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The special edition featuring the Frontiers Rock Festival guide pluse reviews.

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Page 1: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73
Page 2: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73
Page 3: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

The official Frontiers Music s.r.l. magazine

Editor-in-chief: Elio BordiConcept, Graphics & Design: Elio BordiWriters: Bruce E.J. Atkinson, Duncan Jamieson, Barry McMinn,Vitale Nocerino, Rob “Ezy” Bone, Primo Bonali.

Headquarters and general contacts:Frontiers Records - Via Gonzaga 1880125, Napoli - ItalyTel: +39.081.2399340/7753Fax: +39.081.2399794E-mail: [email protected]: www.frontiers.itFacebook: facebook.com/frontiersmusicsrlTwitter: twitter.com/FrontiersMusic1Editor and publisher: Frontiers Records s.r.l.

Copyright©2016 Frontiers Records. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibit-

ed. Printed in Italy.

Page 4: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

Il calcio d’inizio della terza edizione del Frontiers Rock Festival lodaranno i NO HOT ASHES, una Melodic Rock band formata nei primianni 80 a Belfast. Siglati nel 1988 alla GWR Records (etichetta – tra glialtri – di Motorhead, Sword, Girlschool e Lita Ford), i NO HOT ASHES,dopo alcuni gig in supporto a Mama’s Boys e Magnum, furonocostretti a sciogliersi, in seguito a vari problemi con la label chenon pubblicò mai il loro esordio. Uno ad uno i membri della bandtornarono in Irlanda del Nord. Sorprendentemente sono ritornatiinsieme nel 2013, per uno show di tributo ad uno dei più noti club Rockdi Belfast, il “Rosetta” e anche per ricordare il loro manager, che nelfrattempo era deceduto prematuramente. Evidentemente si sonodivertiti parecchio, e non sono riusciti più a fermarsi… visto che dal-l’inizio del 2014 sono apparsi in gig di supporto nientemeno che adAerosmith, Foreigner, FM ed UFO! Hanno anche suonato in variFestival in Gran Bretagna tra cui l’Hard Rock Hell AOR, il Download,il London Calling, il Ramblin' Man, lo Steelhouse e buon ultimo ilRockingham lo scorso ottobre! Suonano e si sentono ancora moltolegati alle sonorità anni 80… Così dopo aver registrato alcuni demo,la band ha mandato il materiale alla Frontiers, che ha apprezzatomolto quello che ha ascoltato (musica con forti radici nel BritishMelodic Rock à la FM, Heartland, Def Leppard e un tocco di Bon Jovi).Frontiers li ha così messi sotto contratto e il debut album sarà final-mente disponibile in tempo per il Festival!

Kicking off the Third edition of Frontiers Rock Festival is NOHOT ASHES: a melodic rock group who formed in early ‘80’s inBelfast. The band got signed to GWR Records in 1988 (label ofMotorhead, Sword, Girlschool and Lita Ford among others),but after supporting the likes of Mama’s Boys and Magnum,some problems with getting their debut album released,brought dissolution and one-by-one band members returnedhome to Northern Ireland. They eventually got back togeth-er in 2013 to pay tribute to one of the most well known rockclubs in Belfast, called the Rosetta and to their late managerwho passed away. Apparently they enjoyed playing again somuch… they couldn’t stop and since the beginning of 2014they’ve supported Aerosmith, Foreigner, FM and UFO plusplayed the Hard Rock Hell AOR, Download, London Calling,Ramblin' Man and Steelhouse festivals and most recentlyRockingham! They still sound and feel like a classic 80’s rockband and after tracking new demos, the band sent the materi-al to Frontiers who loved what they heard (strongly rootedin the classic tradition of British Melodic Rock à la FM,Heartland, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi) and signed them for therelease of a new record which will be available by the Festival!

April 23

3,00pm

35 min.

Page 5: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

| 5 |

April 23

3,50pm

45 min.

Da anni Svezia e Finlandia continuano a sfornare talenti a

ripetizione in ambito Hard, Street e Melodic Rock. Non fanno

eccezione i SHIRAZ LANE, quintetto formatosi ad Helsinki nel

2011, autore di un sound frizzante ed energico, che – partendo

dalla lezione americana dei noti maestri Skid Row,

Guns'n'Roses ed Aerosmith in primis – riesce ad essere personale

e di grande impatto. Composta da musicisti giovani ma con già

una buona esperienza live alle spalle,

la band finlandese è attualmente in studio per registrare il

debut-album, in uscita nel 2016 in coincidenza con la loro

apparizione al “Frontiers Rock Festival”.

Un uragano di energia sul primo giorno del Festival. Fatevi

trovare pronti!

During the last few years, Sweden and Finland contributed

with a vast amount of amazing bands to the Hard, Street and

Melodic Rock international scene. Shiraz Lane makes no

exception. An up-and-coming, ambitious, authentic Hard Rock

group formed during 2011, in Helsinki, their sound is bombas-

tic, energetic and also pretty unique, although evidently

inspired by bands like Skid Row, Guns'n'Roses and The Darkness.

Despite their young age (the guys are in their early twenties),

they are already veterans of the underground circuit in

their homeland and have developed a reputation for being

uncompromising, loud, but, most of all, genuine. The band is

currently in studio recording the debut-album, scheduled

for a Spring 2016 release. The nordic hurricane is coming...

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| 6 |

April 22

4,50pm

50 min.

Una assoluta prima mondiale.

Nati da un’idea di Serafino Perugino, Presidente di Frontiers,

come una collaborazione tra l'incredibile singer Robbie

LaBlanc (Blanc Faces) ed il talentuoso songwriter/producer e

multistrumentista svedese Daniel Flores (Angelica, The Murder

of My Sweet, Seventh Wonder), i FIND ME sono già diventati una

tra le realtà più interessanti ed apprezzate della attuale

scena AOR mondiale. Con un album all'attivo, “Wings of Love”

del 2013 (che ha ricevuto un incredibile feedback da stampa e

fans) ed il nuovo bellissimo “Dark Angel” (dallo stile già

descritto come “un incrocio tra Giant e Journey”), in uscita il

4 dicembre 2015, il duo ha ora messo in piedi una vera e propria

band e non vede l'ora di presentare il proprio repertorio dal

vivo. Il Frontiers Rock Festival sarà il loro battesimo di

fuoco; non potevamo chiedere di meglio...

A worldwide live premiere.

Put together by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino with

the vision of unleashing a true AOR behemoth, FIND ME is a

collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and

producer Daniel Flores (Angelica, The Murder of My Sweet,

Seventh Wonder) and singer Robbie LaBlanc (Blanc Faces).

FIND ME’s debut album, “Wings of Love” of 2013 received excel-

lent reviews and fans were begging for more music from the

duo. So, new music will be finally delivered on December 4,

2015, via the brand new studio album “Dark Angel” (with a style

that sits in between the classic sound of Journey and Giant).

With a great backing band behind the duo, FIND ME is now

ready for the live-debut at Frontiers Rock Festival. AOR fans

couldn't ask for anything more exciting...

