| CD REVIEWPerris Records mp3 sampler disc : Cherry Lips - Dynazty - Hardreams - Pretty Wild - Seventh Rize - S.E.X. Department |
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Perris Records mp3 sampler disc And just when you’re busting with work to be done (both personal and for the Concrete Web site), Svedmetalthinks they’re funny by sending us an additional 7-album mp3 compilation (they’d also sent us a 3-album mp3 sampler from their own roster, review probably posted at the same time as this) of stuff released through their now (American) partner-in-crime Perris Records (apparently the two have started working together, Perris taking over some of the Svedmetalreleases for American release, and Svedmetaldistributing the Perris stuff in Europe), including new work by Cherry Lips, Dynazty, Hardreams, Innocent Rosie, Pretty Wild, S.E.X. Department, and Seventh Rize. Weirdly enough, three of the acts on this sampler are from the Svedmetal roster, and as it happens, we were already sent Innocent Rosie’s Bad Habit Romance and posted the review 13/09/2009…so I’m not gonna do that one over again, okay!? In contrast to the releases reviewed in the Svedmetalspecial, these were supposed to be out there during July (with the exception of the Cherry Lips album, which dates back to late March, and Pretty Wild’s, which was issued as far back as mid February). Still, you may well have missed seeing reviews by these bands in the regular (paper) magazines! So, here I go for what is hopefully a quick job, relating to you the (sometimes scarce) info I found on the bands on their labels’ websites, augmented with some personal reflections. Heck, I’m sure I’ll occasionally do it different anyway! Band : Cherry Lips The basis for this North-Italian band was founded back when the duo of singer/ guitarist Stefi and bassist Karima dreamed up their ideal kind of Rock band: all-girl and playing a Classic Rock drawing influences from such bands as AC/DC, Aerosmith, and The Who. For once the use of English would not be a problem, as Stefi (Stefania) is the daughter of English novelist Tim Parks. But finding the right people to complete the band turned out to be pretty hard. After trying out several line-ups, Serena took up a steady position behind the drum seat, and Elisa was drawn in from Trento as the band’s lead guitarist. In this line-up, the band recorded their self-titled debut album with Fabio Serra at Opal Arts Studio, and with the album ready at the start of 2008, the girls found the Andromeda Relix label ready and willing to release a limited vinyl-look run of the album for distrubution at the girls’ concerts! Cherry Lips has been playing all over Italy since March 2008, and in that time not only got reviews of their album in specialized magazines and on dito websites, but also made an appearance at the prestigious Thunder Road festival. During Summer ’08 they won the IndieTimecompetition, meaning they were allowed to play support to The FutureHeads’s only Italian tour gig on July 3rd. CL was also one of 7 bands selected to participate to Cornetto Algida’s Free Music Audition competition, which gave ‘em the chance to support Elisa at Milano’s Derby Theatre on July 2nd! Around the same time they also issued a video clip for the track “Mean, Hot And Nasty”, which was immediately picked up by several music tv-channels of the Mediterranean. Venus Distribution launched the Italian distribution of the album on October 24, and on February 1st, 2009, the band signed a deal with Swedish label Svedmetal, leading to the worldwide distribution of the album in mate March. In May, the album hit #5 in the Swedish album charts. Following a Summer Italian tour, Serena decides to leave the band, and after thinking over the “girl band” thing, the remaining members decide to opt for a person which they already enjoy both on stage and backstage, picking for their drummer one Maicol Reale. Obviously, with the material for their first album already recorded in early 2008, the band has had time to gather ideas for new songs, and they are currently working towards a sophomore recording. To get an earful of this fine “female” Hard Rock band, check out myspace.comcherrylipsrock, where you’ll find 4 tracks off the album, including the band’s version of Cindy Lauper’s hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (also on the album, and Lauper, alongside others like The Beatles, Joan Jett, Sweet and The Stooges are cited as extra influences). The band also have a page at Last.fm, but I forgot to check out what audio files are posted there! 80/100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Perrisrecords.com : “For fans of Whitesnake, Skid Row, Shotgun Messiah…Dynazty recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden under the hands of producer Chris Laney (Zan Clan, Animal). This thundreous Heavy Metal group dominated the Swedish live scene with its flamboyant shows and powerful anthems for many months before hooking up with producer Chris Laney to record a debut album. For one month Dynazty worked with Laney creating a fierce album that will make a lasting impression. Dynazty features Rob Love, a former guitar slinger in Zan Clan along with Chris Laney. Dynazty members : George Egg – drums, Nils Molin – vocals, John Berg – guitars, Rob Love – guitars & Joey Fox – bass.” Okay, so Dynazty were founded late in 2007 by former Foxey members Joey Fox and George Egg, former Sharp’s John Berg, and Rob