There is no doubt that Discus Music are becoming one of my very favourite labels, and I am pleased to again be listening to Stephen Grew given how much I enjoyed his last album, ‘Fire’. This time he was recording in a studio, and the result are three lengthy...

When one sees the name Michael Sweet on an album cover there will always be certain expectations such as the lyrics will be heavily Christian, the vocals will be outstanding and the music will be very melodic indeed, normally in a hard rock setting. Here he has used...

This is the debut album from a band which could in many ways be thought of as metal supergroup given they are comprised of Abro (bass, Ponte del Diavolo), Håkon Freyr Gustafsson (drums, Skinher), Haris (guitars, keyboards, Hail Spirit Noir) and Romain Nobileau...

Canadian progressive rock trio Red Sand are back with their twelfth album, but I note there has been a line-up change since I reviewed 2021’s ‘The Sound of the Seventh Bell’. Simon Caron (guitars, bass, keyboards) and Perry Angelillo (drums) have now been joined by...

There is no doubt that the proud sons of Dunfermline are one of the very finest hard rock bands of all time, still treading the boards today. Bassist Pete Agnew is still there, more than 60 years on from when he formed The Shadettes, a band who by 1968 had cemented...

Not to be confused with the Czech or Finnish black metal bands of the same name, here we have the Norwegian band back with their second album, following on from 2023’s ‘Ad Nauseum’. Mind you the band has been through quite a change since then as originally this was a...

I have often said I never read a press release before I play an album, as this allows me to form my own opinion before reading about it, so when I first played this album, it was a huge shock to me. Discus Music are one of my favourite labels, and they tend to release...

Once this has been played it is easy to understand why it is rated on ProgArchives as one of the top albums from 2025 as it captures the proghead from the beginning and refuses to let go. Master composer and keyboard player/vocalist Anthony Kalugin has again used a...

I first came across the music of Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins more than a decade ago, and there is no doubt I have more albums by him than another bluesman. Here is someone who learned his craft from cousins Alger "Texas" Alexander and Frankie Lee Sims and is...

I am really enjoying these blues and jazz reissues from Craft and Concord, and here is another fine example with this remastered reissue of his third album, 1960’s ‘That’s My Story’. Hooker was renowned for changing tempo during his songs, doing what he felt was right...