Page 7: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

| 7 |

Formed in Cambridge, UK in 2008, the TREATMENT are a real live

“war machine”. They have played in the past few years in sup-

port of top acts such as Motley Crue, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Thin

Lizzy and W.A.S.P., besides a few headlining tours in their home

country. They are one of the youngest bands to be signed on

the Frontiers label, yet the british quintet released already 2

albums, which gathered very good success especially in Great

Britain. Musically thay have been compared to Ac/Dc, The

Cult and Aerosmith, even if their style is truly unique for the

use of hooks and melodies. Energic and outrageous,

The TREATMENT will show the Frontiers Rock Festival crowd

their own stab at Rock’n’Roll!

Formati a Cambridge, UK, nel 2008, i The TREATMENT sono una

vera e propria “macchina da guerra” live; hanno, infatti,

suonato, in questi anni, con top stars del calibro di Motley

Crue, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy e W.A.S.P., oltre ad

intraprendere vari tour come headliners, in madrepatria.

Tra le bands più giovani accasate con Frontiers, il quintetto

inglese ha già pubblicato due album di buon successo, soprat-

tutto in Gran Bretagna. Musicalmente sono stati paragonati

ad Ac/Dc, The Cult ed Aerosmith, anche se il loro stile è piut-

tosto unico e inconfondibile e fa uso di linee melodiche ed

hooks molto accattivanti. Energici ed oltraggiosi, i The

TREATMENT mostreranno al pubblico del Frontiers Rock

Festival il loro particolare modo di intendere il

Rock'n'Roll...

April 23

6,00pm

60 min.

Page 8: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

| 8 |

Formati nel 1986 dall’ex tastierista di American Tears, Touch, eMichael Bolton Mark Mangold, insieme al vocalist e chitar-rista Al Fritsch (ex TZR), i Drive She Said sono davvero unaleggenda tra i fan di AOR e Melodic Rock in Europa. Il lorodebut album (che vedeva la partecipazione di guest del cali-bro di Aldo Nova, Tony Bruno, Bob e Bruce Kulick (Kiss), KennyAronoff, Benny Mardones, Fiona ed altri) è ancora consider-ato una delle pietre miliari AOR della decade d’oro delgenere. Il disco divenne un oggetto da culto in GranBretagna e così la band si accasò con la Music For Nations,con la quale pubblicò altri due notevoli dischi. Più tardi – afine anni 90 - entra in gioco la Frontiers, pubblicando altridue album della band e coinvolgendo anche Mangold nelsupergruppo THE SIGN (insieme con Terry Brock, RandyJackson, Billy Greer e Bobby Rondinelli). I Drive She Said sonotornati adesso a tutta forza e stanno registrando un nuovodisco che vedrà la luce nella primavera del 2016. Lo show cheverrà proposto sarà davvero specialissimo, visto che insieme aMangold e Fritsch, alcuni ospiti speciali saliranno on stage!Continuate a guardare questo spazio per altre info! Sarà unacelebrazione gioiosa di una della più eccitanti band diMelodic Rock!

Formed in 1986 by former the former American Tears, Touch,and Michael Bolton keyboard player Mark Mangold, togeth-er with vocalist/guitarist Al Fritsch (ex TZR), Drive She Saidare a true legend amount the AOR and Melodic Rock fans inEurope. Their debut album (which featured guest appearancesby artists such as multi-instrumentalist Aldo Nova, TonyBruno, Bob and Bruce Kulick (Kiss), Kenny Aronoff, BennyMardones, Fiona and many others) is still ranked as one ofthe most exciting AOR releases of the decade! It soon becamea bit of a cult in the UK and the band managed to release twomore albums with british label MFN. Then – a few years later –Frontiers came in the picture and released 2 more albumswith the band, plus involved Mangold in the SIGN supergroup(together with members of Zebra, Rainbow, Kansas andStrangeways). Drive She Said are now back full force and arerecording a new album which will see the light of day in thespring of 2016. The Festival show will be very special as – alongwith Mangold and Fritsch – some very special guest willappear ! Watch this space for more info! It is going to be a joy-ous celebration of one of the most exciting bands in MelodicRock!

April 23

7,20pm

60 min.

Page 9: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73
Page 10: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

Il loro ultimo lavoro in studio, “Coup De Grace”, è considera-to da molti come il migliore Melodic Rock album del 2010 edha riportato il nome dei TREAT alla ribalta, dopo vari anni incui Robert Ernlund & compagni avevano deciso di abban-donare le scene musicali. Per la gioia di tutti i melodic rock-ers, in concomitanza con la release di quell'album, la bandsvedese ha ripreso anche l'attività live, che li ha visti protag-onisti su svariati palchi europei (tra cui il tedesco “Bang YourHead Festival” e l'inglese “Firefest”) nonché giapponesi; dotatidi grande tecnica strumentale (in particolare il funamboli-co drummer Jamie Borger ed il guitar-wizard AndersWickstrom) e con un potente singer come il già citato RobertErnlund, i TREAT forniscono uno spettacolo davvero unicoed esplosivo in veste live. Dopo la forzata defezione alla sec-onda edizione del “Frontiers Rock Festival”, la band svedese ètornata più motivata e decisa che mai, con un nuovo album instudio, in uscita su Frontiers Records nella primavera del 2016,e la ripresa dell'attività live. Ci avevano lasciato con lapromessa di vederci presto. E le promesse vanno mantenute...

Their last studio-album, “Coup De Grace”, was acclaimed as

one of the best Melodic Hard Rock albums of 2010 and

brought TREAT back to the scene, after a few years in which

the swedish musicians put the band on hiatus. After the

release of that record, TREAT came back full force in the live

activities and their shows proved to be thunderous and

explosive (as german “Bang Your Head Festival” and british

“Firefest” attendees might confirm). With an incredible musi-

cianship (with a special mention for drummer Jamie Borger

and guitar-wizard Anders Wikström) and a powerful yet

ultra-melodic singer like Robert Ernlund, TREAT is a rock-

'n'roll brigade, a force of nature. After having been forced

to cancel their participation at Frontiers Rock Festival II,

the swedish band is now even stronger and tighter than ever,

with a new studio album scheduled for a spring release on

Frontiers Records. They left us with a promise... and promises

are meant to be kept... catch them live and get ready for their

“coup de grace”!

| 10 |

April 23

8,45pm

75 min.

Page 11: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

Per gli appassionati di Hard Rock ed Heavy Metal, “Last In Line”

significa molto: è il nome di uno degli album più belli della sto-

ria di questo genere, un disco uscito nel 1984 e che si colloca

tra i capolavori a nome Ronnie James Dio. Il 16 maggio 2010, il

singer di origini italiane ci ha purtroppo lasciato, dopo avere

combattuto una dura battaglia contro un cancro allo stom-

aco, decretando di fatto la fine dei DIO. Quasi 30 anni dopo, la

band autrice della trilogia iniziale dei DIO si è riunita nella

sua formazione originale, comprensiva di Vivian Campbell (ora

chitarrista dei Def Leppard), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath) e

Jimmy Bain (Rainbow), con l'aggiunta del potentissimo vocalist

Andrew Freeman, con l'intento di scrivere un'altra pagina

leggendaria nella storia della musica Hard Rock! Nonostante

la recente scomparsa di Jimmy Bain, la band si esibirà comunque

anche per tributare la memoria del band mate scomparso.