Love, and prior to placing an add in search for their perfect lead singer on their MySpace, they did a couple of local gigs with temporary singers Riley Wikked and Swan (of Blackrain). Eventually, an unknown from the Swedish town of Kilafors replied to their add, and it took the band only part of their first rehearsal to realize that they had indeed found their perfect frontman! Recording their album now became the band’s priority, and they went under in the studio with Laney in September of 2008. The album all ready, the band finally signed a deal with Perris in early 2009 for distribution of the album in the US, the UK, Sweden, Benelux, Italy, and Greece. You’ll immediately understand why already somewhat established musicians went for an unknown singer, when listening to the 4 songs posted at myspace.com/dynaztyband. I mean, that guy has a truly fantastic voice! A nice high pitch with a warm quality which helps in the soaring high! And thanks to the harmonic vocal backings and the instrumental prowess of the musicians, not forgetting their songwritership, the fivesome have succeeded in putting together an album which finds each calmer and more Rocking tracks (still with a “Heavy” definition underneath) such as the album opening title track, “Catch the Night”, “Lights Out” and “Top Of The Line” balanced against the more Metal-ic others, and giving all an anthemic feel…to the point that the listener grows to a feeling that there really ain’t one track “lesser” than the others! Again, the 4 posted songs stand as proof of such a bold statement, and even if I cannot see where the label’s A&R man/men has congured up the Whitesnake connection up from, I agree with their proposition that with Dynazty they have a band on their roster which may well break nice grounds in their own USA. At this moment, they’re touring Europe (well, they have dates in Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Holland – the latter closing the tour on Nov. 20 at Kerkrade’s The Rock Temple) in support of The Poodles, a perfect pairing if ever there was one! However, they’ll be doing that tour with one Mano Lewys as temporary replacement for guitarist John Berg, whom left the band during Summer due to recent musical and personal (the one leading to the other) differences. He’ll be hard to replace eventually, since he was one of the main songwriters in the band. 92/100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In case fans of this Spanish Hard Rock band skipped over to the review a bit to fast, a quick repeat of the fact that this is NOT a new album by the Barcelonians, but a re-issue of their long since out-of-print debut album! The core of Hardreams was founded during 2000 in the small town of Ripollet near Barcelona, when former Hailstorm musicians Sergi Homigó (drums) and David Agüera (guitar) created the band with singer Manu Esteve. With bassist Victor Muiño and keyboardist Antonio Landeira, the outfit eventually recorded their 4-track Wings On Fire demo in December of 2001. After those recordings Landeira left, To be replaced by David Ruiz. Positive reactions from the media (both in Spain and beyond) then led to a 2-album deal with Vinny Records, whom released the band’s debut album Calling Everywhere (which was actually recorded in Summer 2002) in March of 2004. Upon the album’s release Ruiz left, and during the coming months during which the band launched a live promotion, they were helped out on stage quite frequently by one Quique Carmona, a good friend of the band. In the period to come, Hardcreams would be seen supporting established international bands such as Bob Catley (of Magnum fame), Vaughn (of Tyketto repute), Jim Peterik (ex-Survivor, Pride Of Lions), and Firehouse…and strengthening their national fanbase with a couple of high-profile festivals such as the 3rd edition of Madrid’s Nemelrock. However, Calling Everywhere had hardly been released when Vinny Records folded, effectively stopping the posibility for the album’s distribution, and leaving Hardreams to their own devices to promote themselves! In spite of this, the band kept their spirits high, even found their current keyboardist Sergi Segarra in this period, and got themselves onto the prestigious Ripollet Rock Festival in August 2006 (where they shared stages with headliner Edguy). Still without a label’s support, the band recorded their sophomore album The Road Goes On between May 2006 and late 2007. Immediately after finishing those recordings, the band signed a deal with Perris Records, whom issued the album in May 2008. Since then, the band’s focused on their live performances, played support to L.A.Guns (Barcelona) and appeared at Madrid’s Melodic Fest event (where the band performed alongside Spain’s most important Hard Rock and AOR bands). To those already in possession of the 2008 album, keep in mind that that recording had seen the band go through some evolution, occasionally resulting in a more direct and powerful, but overall still with the same melodic vein as their earlier work, to which the description of Melodic AOR/ Hard Rock is best fitting. Obviously, that means there’s occasional balladesque moments on Calling Everywhere (check the opening half of “The Right Side Of Mine”, the second part of which has some of the more “aggressive” vocals on the album as well! Just kidding, although Esteve grumbles a bit, don’t expect any growls now!). His voice, by the way, is surprisingly without the accent which often