SAMMY BERELL - PASSION DREAMS (2017)

Is Yngwie Malmsteen dead? I don't suppose so. as a matter of fact i truly hope not, he is my favorite guitar player, and i wish that when i'm gone i could take his music with me, ....
So who is Sammy Berell? A katcopy of Yngwie? Many would say so. But if were Sammy to be Yngwie's son, i believe he would be legitimated. Well, the things one must try to understand. But let's talk about this newcomer to the world stage of metal.
Sammy Berell is the new sensation swedish guitar hero, and for hid musical guidance he decided that to pick up were Yngwie stopped in the late 90's was a good idea. If i presented you this record without you seeing the cover or credits, you would surely say that Yngwie was back to his old form with his old bandmates, such is the perfection of this eximious guitar shredder. I don't know if Yngwie allowed Sammy to use some of is melodies and riffs on this set of songs, but YJM records "fire & ice" and "seventh sign" are the reference in here. (midnight flyer = teaser; and with the same vocalist too)!!!
But Sammy went a bit further, less classical and more melodically comercial, expansive and catchy, he delievers a powerful and yet refined work.
Remember Mike Vescera and Goran Edman? That's right, they are the voices in this record, and my friends, they still have it, and i'm not fovouring neither one of them, powerful voices after more than 20 years. They deliever a nuclear assault on your ears! A voice explosion.
This record, "passion dreams", is complied of 13 songs, with one instrumental. "War", the last theme is an instrumental cut in the vein of "perpetual or eclipse". The record starts like Yngwie's "seventh sign or magnum opus"; taking on the world by storm with Vescera delivering a tsunami. Them comes Goran Edman with his trademark performance on his time with Malmsteen. Ten songs with Vescera and only two with Edman, means that Vescera's time with YJM is the orientation of this record.
From the beggining to the end, everything is Malmsteen copied, but in the kid's defense, he nailed it! If YJM gave up, Sammy Berell, pick up the flag an kept on going. Congratulations, hoping to hear your next job like, yesterday!
Daniel Flores, was the producer, drummer and keyboardist on this record with Sammy as his wingman behind the control table.
It´s Heavy, powerful, melodic and neo-classical enough to take you back to the future. That's right, taking on the past to re-write the future. This year's revelation as guitar players is concerned, an amazing shredder!
P.S.: Sammy copies YJM for a fact, can't deny it, but not in everything, everyone has his own trademark and YJM is more than unique. He is sharp and insidious, insolent, classy and almost snobiest, and that can't be copied. On his side, Sammy is more commercially driven an plays by the book, and i believe it's more than enough to do the job, because others tried to do it just to crash and burn.
for the Neo-classical maniacs a true acomplishment, for the rest, well, give it a go, you'll like it the end.
McLeod Has Spoken!


Track List:

    Judgement day ---------- (Vescera)
    Midnight flyer ------------- (Edman)
    Memories never die ---- (Vescera)
    Little sinner -------------- (Vescera)
    Red light Eyes ---------- (Vescera)
    Passion dreams -------- (Vescera)
    Star ------------------------ (Vescera)
    Crown of thorns --------- (Edman)
    King of Kings ------------ (Vescera)
    Drakkar ------------------- (Vescera)
    Sacrifice ------------------ (Vescera)
    Starlight ------------------- (Vescera)
    War (Instrumental)

Musicians:

    Sammy Berell - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Co- Producer
    Mike Vescera - Vocals
    Goran Edman - Vocals
    Daniel Flores - Drums, Keyboards, Producer

SINNER - TEQUILA SUICIDE (2017) GERMANY

So sorry, Matt! If i have favorite bands, well, Sinner is absolutely one of them. Back in the 80's and 90's, few songs had a huge impact on me as "concrete jungle" or "respect", among a few others. But today it's another story. I am sorry to say that i take this new colection of songs as absolutely unnecessary. Thin Lizzy and Phill Lynott are reincarnated in this record. The 70's are back and with a bang, i give you that, and dont take me wrong, i'm loving it, but there's to much of it to have such a naive record like this on the stands. As a friendly jam among old acquaintances it's a hell of a party, and if this came out as a live recording on a saturday night show, i believe this could be huge among us, rock desperados, but the formula has become scratched, there's a lot of this going around. Matt, you're the one that deserves a tribute, please stay out of that path. Bad production? Bad musicianship? On the contrary, everything is great, it's just that Sinner is a different kind of stuff, powerful songs, even if they are a bit poppy, but these ones don't capture almost anything, at least with me, no mojo!
Let´s wait for a Primal Fear or a Voodoo Circle new recordings.
McLeod has spoken!


