Another near-perfect slice of ass kicking hard rock. Sweden’s most consistent masters of hard rock drenched in melody, delivered an album that stayed true to the band’s sound, while bringing in a few new tricks. Bottom line - instantly catchy, powerful, memorable and melodic as hell. My most played album of 2019 and the best.
2. THE DEFIANTS – Zokusho
The dreaded second album curse was avoided simply by delivering another perfect mix of modern meets classic melodic hard rock. Steve West on drums added a new dynamic and made it even more ‘dangerdangerous’. Killer songs and killer performances. If anything…I felt a few songs were a minute longer than they needed to be, but very minor point.
3. DEGREED – Lost Generation
I love every record these guys are done as they increasingly modernise and deliver wonderfully written songs that really could (should) be all over commercial radio. This album is so utterly infectious and the production is world class. More melodic brilliance from Sweden. I thought the intro and mid-album interlude hindered the pacing, but very minor point there.
4. CRAZY LIXX – Forever Wild
The guys have dabbled with styles in the past, but for album six they went full 80s, with blazing guitars, anthemic songs and killer choruses. A monster production made this album one of their very best – maybe their best ever. Whatever they did here, they nailed it and need to keep this going!
5. WORK OF ART – Exhibits
For the band’s final album, they simply did what they’ve always done – they delivered a piece of ultra-smooth, ultra-cool, ultra-AOR heaven. These Swedish wizards use the template of past masters of the genre, yet manage to sound fresh and original. Not their best album, but still essential.
6. CRASHDIET – Rust
It's like, everything good is from Sweden, and sleaze-rockers Crashdiet don’t buck that trend. They too have varied up their sound over several records and several singers, but each and every time they have delivered something memorable. They do it again right here – nice to hear something fresh and original alongside more familiar sounds.
7. UNRULY CHILD – Big Blue World
A little bit of extra grunt and some excellent songs. Possibly the smoothest melodic rock band this side of anywhere, Unruly Child create a unique style of commercial American AOR. I hope they keep making records for many years to come. Marcie Free remains a revelation on vocals.
8. VIANNA – Forever Free
The surprise package of the year for me. Just a really great dose of high energy melodic rock/AOR with big choruses, melodic verses and some fine performances all-round. New-comer AOR vocalist Bryan Cole and vocal legend Terry Brock supply lead and backing vocals, making this an even sweeter sounding record.
9. STARBREAKER – Dysphoria
The dynamic Tony Harnell finally teamed up again with the talented guitarist/producer Magnus Karlsson for a new chapter in the Starbreaker name. And we got exactly what we wanted – powerful modern hard rock with breathtaking vocals and rifftastic guitars, both driven by a monster production.
10. ALLIANCE – Fire And Grace
Production quality was down on the last near perfect album, but plenty to like here with the outfit's usual style and grace. Robert Berry’s perfect AOR vocals drive the album as always.
11. LEVERAGE – Determinus
A big vocalist change and a long time between drinks for these guys - that placed a big question mark against Leverage before this release. Urban Tale’s Kimmo Blom uses the rough side of his powerful voice (didn’t know he had one!) and as in previous efforts, the songs are excellent – a slightly progressive melodic hard rock/metal style. Great stuff in the end.
12. TESLA – Shock
I’m surprised more fans didn’t go for this. There seemed to be a decent number of complaints online after its release, but this Def Tesla record stands on its own as a quality piece of music. Sure it was a little light and Phil Collen obviously over-influenced production and writing, but it’s a cool record. Cooler than the last few Leppard albums!
13. GATHERING OF KINGS – First Mission
A lack of distribution and the availability of physical copies didn’t dampen the hype around this super prog-pomp melodic rock record. Some terrific performances and lots of great vocals. Another big Scandi winner.
14. FIRST SIGNAL – Line Of Fire
It's Harry Hess. It's essential. Daniel Flores takes over some instrumentation and production, so it has that 'wall of keyboards' sound that he brings to most records, but a good selection of songs from the Frontiers regulars, and Harry getting to do something out of the Harem sound always makes for a good listen.
15. X-ROMANCE – Voices From The Past
House Of Shakira’s Andreas Novak featured on vocals – some catchy and traditional Scandi melodic rock that does the job nicely.