Con il nuovo disco in uscita a Febbraio, la band si esibirà al

“Frontiers Rock Festival” con uno show esclusivo per l’Europa,

nel quale verranno presentati brani nuovi di zecca insieme ad

alcuni immortali classici del repertorio. Un’occasione unica!

“Last In Line” means so much for all Hard Rock and Heavy

Metal music lovers: it's the title of one of the best albums

ever released in this genre, a true masterpiece that Ronnie

James Dio and his band gave his fans in 1984. On May 16, 2010,

the popular singer lost his battle against cancer and the

band DIO ended its glorious story. Some 30 years later, the

band that created the initial trilogy of DIO albums reunit-

ed in its original line-up (comprising of Def Leppard gui-

tarist Vivian Campbell, drummer Vinny Appice and bassist

Jimmy Bain, plus the powerhouse new singer Andrew

Freeman) with the purpose to write another legendary

chapter in the history of Hard Rock music!

Notwithstanding he recent unfortunate passing of Jimmy

Bain, the band will anyway perform as a tribute to the mem-

ory of their unfortunate band mate. With a studio-album

coming out in February, the band will perform at the

Frontiers Rock Festival with an exclusive show for Europe

where they will play brand new songs and some immortal

classics from the repertoire. A unique show!

April 23

10,30pm

90 min.

| 11 |

Page 12: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

TREAT “Ghost of Graceland”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)After the well-received ‘Coup De Grace’in 2012 (at one point it was to be theirlast) , any follow up from the Swedishmelodic rocks needed to be very special.Fortunately this CD is. It doesn’t bangyou on the head initially in the way itspredecessor did. Instead, it’s more subtleand takes more time to get under yourskin, but it does if you let it. Treat havealways had an eye on the competition andtheir sound has changed through theyears, toughening up as the 80s went onand with ‘Coup de Grace’ they showedthe new wave of Scandinavian rockbands they could match them in terms oftunes and energy. What has neverchanged though is their ability to peninsanely catchy, multi-layered chorusesthat are the epitome of Scandi melodicrock. The production includes riffs, key-boards and strings to add variety anddepth. The tougher ‘I Don’t Miss TheMisery’ and ‘Inferno’, the big chorus of‘Better The Devil’, the modern teenappeal of ‘Do Your Own Stunts’, thedefiant ‘Too Old To Die Young’ and theterrific ballad ‘Together Alone’ are justsome of the highlights on a consistentlystrong album. (DJ 92/100)

SHIRAZ LANE “For Crying Out

Loud” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.)Like a bat out hell comes Finland’s ShirazLane with their no nonsense Sleaze drivenHard Rock. Like all good bands Shiraz Lanemade their mark in the clubs of Finland withtheir take no prisoners approach. Such wasthe buzz of their two track single in 2014 andthe subsequent EP release in 2015, that theyhave become a darlings of the undergroundscene, with support slots alongside SantaCruz throughout Finland. That resulted in adeal with Frontiers Records Srl for this theirdebut album. For an old Hair Metal andSleaze fan who grew up with likes of Crue,LA Guns and the like, it’s great to hear theScandinavian quarter once again bringingback this sleazy driven rock to the masses,including those new young fans and ofcourse, us older ones who still pine for thosehedonistic days of old. This album delivers onso many areas it’s hard to pick out individualtracks. It’s like trying to pick your favouritechild. But if I had to then ‘House of Cards’,the single ‘Wake Up’, the groove filled‘Mental Slavery’ and the closer ‘M.L.N.W.’with its LA Guns feel would have to some ofthe many, many highlights I’d choose. This isa great album and with the band also appear-ing at this years Frontiers Fest, I for one willbe heading down the front to catch theseguys! (BM 96/100)

DRIVE, SHE SAID “Pedal to the

Metal” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.)‘Pedal To The Metal’ is long awaited truecomeback album for Drive She Said. TheMangold / Fritsh duo finally came out oftheir hiatus and were united for this stunningslice of pure Melodic Rock gold. ‘Petal tothe Metal’ may have a title that squeals HardRock or even Metal, but fear not, the duohave stuck to what they know best, goodhook filled Melodic Rock. The opener‘Touch’ really gets the ball rolling. A greatdriven lick opens things up and from here onin, there is no turning back. Things continuewith the title track as a massive keyboardintro really brings that melody rich rock weknow and love to the forefront. The albumcontinues to impress with the likes of the bal-lad ‘Said It All’, the dirty riff rocker ‘WritingOn The Wall’, the powerful and epic feeling‘Rain Of Fire’ and ‘IM The Nyte’ showinga diversity of duo and their willingness totake the genre ever forward, before closingwith another great ballad ‘All I Wanna Do’.This may have been a long time coming, butthis has been well worth the wait and is oneof the standout albums in the genre this year.I can’t wait to see the band performing liveat this year’s Frontiers Rock Festival. (BM95/100)

MIDNIGHT ETERNAL

“S / T”

(Ulterium Records)This is a debut symphonic

metal album, not from Europe

as you might expect but from

the U.S. The music is solid,

well played, the guitar work is

fluid and melodic. The drums

rarely let up on the double

bass drum while keyboards

add orchestral pomp over the

top. So far fairly typical, but

it’s the voice of Raine Hilai

that makes them stand out.

She is a classically trained

soprano and has been involved

in musical theatre which is

what comes through here. She

has very high pitched vocals

which add an unusually poppy

element amidst the metal,

reminding me of 90s artist

Leah Andreone. This voice

will split opinion I’m sure;

some will love it and some

will hate it. Personally, I felt it

was at times at odds with the

music. Nevertheless ‘Signs of

Fire’ has a good hook as does

the lengthy title track which

closes the record. ‘Lantern’

shows a more folk approach

where Raine Hilai duets with a

male vocal and the hard riffing

‘Like An Eternity’ are the

highlights. If not convinced by

symphonic metal this won’t

change your opinion but for

fans of Nightwish and Delain

this is worth checking out. DJ

(82/100)

eviews

R

THE DEFIANTS “S/T”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)How far does a suggestion from the President ofFrontiers Music go? It goes all across the globe,as The new group “The Defiants” has beenformed out of the ashes of a very popular bandfrom the late 80’s and 90’s! Three former bandmates of “Danger Danger” have started to worktogether, as a result of a suggestion fromSerafino Perugino.Paul Laine, best known forhis Vocal Work with ‘Danger Danger’ hasreunited with Bruno Ravel, and Rob Marcelloand invited Van Romaine to join and keep thisnew musical heart beating! The self titled debutis certainly not ‘Danger Danger’ under a differ-ent name… It may come from the same musi-cal space, but indeed it is a progression, a maturemusical organ, one that creates gloriousrhythms and pulsating beats capped with soar-ing vocals! Bruno’s keyboards are the work ofa Master, and he doubles on Bass as well! Thelead fret work of Mr. Marcello just elevates thesuper sonics we hear on this collection! And, ofcourse Paul Laine’s pipes wear so well, he hitsevery note in his vast vocal range… Perfectly!It is grand to hear these three working togetheragain! Offering us more of that huge sound thatplayed so well in the late 1980’s and the 90’s!Now, speaking of playing, “The Defiants” areready for the road, beginning with a specialappearance at the Frontiers Annual RockFestival in late April. (BA 98/100)