Due on March 31 via AFM, "Tequila Suicide" was produced by Mat Sinner, and co-produced, mixed and engineered by Dennis Ward.
The album features:
Matt Sinner - Bass, Vocals
Tom Naumann (PRIMAL FEAR) on guitars
Alexander Scholpp (TARJA) on guitars
Francesco Jovino (PRIMAL FEAR) on drums
plus special guests Sascha Krebs, Kolinda Brozovic, Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE), Ricky Warwick (BLACK STAR RIDERS), Pete Lincoln (THE SWEET), Neil Witchard and Magnus Karlsson (PRIMAL FEAR).

"Tequila Suicide" track listing:

01. Go Down Fighting
02. Tequila Suicide
03. Road To Hell
04. Dragons
05. Battle Hill
06. Sinner Blues
07. Why
08. Gypsy Rebels
09. Loud & Clear
10. Dying On A Broken Heart

Digipack bonus tracks:

11. House Of Rock
12. Monday Morning
13. I Am

DARREL TREECE-BIRCH - NO MORE TIME (2016) UK

Simple! To simply put it, simple but effective! it's so ... simple and pure that it feels like it walks with you, it's part of you and you feel confort in it. Wow, i'm amazed!
The task of composing, or to simply put it, to create, is fabulous. When inspiration comes, it's a frantic world, we just fly over the world, and Darrel must be on the verge of gaining is own wings.
Who's Darrel Treece-Birch!? Darrel is a Fleetwood (Blackpool) born, a sailor. And today he rides the waves with the multi-million seller TEN, playing keyboards; and as a side project he has a prog band called NTH Ascension. Now that you have directions let's keep talking about this new solo project by Gary Hughes' wingman. Intimist? No. Keyboard Driven? No. Sometimes we find our days white, sometimes blue, and today is green. Greener was Darrel's inspiration for this record. "No more time" is the slap in the face, the end of the line for our abuse to mother earth. Melodic prog music, very ambient and space age in several themes, but most of all, guitar driven. There are here a few vocalized themes with an effective message to us all, so please pay attention to them.
I have a few cuts that became a must in my day's journey. Earthbound is an ELP kind of overture that sets the guidance for the rest of the record. This is not a nostalgic record, is simply the way it should be, and if this feels to you otherwise, just remember who you were, what you are to find out what you'll be, and then you'll feel it too. allthough being a classic rock orientated album, this is a simple way of showing that the prog classic rock didn't died or went belly down by the new tendencies, it really means that the highlights of the 70's and 80's have someone to carry the heritage.
The next highlight is "Requiem Pro Caris (for the ones i most care about)". Those strings sound like arrows, they really pierce. a real cry of love. "Freedom Paradigm" goes among the sounds that i enjoy most, it's guitar driven, heavy meaning and goes along the guitar heroes like Vinnie Moore, Tony Macalpine, Satriani and many more,... a stellar cut! It starts with a arabian strong melody, inmediately giving us the paradigm, that feel of slavery in egypt building the pyramids, great theme and great guitar work.
There are 15 pieces of real quality music for you to discover. when i first heard them, one of my first conclusions was that some of this tracks could very well be the soundtrack for a movie, a bbc wild life program, something. Earthbound could have been the overture for the para-olympic games, such is the strengh that the theme brings, a force of life, that runs in those athletes that with their incapacities they have the will and the power to do it, and they do it better than the most of us, without any inhability. You'll figure it out too. Also this conclusions only reinforce the idea of the higher quality of this work. A must have not only for prog people but for the good music connainseurs. Darrell is quickly becoming a reference in the music world, as a composer he is very much a complete writer. here's a name to follow very closely.
A mandatory album!
by McLeod (ROCKS NATION)

