Sonic Perspectives

With their recently released album “Epigone,” Boston-bred aural imaginauts WILDERUN take a deeper and darker step beyond their expansive, prog-leaning metal scores that so skillfully came together on 2019’s “Veil of Imagination.” The result is a record that is at once grandiose, complex, sophisticated and unexpectedly human. “This is certainly a “meta” record for me,” [...]

Canadian progressive thrashers Voivod have a new album in the can, the intense “Syncro Anarchy”. Recorded during lockdown, it was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, and just like all their other albums, it features a cover artwork created by their drummer Michel “Away” Langevin. Written and recorded in just over a month, “Syncro [...]

A little over 2 years to the day that ANNIHILATOR unleashed their 17th studio album and mad thrashing foray “Ballistic, Sadistic”, seasoned veteran Jeff Waters has opted to revisit an older and largely unsung effort from his recent past, resulting in a retooled and revamped retread of 2007’s collaborative effort “Metal”, aptly dubbed “Metal II”. [...]

If you’re a fan of 80’s hard rock, chances are that you heard Terry Ilous‘ voice and might not even be aware. He rose to fame with the French-based XYZ and released two albums with the band, before they were swallowed by the grunge movement in the early 90’s. They have since reformed, and continue [...]

If there’s one person that can be called a prog-rock icon, that’s Ian Anderson. Having started his first band in 1963, he went on to form Jethro Tull in 1967, and became the band leader and the sole member to have been on all lineups of the group. He also released several solo albums which [...]

One of the most prolific bluesmen of our generation, Eric Gales is back with a new album, entitled “Crown”. More than a simple collection of songs, “Crown” is an artistic statement, which showcases Eric’s talent and sees him throwing the gauntlet to other musicians and claiming his place in the pantheon of best guitar players [...]

“…There’s no better feeling than when your inner ear tells you to go some place and you get there…” – Steve Vai Steve Vai is gearing up for a very productive year in 2022. The first shows of his “Inviolate World Tour” have already been booked, with over 50 shows booked for North America. This [...]

2022 is shaping up to be a very busy year for guitar mastermind Joe Satriani. The renowned axeman is the world’s most commercially successful solo guitar performer, with six gold and platinum discs to his credit (including one more gold award for the debut album by his band Chickenfoot), and sales in excess of 10 [...]

After releasing debut album “Satellites” to great acclaim in late 2020 (catch our review of the album here), the dynamic Silent Skies duo will grace the start of 2022 with sophomore album “Nectar” on February 4th. The product of collaboration between vocalist Tom Englund (Evergrey, Redemption) and keyboard player Virkam Shankar (Redemption) has been incredibly [...]

Nine years after forming ASHES OF ARES, Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales return with their third full-length album “Emperors and Fools”. The writing process began almost immediately after their previous album “Well of Souls” was released, and showcases a true collaborative effort between the two, with ideas originating from one or the other, then evolving [...]

The Motor City Madman Ted Nugent has just released a brand-new single, “Come and Take It,” from his upcoming album, “Detroit Muscle,” which will be unleashed upon the world on April 29, 2022. The new single is a powerful, patriotic rock anthem that reminds Americans of the sacred 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, a subject that [...]

Black Veil Brides are constantly growing, evolving and, reinventing themselves with each album. Their latest masterpiece, “The Phantom Tomorrow,” which was released October 29th, has been met with critical acclaim and no wonder because this is this is their most sonically powerful and melodically heavy release to date. Black Veil Brides consists Andy Biersack [vocals], [...]

Paul Gilbert is one of those instantly recognizable guitar players of our generation. He picked up his first guitar when he was 5 years old. By the time he was 15, he was featured in Guitar Player magazine. After graduating from the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles, Paul immediately joined the faculty [...]

Frank Bello, bassist for the East Coast thrash metal kings, has recently released his memoirs, “Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax” co-authored with Joel McIver via Rare Birds. ANTHRAX has sold over 10 million albums, traveled the globe more times than they care to count while captivating audiences from the world’s biggest [...]

Having established his identity with the revered prog-metal band Haken, as well as his involvement with Novena and other projects, Ross Jennings launches his own solo career in 2021 with “A Shadow of My Future Self”. Embracing classic rock, pop and folk stylings, the album gives another side of Jennings than most fans have heard [...]

Andy Summers is one of the most recognizable names in rock music with a career spanning more than 40 years, between The Police and as a solo artist. On October 15th, he released his newest solo album, “Harmonics of the Night.” It’s an intimate and atmospheric-sounding album that feels as if you are watching him [...]

Lucifer is back, and just in time for Halloween! The Stockholm-based band used the pandemic to record yet another album that rings in a new chapter and dives even further into the realms of grandiose and old fashioned rock, with a severe morbid twist. This time around they entered guitarist Linus Björklund’s Studio Ryssviken for [...]

One would not be aware that there’s a pandemic still affecting the world if their only indication of the state of things was Udo Dirkschneider‘s work ethic. Since March 2020 he has released a live album, a concept album in collaboration with the German Armed Forces Concert Band and worked again with other Accept alumni [...]

Two-time GRAMMY-nominated and millions-selling progressive music titans Dream Theater will be releasing their newest progressive-metal masterpiece, “A View From The Top Of The World,” on October 22nd via Inside Out Music / Sony Music. The new album lives up to Dream Theater‘s reputation as a band that can blend well-crafted guitar and vocal melodies with [...]

A man that needs virtually no introduction to any discerning melodic rock fan, Jeff Scott Soto launched his career at a young age in tremendous fashion as the lead vocalist for Yngwie Malmsteen’s debut album, “Rising Force” and the sophomore album, “Marching Out”. That first step into the spotlight has led to a career that [...]