Moonbeam Music 2004
Review by Endre 'Bandi' Hübner
24 September 2004

The last time I saw Barry Sparks was a gig of the Dokken tour hitting my city 2 years ago (with John Norum still in the line- up) and after the show I thought to myself "what is this guy doing in this band?" (other than making money obviously). He had soooo much energy and put on such a stellar and stunning performance (especially compared to Norum's rather pissed-off facial expression throughout the entire show) that he stole the show alone (well, let's admit it's not so hard to steal a show from Daddy Don "one step to the left, one to the right at best" nowadays anyway...).

Barry's been around so much lending his talent to a big bunch of bands/guitarists (Dokken, Scorpions, Malmsteen, MacAlpine, John West, Vinnie Moore, MSG, etc.) that it was high time for him to come up with some solo material. He didn't only play the bass on the album but also all guitars and he took the vocals too. And he has done a fairly good job with that, I'd say even better than many of the vocalist's of albums he has been working on. Musically it's meat and potato hard rock with a fresh sound (I'm not using the word "modern", not to confuse anybody, the sound is firmly rooted in the bombastic sound of 80s hard rock, it's just studio technology that changed since then to make the whole thing even more edgy). As for studio technology the inlay has a funny note: "This album was recorded on tour at a Holiday Inn near you!" and probably it is very close to reality. Regardless of the circumstances of the recording and mixing you get 14 tracks of well-produced, energetic hard rock with memorable melodies, good lyrics and a few outstanding tracks like the opening "Between the Sun and Moon", the moody "Simple Plan", the catchy "Breathe" (that smells like one of the "hits" of the album, in '89 it probably would have become one), "Mexico" with a very melodic refrain, and "Liberty" with a vocal line placed very cleverly on a groovy guitar lick.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
27 September 2004

Rock Ain't Dead!!! A far cry from hip, streetwise metal favoured by today's youth I'll grant you, but nevertheless this rocks solid from start to finish and it sure ain't dead. The second album by Heavy Pettin' was orignally released in 1985 and contained better or simply put catchier material than "Lettin' Loose". You can easily play this without skipping any tracks... at least as soon as you'll get past the over-the-top vocals by Hamie. Not every man's poison perhaps as he comes through like Saxon's Biff Byford on helium at times. Don't let it stop you from buying this all-time UK classic though as you'll soon feel totally at home with his overall superb performance. A great singer nontheless and I have absolutely no problem listening to his singing voice all day long.

Mascot Records 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
29 September 2004

John Coltrane’s musical virtuosity not only influenced sax players, but also composers and soloists on many other instruments. This CD called: “A Guitar Supreme, Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar”, brings together the creme de la creme of fusion and jazz guitar players with for example Larry Coryell, Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather and Greg Howe. These phenomenal guitarists approach their lead solos with a respect and energy, which renders their contributions to this album among their greatest individual works to date. Especially Greg Howe shines like almost never before in songs like “Giant Steps” and “Mr.Syms".

The core band consisting of Jeff Richman(guitar), Alphonso Johnson(bass guitar, Weather Report, Santana and Phil Collins), Larry Goldings (keyboards, John Scofield and Maceo Parker) and Tom Brechtlein (drums, Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter) provide exciting, cohesive rhythms to the guitar solos, creating a brilliant musical landscape.

Sanctuary/BMG 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
28 September 2004

There's nothing on this record to suggest that Megadeth would recentely have undergone a change in style in an attempt to attract attention (ehem... Metallica?). In fact, "The System Has Failed" feels more like a mish-mash of old albums (Rust In Peace, Countdown, Peace Sells...), with only a touch of new ideas. Credit to Dave Mustaine for staying close to his original ideas though and not drifting away into complete and utter b.s. (ehem... Metallica?).

"The System Has Failed" offer up a surprisingly effective set of towering power chords, harmoniously melodic passages and fiery guitar solos. Enlisting old 'Deth guitarist Chris Poland among the ranks once again was obviously a stroke of genius. Then again, I guess Mustaine needed something familiar to hang on to, ever since the nasty split up with 'the other Dave', they are now suing each other I believe? Lyrically, Mustaine is back with political and social commentaries in the ever so bitter tradition of the US Thrash-er.

