Album Reviews

TRUCKER DIABLO – ‘SOCIAL HAND GRENADE’

Trucker Diablo have unleashed their career-best album to date: a collection of songs that showcase their fine ear for melody, their skill at song arrangement and the natural talent for recording songs that will effortlessly translate into crowd pleasers during a live set.

Thieves of Liberty – ‘Shangri-La’

This album feels like it’s been a long time coming – but, rest assured, what’s about to land is well worth the wait.

QUIREBOYS – ‘WARDOUR STREET’

There’s something so innately positive about this Quireboys album project. On stage, you can tell the boys are having so much fun. From the pre-show gatherings and interviews, there’s lots of laughs and good spirits.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE – ‘I’M NOT BROKEN’

Authentic. If I had to describe Melissa Etheridge in one word.

FISH – ‘VIGIL IN A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS’ (2024 REMIX EDITION)

Full circle. As Fish prepares to retire from rock music, he leaves us with a fresh and reinvigorated take on his first solo album.

Scarlet Rebels – ‘Where The Colours Meet’

For fans of classic rock, ‘Where The Colours Meet’ is set to become one of the most emphatic and cohesive album releases of 2024.

CALUM INGRAM – ‘THE MAN’

Sometimes though you need to go off-piste, embrace the unknown, be excited by what’s different and remember what it really feels like to be alive. ‘The Man’ from Calum Ingram will do this to your music collection.

AMONGST LIARS –‘BY DESIGN’

With ‘Design,’ Amongst Liars just go up another level, as the anger of the ‘Black Days’ era is now superseded by channelled rage for album two...

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.