16. PRETTY MAIDS – Undress Your Madness
Battling cancer, Ronnie still manages to deliver more energy and attitude than most and while this could simply be described as ‘another Pretty Maids album’, it’s the quality throughout and the consistency of the band that makes it an album to admire.
17. NITRATE – Wide Open
More classic 80s melodic rock with a modern production. Midnite City in vibe and sound thanks to Rob Wylde's co-writing with founder Nick Hogg, plus Osukaru’s Philip Lindstrand jumps in for vocals this time around.
18. ROULETTE – Now
It's Scandi, it’s powerful, it's melodic and it's wonderful! Another band to add to the list of new-era modern melodic rock bands to devour for their classic melodic rock style.
19. SOLEIL MOON – Warrior
Soft and smooth, a little AOR and a little Westcoast; a quality record largely thanks to the vocals of Larry King.
20. WAKE THE NATION – Heartrock
It's Scandi, it's powerful, it's….you know the drill. This time the band are Finnish, and their second album moves them up in the power rankings for bands to watch out for.
21. FIND ME – Angels In Blue
Still quality, but perhaps the weakest album of the project’s 3 releases, but still good enough to make the Top 30. Overdone on the keyboards again, but Robbie LaBlanc sounds amazing.
22. CARL DIXON - Unbroken
He most certainly is unbroken. Another high-quality release from the Coney Hatch founder. It may be a solo record, but it has the 80s Hatch feel, with a modern touch.
23. TOBY HITCHCOCK - Reckoning
Well short of the debut, with Daniel Flores in charge of production this time around. The album is buried in too many keyboards (a Flores trademark), but the songs are mostly memorable and Toby’s voice shines as one of America’s best ‘new-era’ AOR vocalists.
24. SOTO - Origami
Jeff Scott Soto’s own band for delivering modern hard rock/melodic metal delivers album number 3, which continues the growth of the band and their sound. The best of the 3 without doubt.
25. LOVEKILLERS – Lovekillers
Tony Harnell strikes again! Two albums in the Top 30 for 2019 is quite the accomplishment. This is another of those ‘project’ releases, with Alessandro Del Vecchio the man alongside Tony, working somewhat collaboratively. The style is something many fans have wanted to hear from Tony for a while now and some (but not all) of this album works to satisfy that demand. It's very good – but not quite great. More song consistency and a move away from a standard 'Frontiers project sound' would help album number 2.
26. RESTLESS SPIRITS – Restless Spirits
Lords Of Black guitarist Tony Hernando assembled an album’s worth of melodic songs and some of the genre’s leading vocalists including Johnny Gioeli, Deen Castronovo, Dino Jelusic (Animal Drive), Alessandro Del Vecchio. A few outstanding songs but its also a little inconsistent.
27. TONY MILLS – Against The law
Talk about saving your best for last. Another very consistent artist and an all-round good guy. Tony delivered one of his best ever performances before bowing out after a long fight with cancer. RIP Tony. Thanks for the tunes.
28. JIM PETERIK & WORLD STAGE – Winds Of Change
The ever reliable Jim Peterik always delivers. Great songs and great singers once again such as Mike Reno, Dennis DeYoung, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, Danny Vaughn and Lars Safsund. There’s enough info right there to ensure a purchase.
29. HARDLINE – Life
Not as immediate as some Hardline releases and that’s a little strange to say considering the sound is more along the traditional style the band is most loved for. But as with all Hardline releases, there is quality here worthy of inclusion in the Best Of list.
30. EDGE OF FOREVER – Native Soul
Alessandro Del Vecchio tops off another busy year with his third mention in this list. This time it's back to where he came from, bringing a tasty new slice of traditional European melodic rock with his own band Edge Of Forever.