Frontiers 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
29 September 2004

Ring Of Fire came to life in the year 2000 and was initiated by singer Mark Boals. Their debut was a real neo classical metal product and last year these guys released a sparkling live CD/DVD called “Burning Live in Tokyo”. “Lapse of Reality” is their third studio album and at this moment the band consists of the following superb musicians: singer Mark Boals (ex- Malmsteen), guitar player Tony MacAlpine, keyboarder Steve Weingart, bass player Philip Bynoe (ex- Steve Vai) and drummer Virgil Donati (ex-Planet X).

The album has 12 tracks and a bonus track, which offers you a total listening time of almost 69 minutes! Again the Malmsteen influences can be heard throughout the entire album, but that is of course mainly due to the voice of Boals. The guitar solos of Tony are an absolute delight on this album; heavenly in “You Were There” and sparkling in “One Little Mystery”. Most of the songs are filled with staccato guitar riffs, howling keyboard passages, neo-classical musical elements and orchestral influences.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
26 September 2004

UK born Kal Swan is clearly one of the unsung heroes of rock. A criminaly underrated singer that would later team up with Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake), to front L.A. acts Lion & Bad Moon Rising. The glorious vocals of Swan and the mixture of Whitesnake and Black Sabbath melodies, makes this a f-i-n-e album in my books.

Tytan was however formed out of the ashes of Angelwitch and are nowadays regarded as a minor supergroup of NWOBHM. Bassist Kevin "Skidz" Riddles and drummer Dave Dufort (the brother of Girlschool's drummer: Denise), wasted no time in getting a new band together after leaving Angelwitch. "Rough Justice" was originally recorded back in 1982 and spent three long years in limbo, until Metal Masters finally decided to release it back in 1985. Tytan had unfortunately already split up two years earlier (1983), and it's more or less something of a white elephant in rock.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
22 September 2004

The Birmingham UK quartet Quartz was originally started by Mike Hopkins under the name Bandylegs in 1974. Hopkins was the former guitarist of Idle Race in which Jeff Lynne of ELO fame also played. A record deal with Jet Records in 1976 also meant a name change for Quartz. Their first two albums were produced by Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, they were similar to Sabbath in many ways and the guitar sound especially. "Stand Up And Fight" is their third album from 1980 and most, if not all, the Sabbath influences are gone actually. With a new producer, Derek Lawrence (Angel, Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash), and a new label (MCA), the band set out to conquer the world. Something which unfortunately never happened.

Sanctuary/Noise 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
25 September 2004

"Black Brick Road" has to rate as perhaps the worst offering Lake Of Tears has ever come up with it. It's dull and tiresome Goth metal without any hooks or memorable melodies at all really. Surely this can't be the same band that recorded albums such as "The Neonai" and "Forever Autum", in the past? Well, sadly it is and perhaps they never should have gone for that ever-so-popular comeback album after all.

Frontiers 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
20 September 2004

THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! Earlier this year I was among the many AOR fans bitterly disappointed by the much-hyped return of House Of Lords, the band that Mr. Christian is fronting, but I am glad to let you know that "Meet The Man" will make you forget all about their album...what was it called again?

Apparently some of these songs have been around in one format or another for years. Now in 2004 they've been dusted off, re-recorded, some even re-written to make sure that they will make the biggest possible impact on the unsuspecting listener. Frontiers' current "in-house" producer Fabrizio V. Zee Grossi took care of the production duties, and once again he did a fine job...and James...he's in fine form and remains as one of the top vocalists of the genre - hell, all genres!

The show is kicked off by the quality AOR of "After The Love Has Gone", followed by my favourite track "Know You In The Dark". This song, somewhat reminiscent of "Seven Seas" by Steelhouse Lane, is most definitely one of the top ten tracks of 2004. "Surrender Your Love" is the first one of the ballads and I'd say it's a bit too early in the tracklisting. An okay song but still one of the weaker numbers here. Suprisingly enough, the same goes for the title track. It's a groovy hard rocker that might appeal to those into the heavier side of House Of Lords, but for me it didn't do anything.

