Children of Bodom: A Chapter Called Children of Bodom (2023)
On 15th December 2019, Children Of Bodom, which at the time consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass), Janne Wirman (keyboard), and Daniel Freyberg (rhythm guitar), held their last concert in Helsinki named,...
Andy Pratt: Trio (2024)
Andy Pratt, who is based in Chicago, is a fluent and melodic jazz guitarist who also sings with a deep and friendly voice. On this recording, which took place over two days last June (recorded live in the studio with no overdubs), he is joined by bassist Joe...
Zany Starblaster: The Lost Tapes (2019)
I have heard quite a lot of Jerry Kingls music in recent years, but this is a blast from the past, quite literally. Zany Starblaster were a Wisconsin Rapids band that performed locally and elsewhere in the mid-west during the years of 1978 through 1980. Members...
Varathron: The Crimson Temple (2023)
Hellenic Black Metal act Varathron are blessed with an incredibly stable line-up in recent years, given that the current version of the band came together in 2012. Singer Stefan Necroabyssious has been at the helm for 35 years, and he is joined by Achilleas C on...
Sarah McKenzie: Without You (2023)
This project originated in 2020 when Sarah McKenzie recorded “Corcovado (Quiet Nights)” with guitarist Romero Lubambo and cellist Jaques Morelenbaum as a trio. The reception to their Facebook video was so favorable that they performed at several European jazz...
Robert Prester & Adriana Samargia: Quenara (2023)
When it comes to music, there is always room for the overblown, but anyone who has been following my reviews for the last 35+ years will know I very much enjoy simplicity, and that when a performance is just an untreated vocal and an acoustic instrument it is at its...
Moofish: Entropia (2023)
Here we find the duo of Rhonda Hofmans Johnson (lyrics, main vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar) and Chris Fish Johnson (lyrics, backing vocals, spoken word, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, soundscapes, synths, piano and keyboards) being joined by...
Michael McClure: The Complete Wrx of the Shlarb Trilogy (2023)
I first came across Michael some years ago when he sent me some albums by faunch to review, and now the left-handed guitarist has brought together three EP’s he released under his own name as a single 10-track album. Michael started playing guitar in 1973, when he was...
Marius Neset: Geyser [Live at Royal Albert Hall – BBC Proms] (2023)
‘Geyser’ is a piece in eight parts which was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Marius Neset Quintet with the London Sinfonietta on September 3rd, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part of BBC Proms 2022. Marius provides both tenor and...
The Lizardz: Memoria (2022)
Released in 2022, this the latest release from American band The Lizardz, who first came together some 35 years ago. These days the line-up is Milo Plante (guitars, vocals), Mark Larson (keyboards, vocals), Travis Plantico (drums, guitar, vocals) and Jamie Bruhn...