JUST OUTSIDE THE 30:
ROCKET LOVE – Greetings From Rocketland
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA - Radiocarbon
AXE - Final Offering
LONERIDER - Attitude
MORANO - Incognito
91 SUITE - Starting All Over EP
DAVID GLEN EISLEY - Tattered, Torn and Worn
ART NATION - Transition
JIMMY BARNES - My Criminal Record
STATION - Stained Glass
GREGG ROLIE - Sonic Ranch
ROBERT TEPPER - Better Than The Rest
BLACK STAR RIDERS - Another State Of Grace
MIKE TRAMP - Stray From the Flock
BURNING RAIN - Face The Music
COLORVINE - Wake Up
DREAM THEATER - Distance Over Time
FIGHTER V - Fighter
MICHAEL BORMANN'S JADED HARD - Feels Like Yesterday
NOT EVEN CLOSE:
ROXY BLUE - Roxy Blue
WHITESNAKE - Flesh And Blood
BLOOD RED SAINTS - Pulse
DAVE BICKLER - Darklight
SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE - Space Between
SHARK ISLAND - Bloodline
THUNDER - Please Remain Seated
NO CHANCE:
QUIET RIOT - Hollywood Cowboys
L.A. GUNS - The Devil You Know
BRYAN ADAMS - Shine a Light
KANE ROBERTS - The New Normal
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN - Blue Lightning
TORA TORA - Bastards Of Beale
NOTE: There are NO MRR titles included in my Best Of, which is the usual method I employ. While I love them all, it for for others to judge those and I think MRR had a great year, if feedback is anything to go by.
Press Release: "Hey we're back, I heard you missed us? A different venue, less bands but no dip in quality is what Rockingham is offering this year. After last year’s successful weekend, plans were put in motion to deliver more of the same AOR goodness as organizer, Dave Herron, explains, “Following on from the incredible feedback from our 2015 event we have decided to make Rockingham a more permanent part of the UK festival scene.”
It’s all set to take place over the weekend of the 21st to 23rd of October, at Nottingham’s Trent University – a mere stones throw from last year’s venue.
With the likes of Trixter, Steelheart and Kevin Chalfant headlining over the three days, a stellar line up has been added to augment an already impressive top of the bill.
At least five of these acts have never played in the UK before, with the likes of Lionheart and Lee Aaron having never set foot on a UK stage since the eighties.
With the new blood being ably represented by the likes of Art Nation, Blood Red Saints, Angels Or Kings and Stone Broken, Rockingham is covering all the bases.
This promises to be a wonderful weekend of AOR
LINE UP FOR THE WEEKEND
Kevin Chalfant
So where do you start with Mr. Chalfant? That he should have got the job in Journey, possibly. Or that he recorded one of the finest AOR albums of the nineties with the Storm, maybe. Perhaps we should just say that he possesses one of the finest AOR voices to ever grace the genre, so you can expect a set stuffed to the brim with quality moments from a distinguished career.
Jean Beauvoir
Now here's a man that could possibly be one of the coolest to ever strap on a guitar. His tenure with Crown Of Thorns is legendary, their debut being one of the finest albums he's appeared on. Having worked with Kiss, The Plasmatics and Little Steven amongst many others, he's guaranteed to get everybody on their feet. Are you ready?
Blood Red Saints
Having delivered one of the finest debuts of last year, Blood Red Saints will need no introduction. Gigs with the likes of Romeo's Daughter and Hand Of Dimes have shown them to be capable of delivering live what they put down in the studio. With a collective pool of talent that has seen them appear with the likes of Sam Thunder, Angels Or Kings, Gary Hughes, In Faith , The Shock, Lost Weekend and Newman, the Saints are the pride of the U.K.
The Poodles
Canine capers from Jakob Samuel and company is always a good way to spend your afternoon. Over the years they've produced several quality moments, garnering plaudits from far and wide. This is Scandinavian AOR at its most bombastic and fierce, so bring a muzzle as this dog bites.
Art Nation
Formed from the ashes of Diamond Dawn, Art Nation released one of the finest albums from last year, which saw critics liken them to a junior version of H.E.A.T. It's not gone unnoticed as Music giants Gain have recently snapped them up for a lucrative deal. So expect a highly charged set of fist pumping, anthemic AOR.
Lionheart
This was a shock addition to the bill, but a very welcome one. Having dispensed one of the finest UK pomp rock albums of the eighties, Lionheart toured with the likes of Def Leppard to rave reviews. Their brand of AOR is laced with luscious harmonies, biting guitars and surging keyboards. With ex Iron Maiden alumni, Derek Stratton, at the helm, the results should be breathtaking.