"End Of Time" is more to my liking, a melodic midtempo track which reminds me of a hard rocking version of Roxette for some strange reason. Hmmm..."Love Looked Into My Life" is a classy ballad, and while "Leave Well Enough Alone" might rely on tried and trusted chord progressions, it's still highly infectious. "Strong Enough" is an uptempo rocker penned by Stan Bush, a good track but the chorus is a bit ordinary. "You Should Be Blue (All I Could Feel Was Blue)" doesn't win any prizes for the snappiest title of the year, but it's still a very good track with a simple but effective hook. The dark and moody "Circle Of Tears" is another great track with a strong chorus, leading us to the closing track "Hold Back The Night". It's the third ballad of the album and arguably the best one, just as dark and moody as the previous track. Funny to notice that James has unashamedly stolen the title of the track from his wife Robin Beck, who was "Holding Back The Night" on her first album already 15 years ago...

Frontiers 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
20 September 2004

These studio projects centered around well-known vocalists are quickly becoming the trademark of Frontiers...SHADOWS FADE features the very talented Kevin Chalfant, but unlike the other recent projects, it is produced by one Alex De Rosso, not Fabrizio V. Zee Grossi. De Rosso was briefly the guitarist of Dokken, but has now moved to other things such as this project.

Musically speaking Shadows Fade doesn't break any boundaries, it's stricktly AOR, similar to the bands Kevin Chalfant has been involved with in the past, namely The Storm and Two Fires. The production doesn't blow me away but it's decent enough, I guess. The same could be said about the songwriting: all the songs are decent enough, perfectly enjoyable but somehow most of them fail to leave their mark on me. This get even more obvious towards the end of the album, as the material on the second half is clearly less captivating than the first few songs.

The highlights for me were the opener "Twisted", "My Ocean", "Without You" and especially "Sooner Or Later", which starts out like a typical mid-tempo AOR track, yet its' chorus has the kind of urgency which appeals to me. As for the other tracks, the likes of "Run To Me" and "I Won't Look Back" are nice enough while you're listening to them, but instantly forgettable afterwards...and that's just not good enough.

Sanctuary/Noise 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
19 September 2004

"Scream For Me Long Beach" - Nope, it's not another Iron Maiden or Bruce Dickinson album in the works. However, opening track "Metal Asylum" refers to all those legendery songs and acts from the 80's. Heck, even Quiet Riot gets a nod or two (bang your heads) and it's all about fun and giggles really. "Year Of The Witch" is the fifth release by US metal act Seven Witches and it also displays a minor change of style and direction.

Wave goodbye to some of the most obvious Judas Priest influences (they are still very present though), and say hello to the aggressive approach of Megadeth. Or at least the bombastic group Dave Mustaine used to front in the 80's, Megadeth of today is a completely different issue really. This may not come as a total surprise when you take into consideration that ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson was involved with the writing of this record. In fact. "If You Want God" is an old Ellefson tune and Megadeth reject I guess? No wonder that tracks like "Metal Asylum", "Fires Below", "Cries Of The Living", etc. both smell and sound like something from the "So Far So Good So What" days.

MTG-Musiikki 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
20 September 2004

The first Kilpi album last year was something special, the very first highly 80'ies influenced metal/hard rock album with Finnish lyrics. It was a success and I have no doubt that this one be even more successful. The first single "Sielut Iskee Tulta" was released a few months ago and it has enjoyed tremendous success. Radio City, the Finnish rock radio station was especially fond of the track, and played it about 5 times a day for weeks and weeks...

The initial reports from the band suggested that this album would be heavier than the first one. Indeed it is, but unfortunately the changes seem to have been made on the expense of hooks and strong melodies. "Toinen Taso" appears to be more of an "Euro-metal" album than the first one, which had more influences from the other side of the Atlantic - Qüeensr˙che, Dokken, Van Halen...these elements aren't gone for good but this time the music is closer to Iron Maiden and Accept than those American bands. Knowing that the majority of the Finnish metal fans prefer the heavy stuff, this won't probably hurt the band at all.