HUMAN FORTRESS

“Thieves of the Night”

(AFM Records) After being forged by fire andalmost being fatally burned inthe process “Human Fortress”made a spectacular return tothe Melodic Metal scene.“Thieves Of The Night” hitsthe scene full of power and isuncompromising. Standingstrong and true, this thegroup’s fifth full length albumhas a clear message: “HumanFortress” is back and back tostay! “Thieves Of The Night”continues in the same vein as2013’s “Raided Land”, featur-ing new vocalist GusMonsanto. This new albumfinds Gus cementing his influ-ence on the band, and we havetwelve very powerful Metaljewels that border on Epic!With such musical journeys as“Smite On The Anvil”, LastPrayer To The Lord” and, ofcourse, others, the messagesare crystal clear and as power-ful as the music containedwithin! Melodic Metal reignssupreme in the grooves of thisrecord, all with the power andmajesty of each musician’s tal-ents. “Thieves Of The Night”doesn’t let up, the group fireson all six cylinders, creatingtorrents of Rock forged by fireand tinged with Metal! So2013 may have been theirreturn, now 2016 will showtheir supremacy within theMelodic Metal kingdom andhopefully for years to come!BA (90/100)

UNIVERSAL MIND

PROJ. “The Jaguar Priest”

(Ulterium Records)Over the past few years theworld of Metal has seen a defi-nite rise in the number of topquality Melodic / Power-Metalbands and now a new band isready to make their mark, theyare Universal Mind Project. Thewhole thing was started off byguitarist and composer MichaelAlexander, with his vision tobring together musicians fromall around the globe for this col-laboration, which includes asolid core of Elina Laivera andHenrik Båth on vocals, MichaelAlexander on guitars and growlsand Alex on drums. There’sadditional input from the likes ofNils K Rue, Mark Jansen,Charlie Dominici, Mike Lepond,Diego Valdez and more! Thisalbum debut album stands upagainst any of its peers, as a oneof the finest debuts in recentyears in this genre. The mix duelvocals with the odd growl fromthe guitarist, really brings togeth-er the Power-Metal elementswith the more Melodic Metal ina tight powerful package. Fromthe opener ‘Anthem ForFreedom’ to the excellent‘Awakened By The Light(Universal Mind)’, to the closer‘Xibalba’ and all points inbetween, this band has a greatfuture and will make their markfor sure in 2016. If you’re intobig riffing Metal with powerdriven bass lines and duelvocals, then this is the album foryou. BM (85/100)

SABATON

“Heroes On Tour”

(Nuclear Blast)The Swedish power metallerscome to shock and awe onthis live CD/DVD. The bandof choice for tank comman-dants everywhere, they blastout their war themed metalanthems to a large Wackenaudience. At the beginning ofthe show lead singer JoakimBrodén announces. “We playheavy metal” which of courseis true but if you strippedaway the pyrotechnics andguitar histrionics what youfind are folk songs that sol-diers would sing in unison inan ale house before headingoff to battle. What would thatsound like? A lot like thisWacken audience who singheartily, adding an extradimension to the record.There were concerns whenthree-fifths of the band wentAWOL before the making oftheir last studio album‘Heroes’. The faithful need-n’t have worried as their mis-sion stays the same. ThobbeEnglund, Chris Rörland andHannes van Dahl have therequisite firepower neces-sary, and songs like ‘To HellAnd Back’, ‘Panzerkampf’,and ‘Primo Victoria’ have theaudience waving their whiteflags in submission.Unmistakably European, abit bonkers and likely toappease those already con-scripted to their cause. DJ(88/100)

METAL CHURCH

“XI”

(Nuclear Blast)Following the split-up with

singer Ronny Munroe, in 2013,

after the release fo the success-

ful “Generation Nothing”, the

best news for any fan of the

band arrived when it was

announced that Mike Howe

decided to rejoin METAL

CHURCH. Howe played with

the band in the late 80’s and

released with them three

acclaimed albums, such as “The

Human Factor”, “Blessing In

Disguise” and “Hanging In The

Balance”. Recorded in the sum-

mer of 2015 at Kurdt

Vanderhoof’s studio in

Aberdeen, Washington, “XI”

features 11 great tracks of pure

US Speed-Power Metal that

will let any fan of the band

happy and proud of their heroes.

In Kurdt's own words “Mike’s

voice sounds the same as it did

two decades ago when we were

writing The Human Factor and

the band is about as tight as you

can possibly get”. A band that

never abandoned its own sound

and still sounds fresh and heavy

as in the '80s - '90s, Metal

Church new effort shows the

Metal-world how they can still

write a very good “old school”

Heavy Metal album without

compromising. PB (85/100)

RECKLESS LOVE

“InVader”

(AOR Heaven)Upon listening the press

release is Spot On! Opening

with “We Are The Weekend”:

‘InVader’ simply boils! A vast

and varied collection of origi-

nals, “Reckless Love” stretch-

es each and every strength they

have! Their collective talents

shine through with a capital

‘S’! This record shows the

group embracing a variety of

musical styles and melding

them into their own version of

Melodic Hard Rock. The lead-

off single; “Monster” is a very

fine example of this type of

mixing musical styles. A song

that will sit most contentedly

in several ‘Music-Charts’.

This fourth effort also shows

the group flexing their musical

muscles in such a way that

should result in expanding

their audience. “Child Of The

Sun” also displays the group’s

keen sense of expanding their

own musical borders in fact

this song may just turn out to

be another major break-

through! “InVader” is a rol-

licking musical journey one

full of surprises and chalk full

of catchy rhythms and memo-

rable performances! I will

even go as far as to write:

“InVader” is a Hard Rock

album in which you haven’t

heard hard rock played like

this before! BA (90/100)

Page 13: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

CIRCUS MAXIMUS “Havoc”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)“Havoc”, the fourth effort from these fiveprogressive minded musicians is a verypolished musical affair. Opening with“The Weight” we are taken on a musicaljourney that is vast in scope, and this justkeeps flowing from one musical move-ment to another. Creating a virtual oceanof sonic brilliance with ‘cut to the chase’lyrical content. “Havoc” must be listenedto, and intently so. These five blend lightand dark so expertly, giving us an explo-sion of musical colours and shades. Eachmovement is both compelling and immer-sive. Melody also plays a very importantpart, as each piece, whether it is heavy oron the lighter side: is central to melody.“Pages” is full of power, and hard hitting,yet a melodic river flows through the songthat keeps everything moving forward.What we hear on this recorded Work isdefinitely Progressive, yet not at all sterile.Like mentioned, many musical shades arepresent and all wrapped up in warmth andemotion! The group’s label feel that“Havoc” could become ‘Album Of TheYear’ in Progressive circles my thoughtsgo a little further, whereas, quite possiblethese five could take that honour in theHard and Melodic Rock circles as well! Atthe very least, “Circus Maximus” will cer-tainly create some “Havoc” this year!!But all in a good way! (BA 92/100)