The Defiants
Let's cut to the chase here, the Defiants have made one of the best albums of this year pure and simple. Then again what did you expect from people that have plied their trade in Danger Danger, a band that are not shy of a hook or three. Between them, Bruno Ravel, Rob Marcello and Paul Laine have knocked it out of the park. Their recent performance in Milan is spoken of in hushed, revered tones, a true 'I was there moment'. Theirs is the sound of the eighties, amplified and cranked to eleven. Party on, dudes.
Trixter
Next to the Defiants, Trixter are another band born out of the eighties hair metal boom. Their brace of albums were lauded from far and wide, giving them gold records and stateside tours with the likes of Stryper and Kiss. Having reunited in 2008, they've since released two new albums, playing several prestigious gigs along the way. Another band that tore Milan apart, they're guaranteed to give it to you good.
Crazy Lixx
Bringing the Glam to Rockingham, Crazy Lixx will be riding into town on the back of several well received albums. This year’s live album is the perfect starting point to help you understand what the Lixx are all about. They'll push the button marked instant party, so get ready for these Revlon rebels to bring the mascara mayhem.
Stone Broken
A hot hard rock band from Walsall, surely some mistake? Nope, Stone Broken has gifted the world a hard hitting debut that has seen the plaudits arriving their way by the truckload. For most they'll be an unknown quantity, but after this weekend they've the potential to be everybody's favourite new band.
From The Fire
After a fabulous sophomore album, albeit twenty years later, and a wonderful debut UK performance in the same year, From The Fire were once again the band on all AORsters lips. Led by the core trio of J.D. Kelly, Tommy Lafferty and Michael Sciotto, From The Fire are an old school AOR fans wet dream. They were a little ring rusty last time out in the UK, this time they'll return like champion prize fighters.
Lee Aaron
The Metal Queen back in the UK for the first time since the eighties is enough to make you dust of those old red spandex pants in honour of the fact. The Canadian chanteuse will stir the loins of every red blooded male, and female, with a rollicking dose of maple leaf mayhem. An award winning artist, Aaron is another coup for Rockingham.
Alessandro Del Vecchio Band
The little man with the big voice, Alessandro Del Vecchio should be no stranger to AOR fans the world over. He's appeared with the likes of Jim Peterik, Mitch Malloy and Axe amongst many others. With Nigel Bailey helping out, this could be one of the surprise packages of the weekend.
Angels Or Kings
Born in the eighties, this critically acclaimed UK AOR band were resurrected in the new millennium, releasing an album that generated rave reviews the world over. Currently preparing their sophomore release, the Kings will be one of the most eagerly anticipated bands of the weekend.
Steelheart
Fronted by Miljenko Matijevic, Steelheart were MTV darlings, an admittedly brief tenure with the media giant, before Grunge swept all before it. Releasing a brace of albums at the peak of their popularity, they were a chart bothering behemoth whose candle was snuffed out all too early. Sporadic activity over the years has seen Matjevic as the sole remaining member. These boys have set the excitement factor to eleven, so get ready to stand up and shout.
Fortune
A bucket list moment for an awful lot of AORsters, this promises to be an unmissable set. With Richard Fortune, Larry Greene and Mick Fortune on board, you can expect their debut album to be played in almost its entirety. Don't be surprised if the roof is lifted when the likes of "Dearborn Station" and "Thrill Of It All" are played, this promises to be a keyboard fans dream gig.
Martina Edoff
Returning to the UK for the second time this year, Martina Edoff's brand of highly energized hard rock will set the afternoon alight. With a band that includes members of Skintrade, Last Autumn’s Dream and H.E.A.T, they've the pedigree to make sure a blistering set of hard rock is on the menu.
Valentine
Returning after his show stealing performance at the inaugural Rockingham festival, Robby Valentine is sure to be one of the most grandiose sets of the entire weekend. The pomp factor will be high and the keyboard quota off the scale, making this a symphonic delight for all in attendance.
I think you’ll all agree that Rockingham Festivals AOR credentials have been fully endorsed by having such an array of talent on show. Fans and ticket buyers would also be wise to watch out for announcements of official pre and after shows in the coming months via the festivals Facebook page.