bugs bands from the Mediterranean singing in English! Which means one bonus point on their account! Keyboards go from piano-like stuff, to the usual atmospheric additions (occasionally very beautiful) one might expect with any Melodic Hard Rock act. As bonus track, you get the original demo version of the song “Pain” (also on Calling Everywhere, the demo version is however over 2 minutes longer), and live versions of the tracks “Si Tu Te Vas” (originally by Sangre Azul) and “Two Shots” (which would eventually land on their 2008 album) recorded at the aformementioned Ripollet Rock Festival. Check out (some of) the material at myspace.com/hardreams (and as some tracks off the new album are posted, you can even make some comparison about the band’s growth as a unit) 84/100 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Perrisrecords.com : “Pretty Wild formed in the summer of 2006 in Malmö, Sweden. It started out as a dream of a new era of Arena Rock and turned out to a 4 piece monster machine rocking the stages of the world. During their two years together the band has done numerous shows with tours in Europe and America including legendary Low Angeles stages such as The Roxy Theater and Whisky A Go Go. This is high class kick ass Rock ‘n’ Roll the way it is supposed to be!!! Mixed and produced by Martin Sweet (Crash Diet) and Krizzy Field. For fans of Motley Crüe and Poison.” Well, I have pretty little to add to that! Exccept that the band consists of singer Ivan “Ivve” Höglund, guitarist Krizzy Field (the co-producer mentioned above), bassist Kim Chevélle, and drummer Juhnny Benson. Also, I can tel you that the band most probably ceased to exist after their gig at the Italian Pegorockfestival on May 30th (if they even got that far!), because it’s been since the announcement for that gig that their MySpace page has remained inactive. Pity, because the foursome put down a truly mean Heavy Rock/ Glam. Ivve has a very high but steady high pitch, which is exactly whet the fans like with this kind of music, which was absolutely worthy of being compared to both Motley and Poison (in their heavier mode). I’m a bit surprised to find only 6 original songs on the album, two additional ones coming in an alternate mix of one (a surprising ballad version of “Let The Good Times Roll” which includes making use of orchestrated keyboards and acoustic guitar), and a live version (recorded in L.A.) of another (not quite ideal sound quality, but hey…). I mean, seen the claimed “successes” of the band, one would expect a more elaborate set and track-list, and considering the fact of only 6 originals and a total length of 28:49, one can hardly call this a full-length debut! At any rate, the album is well worth getting if you’re into the aforementioned comparison bands, because even IF this band don’t exist anymore, the album is more than worth getting. Check out ALL six “normal” tracks off this album at myspace.com/prettywildrocks. 92/100 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, Perrisrecords.com provides quite an introduction to one of their band, this time around : “For fans of Foreigner and Bad Company. Seventh Rize was formed in the Fall of 1991 and hails from the rural oil fields of West Texas. Averaging over 200 shows per year, Seventh Rize headlined in clubs and festivals, opened numerous major concerts and was featured artist on several regional radio stations and publications. Seventh Rize has performed shows with the likes of Warrant, Firehouse and White Lion…not to mention several headlining events including a VH1 Special, along with numerous in-store appearances. Seventh Rize also appeared at Rocklahoma 08! Seventh Rize began the next logical step…writing new material. The core writing sessions went extremely well and the band and the band decided to bring back Bobby Rock to produce the new album, Full Moon. The entire recording/ mixing/ mastering process for Full Moon was spread between Texas and Los Angeles. Seventh Rize worked with an outside writer, namely Bruce Turgon from Foreigner. A chemistry which proved successful! The band worked night and day on Full Moon to live up to its motto “Let The Music Do The Talking”. Once Full Moon was complete, Seventh Rize began searching for the “right” label to promote it. The band was set on finding a label that shared their vision and truly lived for Rock-n-Roll music! They found these qualities in Perris records and signed with the label in April 2009. The first single, also the title track, will hit airwaves soon and Full Moon is set for a nation-wide release on July 14, 2009! Seventh Rize will be heavily touring in support of the Full Moon from coast to coast…and maybe beyond! Whatever the case, Seventh Rize is prepared to deliver a unique Arena Rock Experience! Band members are Stacy “Big Daddy” Humphries – vocals, Darin Andersen – guitars, Jerry Stone – guitars, David Hamilton – bass, Sulli – drums/ percussion.” Okay, so here’s the additional info I found (at the band’s MySpace page) : 7th Rize is from Odessa, and started life as a covers band. Only in the Fall of 1995 did they set out for “bigger” goals, and started to write their own material. Of course, those weren’t exactly good days for an American band with their music based firmly in late ‘70s-‘80s Blues Hard Rock (remember Grunge had by then already succeeded in stepping outside the US to destroy music business worldwide). Undaunted, the band started building their own Dean