THE TREATMENT “Generation

Me” (Frontiers Music s.r.l.)“Generation Me” is the brand neweffort from UK Rockers, “TheTreatment”. Sporting a revised line-upwith new Vocalist, Mitchel Emms, andGuitarist Tao Grey, what we are aboutto hear on this, the group’s third effort,is a fuller and stronger sound. Openingwith “Let It Begin” the group soundsrevitalised! They have fully exploredthe hardened Blues/Rock plateau andin the process, unearthed some spec-tacular gems! Including “Tell Us TheTruth”, “Cry Tough” and the title cut“Generation Me”. Almost a tough newsound, this effort will further advance“The Treatment’s career, and to max-imise the opportunities that lie beforethis five piece, they are celebratingtheir new relationship with Frontierswith this, their first, for the label. Acollection of eleven numbers that willcertainly delight. Tasty licks surround-ed by a pulsating back-rhythm, andemotively wrought vocalisations thatwill keep any listener enthralled!“Generation Me”…a finely executedslice of Melodic Hard Rock from fiveUK musicians thought certainly livethe Blues. Get ready to get yourTreatment!! (BA 90/100)

LORDS OF BLACK “II”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)The news that Ronnie Romero is tofront Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow fortheir forthcoming shows has drawnattention to these Spanish power met-allers. Although Romero has a big,strong voice that’s not what makes theimmediate impression on their sopho-more release. It’s the thunderous drums,razor sharp riffing and crystal clearmodern production from RolandGrapow that impress. A few tinklingkeys in the background add some lightto the otherwise dark, intense onslaught.There’s some fine guitar work fromTony Hernando on ‘Merciless’, ‘TheGhost Of You’ which starts withacoustic guitar before getting seriouslyheavy and the blistering ‘Shadows OfWar’ that closes the record. You canhear why Blackmore might have chosenRomero listening to a track like ‘Cry NoMore’ which has a Dio gravitas about it.He has a gruff metal delivery but alsopossesses an impressive range.‘Everything You’re Not’ and ‘TheWasteland’ have good hooks butdespite other tracks snorting and growl-ing convincingly some choruses don’tpack as much punch as the music does.If they had, it would have helped lift thisalbum above the rest of the power metalcompetition. (DJ 90/100)

PEO

“Welcome To The Party ”

(AOR Heaven)Second effort from Peo

Pettersson, after his solo-

debut back in 1995 (“Look

What I’ve Started”), where

he teamed up with members

from Masquerade, Niva and

other great musicians from

Sweden. “Welcome To The

Party” is a pure

AOR/Melodic Rock album,

definitely influenced by the

great bands of the '80s and

'90s coming from USA

(Foreigner, Boston) but also

from Sweden (Skagarack,

Alien). For this new work,

Peo has hooked up with

songwriter and guitarist

Roger Ljunggren (T’Bell,

Niva, Grand Illusion), try-

ing to write and record an

album filled with classic

melodic rock tunes, full of

hooks and memorable har-

monies. Peo Pettersson took

care of all vocal, bass and

keyboard parts on the

album, while all guitars

have been played by Roger

Ljunggren and drums by

Tony Morra. An album def-

initely to check out if you

like the softer side of

Melodic Rock. PB (88/100)

ROYAL HUNT “Cargo”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)Following the release of their lateststudio album, Royal Hunt set aboutpromoting the album with appear-ances at ProgPower USA, Loud ParkJapan and Rockingham UK. Withthe next tour set for spring of thisyear, the band found time to take thebest of their recent live performanc-es and put them together over ninetyminutes of pure sonically chargedRoyal Hunt at their live best on adouble live album. The albumincludes a full rendition of the bandsfourth studio album ‘Paradox’ con-cept album, as well as two of theirfinest slices of Symphonic ProgMetal with ‘May You Never WalkAlone’ and the massive ‘A Life ToDie For’. Whole full album concertsseem to be the norm, but when themusic and execution are deliveredlike only Royal Hunt do live, thenthis makes for some truly remarkableconcerts, as this album shows theband at their very best and showsjust why DC Cooper was broughtback into the band in 2013, becausehe is the true voice of Royal Hunt formay fans and this albums cementsthat fact. (BM 85/100)

THUNDERSTONE

“Apocalypse Again”

(AFM Records)‘Apocalypse Again’ is the newopus from Finland’sThunderstone and sees thereturn of the bands originalvocalist Pasi Rantanen, after sixyears away from the band. Thealbum takes the band back to itsroots with Rantanen at the helm,as they wind the clock back tomusic that made their mark withtheir self titled debut back in2002, as they mix theSymphonic with Classic HardRock. The big keyboards cour-tesy of Jukka Karinen, the tow-ering riffs of Nino Laurenne,the powerhouse rhythm sectionof Titus Hjelm and AttePalokangas on bass and drumsrespectively ignite the sensesfrom the off, with the rampag-ing opener ‘Veterans of theApocalypse’, with the icing onthe cake being the vocal mightof Rantanen. The album deliv-ers track after track with themonstrous ‘The Path’ and theexcellent ‘Again Through TheRain’, as the band bring in theirmellower side with the latter.For all out splendour for me ithas to be the superb multi-lay-ered ‘Again Higher’, as that mixof Classic Hard Rock andSymphonic is brought to theforefront. A real masterclass inSymphonia if ever there wasone. This is the album the fanshave been waiting for, agrandiose opus truly worthy ofthe Thunderstone name. BM(92/100)

INNER WISH

“S/T”

(Ulterium Records)The term ‘Power Metal’ doesn’tdo this release justice, as‘InnerWish’ not only returnswith a vengeance they pushtheir own boundaries to the‘n’th degree! The lyrical subjectmatter follows the same methodof expressions. “Forging wallsto prevent ideals…” is how westart out with “Machined OfFear” a song with a complicatedbed of music that is both heavy-yet soars, and all the while ele-vates this musical journey tonear epic proportions. Anotherepic journey is “Needles In MyMind”. A total immersive musi-cal movement that showcasesthe entire group’s masterfulmusicianship. Their dark shadesand their light shades are seam-lessly combined from song tosong. An album that continuesto build from one selection toanother, the whole of the albumripples, shakes and builds uponitself to an end crescendo!“InnerWish”, the record and thegroup have written a command-ing statement. Producing a loudvoice that should be heard allover. George Georgiou orches-trates the band with his magicalfingers on those many ivoriesand everyone of these guys con-tinue to surprise us with whatmanner of music comes out ofthem! “InnerWish” 2016 maywell be their year, it has certain-ly made my top five!! BA(94/100)

ALMANAC

“Tsar”

(Nuclear Blast)Around one year ago, PeavyWagner, RAGE main-man,announced that there was notgoing to be any further cooper-ation with his two band-mates,Victor Smolski and AndréHilgers. So – after 15 years and10 CDs as guitarist, producerand composer for RAGE – gui-tar-virtuoso Victor Smolskinow continues his musicalcareer with this new groupcalled ALMANAC. Followingthe successful experience withLINGUA MORTIS ORCHES-TRA, a new musical conceptcombining Heavy Metal withclassical music, and songs writ-ten by Smolski having in minda sound suitable to a Metalband with orchestra plus sever-al male and female singers.With singers like DavidReadman ( PINK CREAM 69 )and Andy B. Franck ( BRAIN-STORM ), besides JeanetteMarchewka ( L.M.O. ) and theSymphony Orchestra “Orquestra BarcelonaFilharmonia ”, “TSAR” is anamazing journey thru'Traditional Metal, ClassicalMusic and some ProgressiveRock, with elements of Russianfolklore, plus a modern soundand a brilliant production.Think of Savatage, Avantasiaand late Dream Theater (“TheAstonishing”) and you'll have apicture of the incredible musicthat you'll find in this CD. Don'tmiss it. PB (90/100)