NTH ASCENSION - IN FINE INITIUM (2016) UK

Ambitious! Very ambitious this tipically british sound brought to us by the guild of NTH Ascension. this is their third release in five years. Working between other projects that can only mean that they are very serious about it, and that, also means commitment and also an assurance of an excellent quality final product. "In Fine Initium" is a monster record! "You might say, this guy is crazy! how much did he get for saying this things?" -My friends, when we no longer have Genesis, Pink Floyd, and some others are saying farewell like Yes; having in our hands an opus like this, is not to be taken lightly, in fact it's a question of life and it's perpetual existence, one goes, another borns from their genes and prospers until,... you know, In Fine Initium. But to simply put it, someone has to progress, right? nice one!      
I could say that Roger Waters stroles in here, like wise Arena or John Wetton's vision of Asia, Fish, but i believe that this is not fair comparing this musical project with their influences - if you take the time to read my first review for this project; (by the way, originally posted on roxx2download blog, roxx2metal); that will take a load out of me trying to repeat myself, nevertheless, i have to repeat something ...-
Hailing from Blackpool, Darrel Treece-Birch, aka wingman for the most notable Gary Hughes in the band TEN, is the light of this musical cuts; then there is the Walker family that takes the boat safely to the light; and finally, Alan Taylor the voice beyond the light that guides you through this space endeavour. This very experienced musicians; that in my respectful way, i don't believe should deserve comparisons; have studied and learned their lesson well, and are now ready to take the reigns and progress from where others have stopped.
Given this, lets talk about the music. Almost 70 minutes of things to say in form of music divided in seven parts, may appear to you as excessive, but if you are a real connainseur of prog music, that may come to you as a bit short. heavier than their last work, comes also with lots of classic\blues rock flavours, just listen to the instrumental "so that was apocalypse" and you'll feel like you're in the 70's. By the way, two exceptional instrumental tracks in this record. This one is not a conceptual recording, but there are three songs that follow another three from their last record "ascension of kings", that all together combine a story called the "Clannan chronicles", that goes in the likes of LOTR or Narnia, courtesy of Darrel. So, a reason more for get you in the mood to take this record and give it a good run. In Fine Initium, latin for beginning from the end, is a nice way to put things, has i've been explaining, picking up where others left is a nice analogy, although the band meant something else related to the ideas they offer us in this new record and wich i deaffy you to revealed them. Darrel as established himself as a new leader working the black and white keypads. JM Jarre, Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman have in him a great follower, a flag bearer. In truth, listening to this new tracks i feel that he is on a verge of exploding with so much inspiration. He wants to give us all at once, but as an experienced musician he knows how to measure just the amount of sweet we need. but NTH Ascencion isn't just Darrel, there is a top class guitar player, Martin Walker, that delivers far and beyond. Sons to Martin, the rythmic section Gavin and Craig Walker are a real force of life. I really found in Gavin's work a secret, the bass was so well played that unnoticed, it takes the lead of the spaceship like it was the hand of the universe guiding it to other parallel universes, it really pounds. And Alan Taylor that belongs to a class of vocal expressionists like Roger Chapman, Fish or Bernie Shaw, delivers a fearful but yet daring approach to the full circle that is beggining from the end and the end of the beggining (no, it's not Status Quo, eheheh); it's really what "in fine initium" means.
The first track of this record says it all, starts with an classic rock overture, and then develops to various states of mind, driving around lots of landscapes and space dimensions in a very elegant and melodic way.
Prog music is the ultimate expression of our minds, it can reach the psychadelic state without corrupt
our integrity with stimulants and chemical formulas, because our body is perfect enough to stimulate itself in a pure way without any external help, like this In Fine Initium, remarkably pure. I'm more of a heart and soul follower, but when i come across of something of this caliber, it's like that movie TRON, i just pass to the other side in a flash.
I'm going to end this text the way i started, but with a progressive idea- this is no longer a project for fun or to stay within doors. It's very ambitious and perhaps a major producer to make this brilliant compositions rise to a stellar condition is in order, maybe to start it's own ... big bang. wouldn't you agree?
Congratulations are in order, a 10 out of 10! But unfortunately for most of you, you'll only have the chance to confirm all of this presumably in october 14, 2016; the annouced releasing date. Until then you have NTH Ascension earlier releases to familiarized yourself to this superb prog band.
By McLeod! (ROCKS NATION)