Another fine and diverse collection for your listening pleasure. I quite enjoy the fact my post-bag delivers such a diverse selection of music.

CD Reviews

Paganini: Medicine Man

It takes a bit of getting used to vocally. However, if you stick with it, there are rewards. This is good time, laid back hard rock done rather well. Former lead singer of Viva, this guy can sing and write tunes. That is obvious from the first listen. This CD is certainly a grower that gets under your skin. Its very Euro-hard rock and ambles into the pop-rock realm on tracks like "Teardrops". Overall a great CD to slap in your player on a long summer drive. Won't drive anyone else nuts, but has enough balls to keep you happy. Could be just what the doctor ordered.

Charing Cross: We are...

Iron Maiden as filtered through Iced Earth with an added dash of Helloween-esque power metal. The lead singer certainly has the pipes for this sort of music and has obviously worshiped at the alter of Capt Bruce Dickinson, lead singer and pilot of Iron Maiden's touring 757. This lot are not the most original but they are not a carbon copy either, infusing enough talent in to make it work. If you like your power metal done well, there is no reason not to like this lot. Huge sing-along choruses abound as you might imagine. It's hard not to like "Burn the Sky" lets face it; with its catchy driving tunage.

A touch more originality won't go amiss, but a promising start to be sure.

Battleroar: To Death and Beyond

It is pretty obvious from the album cover and the name of the band that this is battle metal. It doesn't let you down. That is not to say this Iron Maiden-alike lot do not have a sense of humour. "Born in the 70s" is the band at their most amusing. As you would expect with this sort of metal, song titles are daft and/or pretentious, evoking battles that are both fantasy and reality. As with the band above, there is nothing wrong with power metal done right. This lot sail a bit close to the clone tag at times like on the track "Warlord of Mars." It's right down Steve Harris', Iron Maiden's bass master, galloping base line style. With a bit of work in the lyrical department and a bit more growth, this lot could be someone to look for.

Retribution: Made in Hell

The title and title-track set the tone. This is death metal with melodic elements and a touch of industrial. Gruff vocals combine with distant melodic vocals backed with heaviness for quite a nice combination. The title track has key changes to make things more interesting, varying the pace of the song to add some variation on the normal metal straight-ahead template. This is a band that is trying to do something different which is always nice to hear. A good take on modern metal that pays head to what has come before as well.  Having never heard of this lot, I was quite pleased by the quality on offer. Clearly a band that deserve good things and are worthy of your attention.

Dantesco: Pegano

Imagine Jose Carreras, the Spanish opera singer, fronting a metal band. The lead vocalist can be heard ranging between an operatic style and that of Graham Bonnet of Alcatrazz and Rainbow fame. These days we are used to hearing operatic women fronting power metal bands, but a man is quite unique. It all works rather nicely and is in Spanish to boot. This is great metal with a difference. My kind of "world music," it has to be said. There are elements of Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, and even Judas Priest in the mix.