BILLY SATELLITE

“II”

(AOR Heaven)Signed to Capitol Records in1983, Billy Satellite’s debutalbum is considered a jewel ofthe AOR genre. It did quite wellback then, once released in mid1984, hitting #139 in theBillboard chart that year, andbrought the band out on theroad, first with Night Ranger asopening-act on the “MidnightMadness” tour, and then withJefferson Starship. The Rock-community was then ready andwilling for a second album, butsome problems surfaced duringthe recording-sessions andsome internal changes atCapitol resulted in leaving thesecond Billy Satellite albumshelved and the band dropped.After Billy Satellite split,Monty Byrom (singer, guitarist)put together New Frontier,releasing another great MelodicRock album in 1987, but that'sanother story. So now, about 30years later, here it is, finallyofficially released, the BillySatellite follow-up, featuring 10tracks and a slightly heavierdirection than the first album.Unfortunately the overall soundis in places a little bit “muddy”,although the material has beencarefully remastered by ChrisLyne (ex Soul Doctor, MotherRoad); yet the quality of thesongwriting is there. A releaserecommended especially to theCD collectors of '80s AOR. PB(80/100)

ORDEN OGAN

“The Book Of Ogan”

(AFM Records)If you are going to create a

package for fans, this is the

way to do it. The German

power metallers give you a CD

of their arguably best tracks

plus their original demo

recordings of ‘Testimonium

a.d.’ which gets an official

label release as the original

batch of demos has long since

sold out. Also there’s a DVD

with one open air and one

arena show, footage of the

band talking in German (subti-

tled) about their history at

length , music videos and a

few interviews which has a

total running time of over six

hours! The first CD demon-

strates the breadth of the

band’s work from the awe-

some power metal tuneage of

‘F.E.V.E.R’ and ‘The Things

We Believe In’ through to the

genuine folk feel on ‘The Ice

Kings’ and the good use of

harmonies as on ‘Requiem’.

The demo recordings indicate

the band had the essence of

their sound early on but also

show how it’s developed . The

two live recording capture

them in full throttle last year.

This is a comprehensive docu-

ment of just how good Orden

Ogan are fans or those interest-

ing in finding out. DJ (90/100)

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I Blood Red Saints si sono formati alla fine del 2014 ad opera del

cantante Pete Godfrey e del bassista Rob Naylor. Pete ha debut-

tato su disco con l’album degli In Faith, uscito nell’Ottobre

2014, ma affamato e voglioso di provare l’esperienza “live”, Pete

ha formato i Blood Red Saints, insieme a Rob (a sua volta prove-

niente dagli Angels or Kings).

La lineup dei Blood Red Saints è completata da un altro ex In

Faith, il batterista Pete Newdeck (Eden’s Curse e attualmente

singer dei Tainted Nation) e da Lee Revill alla chitarra (Gary

Hughes). Il debut album della band “Speedway”, in uscita a dicem-

bre 2015, è un notevole esempio di British AOR nella tradizione

dei primi Dare, FM e Newman. La band aprirà le danze il secondo

giorno del Festival, quindi accertatevi di non fare tardi per-

ché si tratta di uno show davvero da non perdere!

Blood Red Saints was formed at the end of 2014 by singer Pete

Godfrey and bassist Rob Naylor. Pete made his recording

debut on the In Faith album in October 2014, but hungry to be

in a 'band' rather than a project, Pete formed Blood Red Saints

with Rob from the band Angels or Kings and quickly got to

work writing their debut album. Blood Red Saints lineup is

completed by another former In Faith member, Pete Newdeck

(Eden’s Curse and currently the vocalist for Tainted Nation)

on drums and Lee Revill on guitar (Gary Hughes). The band’s

debut album is an impressive slice of classic British AOR, fol-

lowing in the traditions of early Dare, FM and Newman and

the band will showcase a bunch of their superbly crafted

melodic songs, kicking off the second day of the festival.

Make sure you get there soon, this is a show you should not

miss!

April 24

3,00pm

35 min.

A. DEL VECCHIO &

FRIENDS with T.HITCH-

COCK “Live at Frontiers

XX Anniversary”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)Recorded last February 27th, 2016 inNapoli, Italy, at the party organized tocelebrate the “XXth Anniversary ofFrontiers Records”, this is the SpecialCD that the italian label prepared to besold exclusively at the “FrontiersRock Festival”. With a great band puttogether by vocalist/keyboards playerAlessandro Del Vecchio, and withextraordinaire Pride of Lions singerToby Hitchcock soon brought intothe picture, experienced musicianssuch as Nik Mazzucconi on bass,Marco Di Salvia on drums andFrancesco Marras on guitars com-pleted the line-up. As per the words ofthe ones who were invited to the party"it was an unforgettable and uniquenight, and the atmosphere was awe-some". Going thru some of the bestmoments in the Frontiers longdiscography (“Road To Nowhere”,"It's Criminal", “The Courage ToLove Somebody”) along with someMelodic Rock classics (“Faithfully”,"Don't Stop Believing", "Can't HoldBack", “Mother Father”, “Straight ToYour Heart”) this Cd celebrates notonly one of the best labels around butalso and mainly the awesome time-less Music that lives always with all ofus. PB (92/100)

ECLIPSE“ArmageddonizeDeluxe Ed. 2016”

(Frontiers Music s.r.l.)The original version from 2015 isone of those records that hasdoggedly stayed on my mp3 sinceits release. Back then I said therecord was chock full of hi-energymelodic rock songs and time mayeven suggest it’s better than it’spredecessor ‘Bleed And Scream’,which I would say now that it is.The triple assault of ‘I Don’t WantTo Say I’m Sorry’, ‘Stand OnYour Feet’ and ‘The Storm’ thatkick off the album leave youbreathless. Eclipse take the best ofthe classic rock sound and inject itwith modern energy and urgency.An additional disc of live materi-al, including live versions fromtheir previous albums is added tothis package. These live rendi-tions add grit to the studio ver-sions without losing any of themelody on those glorious Scandi-choruses. Also included are a cou-ple of previously unreleasedsongs that show no dip in qualityplus the very catchy ‘Runaways’,the song the band entered for theEurovision song contest to noavail. If you don’t already havethe original (what’s wrong withyou?), the disc of extras makesthis an essential purchase. DJ(96/100)

IMPERIUM

“Dreamhunter”