Former Danger Danger singer Paul Laine as well as Helix's Brian Vollmer join Mitch for episode 213 of One On One With Mitch Lafon.
In the episode's first interview singer Paul Laine discussed his new The Defiants (band & album) featuring Bruno Ravel & Rob Marcello, the infamous Danger Danger Cockroach album and subsequent lawsuit, his time with Danger Danger, his country career, DarkHorse, manager Bruce Allen and much more.
Quotes from the Paul Laine interview:
How the Defiants came about (time: 5.24): "We just went, 'Let's write a record together and see if we like the songs.' I didn't see past the end of the album."
Danger Danger: "My years in Danger Danger; it was a great band to be in. Live the band is fantastic."
On joining Danger Danger (time: 9.39): "One day I get a phone call and they said, 'You know Ted is gone and we have permission from Sony to take you on. Are you in? At the time I was in the middle of a lawsuit with the whole Bruce Allen thing and I said, 'Yes.'"
Quitting Danger Danger repeatedly (time 25.00:) "Every single record I did with Danger Danger was my last record. Danger Danger is Danger Danger and I don't see us really moving forward. I would go start on my next solo record. Every time I was done. That's why those records sound differently. I would start writing these songs and Danger Danger would call me up and they'd be like, 'We got a record deal. Are you in?' Ummm, 'Dudes, I'm doing something completely different. So, I would give them my songs and they would come with their songs and we'd put out this record. Then we'd get a tour and now I'm on the road. So, you come off the road and go, 'OK, I'm going to finish this (solo) record.' Then another record deal came in and they're like, 'well we need your three songs.' 'Ah, fuck! Fine."
In this episode's second interview Helix's Brian Vollmer gives us an update on all things Helix including working on new music, the band's longevity and much more.
The Interview starts at the 46.02 minute mark.
Quote from the Brian Vollmer interview: Touring (time 54.58): "The bar scene is pretty much dead in Canada. I really wonder where young bands are going to learn their craft. We learned how to play our instruments, how to sing, and just to mature as musicians & individuals while we were on their out there on the road."
Put Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello together and you just know something special will evolve. The Danger Danger alumni join forces for the first time together as a trio, even if it’s a virtual trio, with the 3 members all recording in their own individual studios.
Laine is still revered for his work with Bruno Ravel over 4 studio albums with Danger Danger (alongside Andy Timmons and Steve West) and of course Rob Marcello has been touring with the guys for years and most recently delivered an outstanding performance on the band’s Revolve album (with Ted Poley). If that confuses you, then you haven’t been paying attention to some of the best music of the last two decades!
The Defiants was born out of a desire for a new rock vehicle for Paul Laine (alongside his country Dark Horse project) and a project for Rob and Bruno in lieu of any new D2 material.
Despite individually recording, the album has a very cohesive feel. Tying it all together is a brilliant mix from Bruno and some bright, dynamic performances from all, a real achievement when considering the circumstances.
The result is almost exactly as expected. There’s a huge chunk of Four The Hard Way and Gildersleeves (Paul’s vocals and Bruno’s production) and some Revolve as well (thanks to Rob’s guitar style); but The Defiants also has its own feel.
Most noticeable for me was some of the choruses – they are super slick and more 80s sounding than the darker edge of the Laine fronted D2 albums.
Track for track, there’s just one great song after another. With perhaps one exception that will be down to personal taste.
Love & Bullets and When The Lights Go Down are both high energy melodic rockers with so much to love about them. Waiting On A Heartbreak is an even more melodic anthem with some brilliant vocals and a ton of shred and Runaway sees the introduction of some piano on a neat little feel good song with a monster commercial chorus. You just can’t help but sing along here.
Perfection all the way thus far.
Then a small bump in the road. I’m not digging Lil' Miss Rock'n'roll. It’s one of those swaggering bluesy rockers that mentions a bunch of classic song titles and is just a tad lyrically cheesy for my tastes. It’s out of character with the rest of the album though, so it’s instantly back into the brilliance with Last Kiss – a track which is exactly what I love about these guys - intense, darker, gritty and a kick ass anthemic chorus that rolls along at pace.