O’s Studio to produce their own music. By chance, Bobby Rock (renowned drummer/ producer) came across the band’s music in 1999 and offered them a production deal for the band’s debut album Visceral Rock. Basic tracks for the recordings were done at Studio 14731 with additional production help from Bob Kulick, and guest contributions by guitarists Brett Garsed (of Nelson) and Neil Zaza. Data were then transferred to Dean O’s Studio, where vocals were performed by Pist.On’s Henry Font, and Rock added extra percussion to spice things up. The album was eventualy released by the band in August 2000…but soon after the band signed an infamous “Indie Deal Gone Bad”, which put the band on an extended vacation. In 2006 founding drummer Sulli and longtime singer Stacy Humphries commited themselves to resurrect the band, which re-issued the Visceral Rock album on May 18, 2007 and that’s when, in the story above, you can find the chronological excerpts starting with”… performed shows with the likes of Warrant, Firehouse…” Very personal notes : although the comparison to Bad Company and Foreigner hold up to a certain point, I daresay SR is somewhat heavier, or rather “harder” is more at its place here. Also, Humphries voice may be somewhat similar to that of Paul Rodgers, but only to a certain extend. So…don’t expect to find no copycat band, but rather a quite original act with strong tendons fixed to that great Bluesy Hard Rock of the late ’70 and ‘80s! Check out some of the music (several tracks of both of the band’s albums) at myspace.com/seventhrize. Nice stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree…or you wouldn’t have bothered to read on thus far. 86/100 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Perrisrecords.com : “Italy’s Glam Sleeze Rockers S.E.X. Department are BACK!!! S.E.X. Department’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide is the follow-up to their debut self-titled CD that rev-ceived rave reviews in the Glam scene in 2007. S.E.X. Department recruited Pedro Ferreira, the ffamed producer of the multi-platinum The Darkness. The album was recorded at the world famous Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, UK (Napalm Death, The Darkness, Simply Mind…). The band will be appearing at the famous clubs in L.A. such as the Vodka Club and the Whisky A Go-Go, and also appearing at the biggest festivals such as Rocklahoma, Rock Gone Wild (more about thàt at bottom page) and various clubs nationwide. For more informations, visit…” (Which is exactly what I did) So, S.E.X. Department (or SD) consists of the trio of singer/ guitarist Kelly “Trash” Mendess, bassist/ backing singer Nasty Lane, and drummer/ backing singer Justin Sandler and as they hail from the Venezian town Caorle in Italy, I can only asume those are stage names. No idea when exactly they formed, but they self-released their debut single Lost Boys in 2005, following that up with the full-length Night Club 666 that same year. This attracted the attention of Perris Records who, after having tracks by the band on the 2006 and 2007 compilations Perris Network and Hollywood Hairspray, issued the band’s self-titled official debut album in 2007. Apparently, the threesome’s already visited the US last year on their Spaghetti Glam Rock USA Tour 2008. Well, as mentioned above, this Italian trio is into Glam Sleeze Hard Rock, but quite a few of the 9 songs (the album closer a remix for dance halls of the band’s self-titled album’s title track) have a balladesque feel about ‘em (check “Back My Uniform”, “Don’t You Chance My Life”, “Memories Of The Sea”) in their rendition (some real nice harmonic backings in the first two, by the way). What bugs me personally, is the fact that the lead singer quite frequently switches his high-pitch vocals into falcetto ones, occasionally even exagerates those to the extreme (check album opener “Heroin” and that album closer), when in fact his “own” voice is rather nice! Proof of which is found in the keyboard-opened “Wasted In Texas”, the ballad “Don’t Change My Life” (where the falcetto is kept in check somewhat) and “L’Italiano” which, as the title suggests, is sung in Italian. Overall not a bad album at all, as far as 3-piece Sleeze Rock goes, and the vocal aproach certainly gives the band a face of its own. Check out whether you like by listening to the mp3-files posted at myspace.com/sexdepartment. In last news, the band went over to the US again this Summer, with dates in Hollywood (Whisky A Go-Go again), Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa…and got ripped off paying their fee to play at the Rock Gone Wild festival, which was cancelled only a couple of weeks before the event. Currently, the case is prepared for a law suit against the organizers. Five of the bands that had to “pay to play” on that event, have joined forces to bring something back to their disappointed fans (tickets were sold, plans were made, air plane tickets bought, etc…) in the form of a free download sampler which they dubbed Rockers Gone Wild Compilation. On it are songs from old projects, unreleased demo tracks, and songs off new albums. Check it out at (www.) myspace.com/rockersgonewild. Meanwhile, it kinda looks like our Italian boys have taken up permanent residence in Los Angeles: they played at the Sunset Strip’s Key Club in support of none other than Doro on Sept. 20, and have currently a show booked at the Babylon Club in Fresno…on Dec. 18! 84/100 Tony. |