(Ulterium Records)Imperium is the solo project ofSTRIKE drummer MikaBrushane, which started to takeshape back in 2012 and took some3 years to complete, withBrushane writing all the songs andlyrics, as well as playing all drums,bass, keyboards and providingback vocals. For the lead vocals hehas brought in the cream of theFinnish rock and metal scene withcontributions from Pasi Rantanen,Markku Kuikka, Nisse Nordling,Samuli Federley, Toni Huovinenand Ade Manninen. The result is agreat and very diverse Rockalbum that is worthy of the threeyears in the making, with its multi-faceted approach there is some-thing here for any fans of greatRock music. Right from the open-er and title track ‘Dreamhunter’,we get our first taste of the vocalmight of Kuikka, as The RaggedSaints lays down a power yetmelodic vocal and carries on intothe next track ‘Heaven Is Falling’,which has to be one of myfavourite tracks off the album.This very diverse release closeswith the epic instrumental ‘FinemVocationem’, a really classy wayto end a really classy album. BM(87/100)

eviews

R

FURY

“S/T”

(Steelheart Memories)1983. Robbie and Brian LaBlanc,two brothers living in CT, USA,were struggling to get noticed inthe music business. The chancesuddenly arrived thru a phone callwith Felix Cavaliere (lead singer,songwriter and Hammond playerin the multi-platinum band TheYoung Rascals). With a demobrought to the attention of a labelcalled “The New York MusicCompany”, the couple (nowcalled “Fury”) signed and record-ed the debut-album during 1984for a release in June 1985. Thealbum got great press and thevideo for the first single “Keep onDreamin” started to get rotationon both MTV and VH1. TheLaBlanc brothers continued theircareers with various projects suchas Blanc Faces and Find Me,Coming complete with extensiveliner notes from Robbie LaBlanchimself and a lot of pics andmemorabilia, and for the very firsttime officially released on CD,“Fury” is a timeless Rock albumand it starts – in a grandiose way –this new Series called “Lost USJewels” dedicated to the hiddentreasures of the '80s and '90sMelodic Rock scene. REB(90/100)

BOB WHEELER

“S/T”

(Steelheart Records)Coming from Syracuse, NewYork, Bob Wheeler has beenin the music industry from theearly age of seven. He hastoured both, United Statesand Canada, playing hun-dreds shows along the way.His self-titled debut-album,recorded between December1986 and February 1987, wasreleased during 1987 on UCARecording, a small indie labelbased in Canada. The albumrecalls the classic early '80sAOR sound, and, in particu-lar, bands like Aldo Nova,early Bon Jovi, Surgin andFortune, and it's still consid-ered as one of the best hiddentreasures of the Melodic Rockscene of that era. The vinylhas now became a very hard-to-find collector's item, so it'sgood to have finally this greatalbum officially released onCd, as part of the “LOST USJEWELS” Series (LimitedEdition – 500 copies), withsome bonus tracks, a remas-tered sound and a nice book-let with unseen pics, liner-notes and more. Definitelyworth checking it out. REB(87/100)

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Formed in February 2014, the band is fronted by

Nathan James, who made a name for himself having

sung in the multi-platinum selling Trans-Siberian

Orchestra shows and for former Scorpions guitar

legend Uli Jon Roth. After these experiences, Nathan

started looking for like-minded musicians that

desired to make incredible Hard Rock music in a very

honest fashion, inspired by bands such as Deep Purple,

Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake and Aerosmith but with a

contemporary edge. The result is the amazing five-

piece called INGLORIOUS. The self-titled debut-album

will be released on February 19, 2016, and it features

the whole band writing and performing all the songs,

with a few guest writers including Al Pitrelli

(Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Trans-Siberian Orchestra),

Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger, Whitesnake) and Neil

Fairclough (Queen). Initial feedback on their first

track “Breakaway” is stunning, with the song already

on heavy rotation on Planet Rock Radio in the UK.

You bet this band will be big. Better, it is already BIG.. .

Nathan James è un nome già piuttosto noto a chi segue con

attenzione la scena Hard Rock internazionale, avendo col-

laborato con il super-progetto americano Trans-Siberian

Orchestra e con il leggendario guitar-player tedesco Uli Jon

Roth. Al termine di queste preziose esperienze e deciso a met-

tere in piedi una vera e propria band, il singer inglese è riusci-

to ad incorporare il suo amore per il Classic Rock di Deep

Purple, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake ed Aerosmith con un sound

graffiante ed al passo con i tempi; ciò che ne è uscito è un

quintetto di talenti dall'anima Rock e dal cuore Blues, chiam-

ato INGLORIOUS. L'omonimo debut-album, in uscita il 19 feb-

braio 2016 (che include vari guests in fase di songwriting come

Al Pitrelli, Joel Hoekstra e Neil Fairclough), sta ottenendo un

incredibile feedback, con il brano “Breakaway” già in heavy

rotation sulla radio “Planet Rock” in Inghilterra.

La strada è tracciata: questa è una band destinata a diventare

grande. O forse grande lo è già.

Scopriteli ora, diamanti grezzi!

April 24

3,50pm

45 min.

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April 24

4,50pm

50 min.

Chi segue la scena Melodic Rock ed AOR conosce bene Terry

Brock. Attivo fin dal lontano 1983, quando ha cominciato la

sua carriera musicale come corista sull'album dei Kansas

“Drastic Measures” nonché nel successivo tour, Brock è noto

principalmente per essere stato il lead vocalist dei british

melodic rockers STRANGEWAYS, ed autore con loro di due

splendidi album, “Native Sons” e “Walk In the Fire”, nonchè pro-

tagonista di vari tour. Al termine di questa esperienza, il

singer si è trasferito a NYC, cominciando a lavorare in

maniera assidua con il top producer Neil Kernon, ed è stato

coinvolto in releases di bands come Aviator, Heaven's Edge,

Valentine, Britny Fox e Michael Bolton. Tempi più recenti

hanno visto Terry Brock coinvolto nel supergruppo THE SIGN,

nei SEVENTH KEY e con SLAMER, nonché nei GIANT. Presto lo

vedremo impegnato in nuovi eccitanti progetti e lo show al

Frontiers Rock Festival ripercorrerà la sua carriera, tra tanti

hits e canzoni entrate nella storia del Melodic Rock.

All the Melodic Rock and AOR followers know well who

Terry Brock is. He started his career back in 1983, when he

sung background vocals on the Kansas album “Drastic

Measures” and the following tour. Brock is anyway known

mainly for being the lead vocalist of british melodic rock-

ers STRANGEWAYS, with whom he released two all-time clas-

sic AOR albums: “Native Sons” and “Walk In the Fire”. At the end

of this experience, the singer moved to NYC and started to

work with top producer Neil Kernon, thus getting involved

as background vocalist in releases from such bands as

Aviator, Heaven's Edge, Valentine, Britny Fox and Michael

Bolton. More recently Terry Brock was involved in the

supergroup THE SIGN, in SEVENTH KEY, in SLAMER and with

GIANT. Soon he will reveal his new exciting projects and his

show at the Frontiers Rock Festival will present all his

career's hits and songs which truly made Melodic Rock his-

tory!

