Album Reviews

Ellis Mano Band - Access All Areas

ELLIS MANO BAND: ‘LIVE – ACCESS ALL AREAS’

Ellis Mano Band have been firm listener favourites with Great Music Stories for some years now. They’ve had two previous albums of the month, and then ‘Single of the Year’ for a song that was never actually a single, but magically – and totally organically - generated a massive groundswell of requests that kept it on the rockshow playlist for a year...

JACK J HUTCHINSON –‘BATTLES’

As 2023 drew to a close, the rock community was greatly saddened by the news Tony Clarkin shared on his rare spinal condition and the band’s decision to cancel their 2024 tour dates. Over the Christmas period, I spent time returning to some of Magnum’s live albums - ‘The Spirit’, ‘Stronghold’ and the famous Symphony Hall release, three live releases that define the essence of Magnum as one of the great and enduring live bands.

MAGNUM – ‘HERE COMES THE RAIN’

As 2023 drew to a close, the rock community was greatly saddened by the news Tony Clarkin shared on his rare spinal condition and the band’s decision to cancel their 2024 tour dates. Over the Christmas period, I spent time returning to some of Magnum’s live albums - ‘The Spirit’, ‘Stronghold’ and the famous Symphony Hall release, three live releases that define the essence of Magnum as one of the great and enduring live bands.

EMPYRE ‘RELENTLESS’

Following a mini review earlier this year, 2023 finished with us calling this modern-day opus as Album of the Year. ‘Relentless’ is the remarkable second studio album from one of British’s most accomplished rising rock bands – Empyre.

Violet Blend – ‘Live And True’

Looking back, it’s hard to understand how Violet Blend’s ‘Demons’ didn’t quite make Album of the Month – so its second time lucky, I guess.

BAD TOUCH – ‘BITTERSWEET SATISFACTION’

It’s quite possible that all roads in the Bad Touch story have led to this point. With ‘Bittersweet Satisfaction’ Bad Touch have served up their career-best album: the album that sees them take on the mantle as the UK’s ultimate feel-good rock‘n’roll band.

Promethium: ‘Bleeding The Ghost’

Honest rock. The sound of a band of brothers playing music in a room together. Playing the music they want to play. Enjoying it. And releasing it without any filters, window dressing or hype. Welcome to the world of Promethium.

COPPERWORM – ‘PILOT’

‘Pilot’ came out a few months ago, but this album review was always going to happen because it says something about the journey of a band - and also the need for diversity and conformity-breakers in the rising rock scene.

The Dust Coda: ‘Loco Paradise’

How does this compare to the previous two Dust Coda albums? This is probably the question every Dust Coda fan will ask in the weeks ahead - but it’s possibly also the wrong question.

LUKE MORLEY – ‘SONGS FROM THE BLUE ROOM’

Out of the blue, Luke Morley serves up the perfect album to watch the sun go down to this summer.

THE BLUESBONES – ‘UNCHAINED’

Spontaneous, fresh and from the heart. When a band of musicians have really got it, you feel it. Simple as that.

Twisted Illusion: ‘Upstairs To Optimism’

If success in rock music was all about musical merit, technical ability and good arrangement then this band would already be huge.

April Albums Review

For April, I have found it extremely difficult to choose Album of the Month – and this is often the real challenge with just picking one album a month to review.

Ellis Mano Band – ‘Luck Of the Draw’

Imagine Joe Cocker, Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Toto and Chris Rea all having an impromptu late-night jam – the result might sound a bit like the new studio album from Ellis Mano Band – out on 24th February.

DeadBlondeStars – Metamorphosis

This new album is a powerhouse – the definition of hard rock for a modern age, with a brooding darkness, raw menace and tension that fits the troubled times we live in. 

JD SIMO – ‘SONGS FROM THE HOUSE OF GREASE’

Authenticity over invention, truth over hype – we start 2023 with a studio album that takes us right back to the roots of rock n roll and blues; a performance album where the honesty and the skill of great playing reminds us what the heart and soul of guitar music is all about.

Wolf Moon – ‘How Do You See Yourself?’

This is an album I enjoyed on vinyl, and I wrote some thoughts as the music was playing, attempting to capture how the music made me feel.

Amongst Liars – ‘Special Celebration Edition’

To mark their 12-month run as Band of the Year, Amongst Liars release a new limited edition CD album, which celebrates their evolution through lockdown to the present day.