Save Me Tonight is a slow 6 minute moody, brooding ballad/rocker that slows the album for the first time. Huge vocal here from Paul and a wonderfully constructed slower track.
Take Me Back is pure Danger Danger – up tempo, fun, retro and delivers another set of great hooks.
We All Fall Down is another highlight for me – it again has that grittier edge of Laine fronted D2. Attitude laced vocals and a choppy riff, a melodic bridge and a big chorus hook….love it.
That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You is the second rock ballad of the album. At nearly 7 minutes the song does feel longer than others, but it’s still over in a flash. Emotive vocals, moody guitars and an expanded Def Leppard style musical base.
Closing out the album is one of the best tracks onboard – the fast paced anthemic rocker Underneath The Stars which is just pure brilliance. Perfect Paul Laine, Danger Danger and melodic rock all round. Big riffs, big chorus, big smiles.
So The Defiants is essentially a modern day Paul Laine meets Danger Danger4 The Hard Way and Return Of The Great Gildersleeves, but with a stronger 80s feel; all mixed with latter day D2 in Revolve plus a touch of its own uniqueness.
Basically the perfect album for fans of Danger Danger/Paul Laine and all fans of brilliant, super catchy, hard edged melodic rock.
The production style had a sound a little left of what I expected, but the songs deliver everything I wanted. Huge!
Frontiers Music Srl is excited to announce the release of THE DEFIANTS self-titled debut album on April 15, 2016.
The Defiants is a new band put together by Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello. Three fabulous musicians, all with ties to the great hard rock band Danger Danger.
Best known for being Danger Danger's frontman for a 12 year stint from 1992-2004, which included 4 studio albums, Paul Laine is now coming back to work with his former bandmates Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello, who are the other two pillars of THE DEFIANTS.
The guys got back together under suggestion of Frontiers' President, Serafino Perugino, who really wanted to offer the fans a chance to hear some new music from these guys. The resulting album is an extremely exciting affair which is going to please not only D2 fans, but also all the ones who are into the classic sound from the glory days of rock in the '80s and '90s.
Paul Laine says 'From the moment Bruno and I started writing together,we knew we had something special. It's been my experience that when the writing process is effortless, you've trapped lightning in a bottle'within the first 2 1/2 months, we had close to 40 ideas up on the board. I think it surprised both of us how intuitive we were of each others ideas. I'm very proud of this record, and it feels good to let loose on an album of complete stadium rockers. Rob Marcello, I consider to be one of the biggest talents in the world of modern guitar players. I love how much he shines on this record, and from track to track, I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say musically. On a personal note, it feels good to hit another musical and writing milestone with this album. It was very hard to choose the material for this record,and its exciting to know that there are still bullets left in the chamber that nobody has heard yet...'
Bruno Ravel adds 'I'm so stoked for you all to hear this record! It was so much fun to create, and that feeling will be very evident once you give it a listen. Paul and Rob poured every bit of themselves into these tracks, and their performances were just ridiculous! Add that to the aggressive killer drum pounding that only my good buddy, Van Romaine could deliver, and you have what equals a bonafide rock 'n' roll roller coaster! Strap yourselves in folks! And get ready for the ride!'
THE DEFIANTS is a glorious return to the 'in your face' melodic hard rock that won millions of fans back in the '80s and '90s and is currently enjoying a well deserved revival in the 21st century.
THE DEFIANTS are set to appear live at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Trezzo (Milano), Italy on April 24, 2016, where the band will perform classic tracks from Paul Laine's solo career, some Danger Danger hits (of course) and songs off The Defiants debut!
THE DEFIANTS tracklisting:
Intro (For A Few Dollars More - Carillon's Theme)
Love And Bullets
When The Lights Go Down
Waiting On A Heartbreak
Runaway
Lil' Miss Rock'n'roll
Last Kiss
Save Me Tonight
Take Me Back
We All Fall
That's When I'll Stop Loving You
Underneath The Stars
THE DEFIANTS:
Paul Laine - vocals
Bruno Ravel - bass guitar, guitars, keyboards
Rob Marcello - lead guitars
With
Van Romaine - drums
