the quality of this record to sit alongside some of my favourite HOL records.

I love the return to a more interesting musical landscape, a touch progressive even, much like parts of Sahara and Demon’s Down. The overall energy is similar to Demon’s Down too. But this is a different band again. As suggested earlier, the biggest influence and difference here is the genius of Mark Spiro. He has co-written most of the album, with his influence so strong there are at least 3, maybe 4 songs that are more Spiro than HOL. He is simply all over this record and his vocals can be heard on most tracks. In fact, he could feel unjustly denied a duet credits on We’re All That We Got and Better Off Broken. His influence over Change (What's it Gonna Take) delivers one of my favourite House Of Lords songs in years, The Both Of Us also impresses. The guys lose the plot a little towards the end, $5 Bucks Of Gasoline is about as catchy as it sounds and The Chase goes nowhere. 

Overall, despite that drum sound and the overall missing production elements, this is a very enjoyable record and their best in a few years. Spiro and James Christian have delivered some great songs for the most part and most of the record runs very smoothly.

You’d have to be almost dead not to get caught up in the infectious fun that is Tokyo Motor Fist. The name might conjure up thoughts of an ancient form of Japanese bondage, but at least they didn’t name themselves Trixter Danger.

Yes, the most talented Steve Brown (Trixter, Guitar) and the always flamboyant Ted Poley (Danger Danger, vocals) team with the rhythm section of Greg Smith (Ted Nugent, Rainbow, Alice Cooper) and Chuck Burgi (Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult, Joe Lynn Turner) for what amounts to a meeting of the New Jersey chapter of the Melodic Rock Mafia, to create an infectious slice of classic 80s melodic rock that you just have to rock along with. While the album may not have the polish of a major 80s budget, it does pass the crankability test and shines when at maximum volume.

Following his great recent solo album, Ted Poley again delivers a powerhouse vocal while Steve Brown provides the backbone of the sound, his soulful guitar playing filling the air between hooks and choruses. The album is also a tribute to his songwriting prowess.For the most part this delivers exactly what you’d expect – a mix of modern day Trixter’s smart melodic rock and Danger Danger’s hands in the air party anthems. Look no further than the opening salvo of Pickin' Up The Pieces, Love Me Insane, Gimme Your Good Lovin Shameless and Black And Blue to deliver plus the moody feel good ballads Love, Get You Off My Mind and Don’t Let Me Go work to balance the record and provide breathing space between the rockers.

You're My Revolution brings out the double kick drums for a rousing tempo boost, but its Put Me To Shame and Done To Me where Steve Brown’s connection to Def Leppard seems to get dialled up. For a minute I thought I was listening to Sweden’s Leppard loving Grand Design.

How could fans of the two principle artists not be happy with this? It delivers exactly what you might have been hoping for, perhaps exceeding expectations with the strong hooks and great performances.No complaints here and given the positive fan reaction so far, one would have to think that this will develop further just as the ‘other’ D2 side project The Definants has.

Is it too soon to call Brother Firetribe legends of the Finnish AOR scene? Perhaps with this album, it is time. Their 5th studio album might just be their most accomplished yet. It certainly has the slickest production, the smoothest sound and the band’s most commercial modern rock approach to date.

The beauty of this album is perhaps the band’s ability to keep things reigned in a touch more than usual, without losing their edge. Past albums have seen them go all in with over the top anthems, but this album feels a little more restrained, a little more calculated towards the end goal – to deliver a world class modern melodic rock album that will help drive them into a bigger audience.

Naturally arming yourself with 10 killer songs is the way to achieve this feat and BFT do just that. From the subtle, but urgent opener I Salute You, to the sultry moodiness of Night Drive and the tempo altering intensity of Life Is A Beautiful Lie to the most obvious 80s anthem Rock In The City which closes the album.

The masterful production comes courtesy of Jimmy Westerlund, the who brought the same updated intensity to the latest One Desire album. If all these points appeal and you love an equal dose of guitars and keyboards with sultry strong vocals, then Feel The Burn is a must have record.

Pride Of Lions delivers album number six and probably their strongest since 2007’s The Roaring Of Dreams.

Jim Peterik and the brilliant vocals of Toby Hitchcock make a perfect team, with Jim’s more recent songwriting featuring a more theatrical lean and Toby giving those songs instant flair, but also steering the choruses back into AOR territory.

The album sounds a million bucks – the regular production team, including deskman Larry Millas, at Jim’s home studio have this down to a fine art. All we need is the songs.

Jim Peterik isn’t short in inspiration – I’ve never seen any man write as many ideas down as constantly as Jim does. Lion Heart picks the best 12 and follows a similar path to that of previous Pride Of Lions albums.

Lion Heart is the powerful opening number; Heart Of The Warrior is the feel good 80s soundtrack tune; Carry Me Back the sentimental AOR hook and Waiting For A Girl Like You Sleeping With A Memory is the moody 80s ballad.

Elsewhere Good Thing Gone, Give It Away and You’re Not A Prisoner mirror the best the band has offered while Now & Unfinished Heart bring the tears.

A terrific and highly recommended album.

I do note that Jim Peterik takes lead vocal on the first verse of every song, raising his vocal profile on this release above that of any before it. It does change the dynamic a little. His vocals are among the best I’ve heard from him, but Pride Of Lions has in my mind always been Jim’s songs and sound and Toby’s voice. Its not quite as cut and dry on this album. Minor point.