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Paul Laine. Bruno Ravel. Rob Marcello. Tre musicisti

eccezionali con un'esperienza in comune, che risponde al

nome di DANGER DANGER. Dopo quattro dischi e vari con-

certi insieme, le strade si sono divise artisticamente, ma i tre

musicisti sono rimasti legati a livello personale. Il nuovo

progetto, denominato The DEFIANTS, messo recentemente in

piedi dal mastermind Bruno Ravel, li rivede nuovamente

insieme; un ritorno in grande stile al Melodic Hard Rock

“in your face” che ha conquistato milioni di fans negli

anni '80 e '90 ed un debut-album, già atteso da molti, che

vedrà la luce in concomitanza del Festival ad Aprile 2016.

L'esordio live avverrà proprio al Frontiers Rock Festival in

un set che sarà sicuramente coinvolgente e che vedrà avvi-

cendarsi di classici brani di Paul Laine solista e dei Danger

Danger con le canzoni tratte dal nuovo album. Boys wil be

boys!

Paul Laine. Bruno Ravel. Rob Marcello. Three fabulous

musicians, all with ties to Danger Danger.

After 12 years, 4 studio-album and various live shows

together, the three guys decided to go separate ways,

with Laine pursuing his solo career and Ravel asking

Ted Poley to join back the band. Still the three never

lost contact each other. And here they are, crossing

their paths once again on the new band/project,

called The DEFIANTS. A glorious return to the “in your

face” Melodic Hard Rock that won millions of fans

back in the '80s and '90s. The debut album will be

released in Spring 2016, just in time to have the band

playing at Frontiers Rock Festival.

Expect classic tracks from Paul Laine solo career, some

Danger Danger hits and songs off The Defiants debut.

Boys will be boys!

April 24

6,00pm

60 min.

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La GRAHAM BONNET BAND è una four-piece band guidata da

Graham Bonnet, ex cantante di RAINBOW, ALCATRAZZ, MSG

ed IMPELLITTERI. Graham è una artista leggendario, una

icona che virtualmente non ha bisogno di presentazioni. Si

tratta della voce di veri classici del Rock come “All Night

Long”, “Since You’ve Been Gone”, “Dancer”, “Desert Song”,

“Island in the Sun”, “Hiroshima Mon Amour“, “Stand In Line” e

molti altri.

Con una line-up che vede lo straordinario chitarrista

Conrado Pesinato, la bassista Beth-Ami Heavenstone e l’ex

batterista di FATES WARNING e WARLORD Mark Zonder, la

GBB presenterà alcune delle più note canzoni della illus-

tre carriera di Bonnet, più nuovi brani tratti dal prossimo

disco da studio. Questo è davvero uno show da non perdere

per gli amanti del Classic Hard Rock!

The GRAHAM BONNET BAND is a four-piece hard rock

outfit led by Graham Bonnet, the former singer of

RAINBOW, ALCATRAZZ, MSG and IMPELLITTERI. Graham is

truly an iconic and legendary artist that virtually

needs no introduction. He is the “voice” of classic

songs such as “All Night Long”, “Since You’ve Been

Gone”, “Dancer”, “Desert Song”, “Island in the Sun”,

“Hiroshima Mon Amour“, “Stand In Line” and many more.

With a lineup rounded out by guitarist extraordinaire

Conrado Pesinato, bassist Beth-Ami Heavenstone and

former FATES WARNING and WARLORD drummer Mark

Zonder, GBB will showcase many acclaimed songs span-

ning Bonnet's illustrious career, plus new composi-

tions from the band’s forthcoming, as-yet-untitled

studio album. This is truly a show you cannot miss if

you are into classic Hard Rock!

April 24

7,20pm

70 min.

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Almost 30 years together, with exactly the same line-up,

and the band is tighter and more passionate than ever.

With two amazing studio albums released during the last

3 years, such as the 2012-effort “New Audio Machine” and

the brilliant brand new “Human Era”, TRIXTER still delivers

the sound that we all love and live for: great melodies,

big guitar riffs, catchy vocals and a huge bottom end.

Guitar-wizard Steve Brown (lately seen on a few Def

Leppard shows to replace Vivian Campbellduring his ill-

ness), singer extraordinaire Pete Loran, bass player P.J.

Farley and drummer Mark “Gus” Scott have been on top of

the Melodic Rock scene since the release of their self-

titled debut-album, in 1990, with the # 1 MTV Videos “Give It

To Me Good”, “One in a Million” and “Surrender”. Since then,

the band toured nationally and internationally with the

likes of POISON, SCORPIONS, WARRANT, STRYPER and KISS, still

unfortunately the band never played in Europe before.

We can now proudly announce that Frontiers Rock

Festival will mark the band's FIRST EUROPEAN SHOW EVER!

Needless to say, this will be an unmissable chance to be

part of a UNIQUE event: STEP INTO THE LINE OF FIRE!

Steve Brown e compagni sono un vero esempio di integrità,

dedizione ed unione. Una band che ha attraversato più di 25

anni di carriera con la medesima line-up e che continua a

sfornare album sensazionali (l'ultimo “Human Era” ne è un

chiaro esempio), con una passione ed un'energia propria

delle bands esordienti. Onore al merito. Il funambolico chi-

tarrista Steve Brown (recentemente chiamato per sostituire

il convalescente Vivian Campbell in alcune date live dei

Def Leppard), l'istrionico singer Peter Loran, il trascinante

bassista P. J. Farley ed il potente drummer Mark “Gus” Scott

hanno scritto pagine indelebili nella storia del nostro

genere preferito, partendo proprio dal debut-album del 1990

che li ha proiettati in testa alle classifiche americane, ed

esibendosi dal vivo in giro per USA, Canada e Giappone.

L'Europa non li ha mai visti protagonisti finora. E' quindi

motivo di grandissimo orgoglio il fatto che abbiano scelto

proprio il Frontiers Rock Festival per il loro DEBUTTO

EUROPEO. Inutile aggiungere che sarà un'occasione

IMPERDIBILE per ammirare on stage una tra le migliori bands

della gloriosa scena Hard Rock a stelle e strisce. STEP INTO

THE LINE OF FIRE! !

April 24

8,50pm

75 min.

Page 22: Melodic Rock Fanzine #73

They’re back!!! The surviving members of Talisman (Jeff

Scott Soto, Jamie Borger & Pontus Norgren), who

reunited in 2014 for a one-off performance at the

“Sweden Rock Festival”, have agreed to proudly appear

again for one EXCLUSIVE show in 2016 at the annual

“Frontiers Rock Festival” in Italy.

Along with bassist Johan Niemann (Evergrey) and key-

boardist BJ (SOTO), TALISMAN will headline the 2nd

night of the Festival, on Sunday April 24.

Be there for an unmissable Hard-Rock event!!!

Sono tornati!!! Dopo l'acclamata e vincente performance allo

“Sweden Rock Festival” del 2014, i tre membri originali della

band scandinava, Jeff Scott Soto, Jamie Borger e Pontus

Norgren, hanno calorosamente accettato la proposta di riu-

nirsi per uno show esclusivo nel 2016.

Insieme al bassista Johan Niemann (Evergrey) ed al tastierista BJ

(SOTO), i TALISMAN saranno gli headliner della seconda serata

del “Frontiers Rock Festival”, Domenica 24 Aprile.

Non perdete l'occasione di prendere parte ad un evento unico,

per una band che ha scritto pagine indimenticabili nella sto-

ria del Melodic Hard Rock.

April 24

10,30pm

90 min.

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