The band hasn't completely lost their knack for writing good hooks though. The aforementioned single "Sielut Iskee Tulta" is an excellent melodic hard rock song and its' follow-up single "Valoista Varjoihin" might get decent amounts of airplay as well. "Eilinen" is this album's AOR track and a pretty good one at that, reminding me of the likes of Nightranger. However, the few somewhat dull tracks in the middle of the tracklisting leave a lot to be desired.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
19 September 2004

You could almost file this CD under the same category as the new John Waite compilation. It's however blessed with more tracks and it feels more like a real collection... even if it's not the ultimate one. Older fans of Lawrence Gowan (pre Styx days), who are somewhat familiar with his past, will find out that there's a lot of goodies left out in the cold. The early albums has been criminaly neglected and "Moonlight Desire" (his biggest solo hit) is the sole survivor from his 1987 album "Great Dirty World". Merely three tracks from the entire 80ies, doesn't exactly give a correct picture of this talented multi-musician.

I'm a major fan of Gowan and his voice as he always delivers an excellent performance, even if he's not the best technical singer out there. But (much like John Waite), he managed to reach the inside of your head (that would be the brain, huh?) with a pretty unique and soulful style. Not to mention that his material is something out of the ordinary "wham-bam-thank-you-mam" songs out there. Not that there's anything remotely wrong with all of them in the first place. Gowan is more of 'the thinking man's music' anyway and especially the early years were filled with quirky, slightly progressive, rock music. I really miss something like "One Brief Shining Moment" here, and there's not a single track of "Lost Brotherhood" to be found either.

MTM Music 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
20 September 2004

"The Bridge" was recorded as 707's third album back in 1982 with original vocalist Phil Bryant and it's actually been in the vault ever since. Their label at the time (Casablanca) didn't fancy the over-the-top rock with symphonic/progressive influences and simply refused to release it. They also thought the band had whimped out after a tour with Reo Speedwagon (really? I thought Speedwagon were heavy as s**t?).

Nevertheless, 707 decided to wimp out even more with their next album "Megaforce" (at Broadwalk records), and new singer Kevin Chalfant added a certain Journey-ism all over the place. The original members with Kevin Russell (guitars) and Jim McClarty (drums) upfront, absolutely hated "Megaforce" and fired Chalfant shortly after its release. There's still some unsolved issues and bad blood between them I believe.

No Brakes Records 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
20 September 2004

Something old, new, borrowed, and blue. I can't help feeling disappointed as I pretty much expected this to be a new studio album. Instead we'll get a (poor) collection of merely nine (9) tracks with oldies by the ex-The Baby's and Bad English frontman, John Waite. Not to mention that five out of these nine tracks are all from his pervious release "Figure In A Landscape". Then you have a "new" acoustic version of the smash hit "Missing You", a short instrumental piece (Son Of Godhead), a Bob Dylan cover (Girl From The North Country), and one new song (to lure the fans into buying it), the title track "The Hard Way".

Inside Out 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
22 September 2004

What the hell is wrong with these guys, this is not the Pain of Salvation I used to know, like and admire. After 2 superb prog metal CDs (“The Perfect Element” and “Remedy Lane) Daniel Gildenlow and Co. came up with the horrible unplugged album “12:5”. But I was looking forward to the new rock album with the title "Be"... Now it is released and what a disappointment it is; where is the music that I loved listening to, better put, where is the music on this album??? Most of the 75 minutes are sheer experiments with sounds and voices and I do not hear Pain Of Salvation anymore.

The album (a concept of course) deals with the great mystery of earthly existence and the “music” is a mix of “progressive” experimental rock, classical music, folk, gospel and soundscape “stuff”. For example in a song called “Deus Nova” you hear a voice summing up dates, while in the background a guitar makes noise and other mysterious sounds come to live. A key role on this album is for the nine piece classical ensemble Orchestra of Eternity, featuring cello, violin, flute, clarinet, tuba and percussion. They play a very important role in the song “Dea Pecuniae”, an awful boring long track, filled with soundscapes, voices, female vocals and Andrew Loyd Webber-like melodies. In fact there are only three real prog metal songs, which remind me of the Pain Of Salvation I used to like. “Diffidentia (breaching the core)”, “Nihil Morari” and “Iter Impus” are real prog metal tracks filled with mysterious guitar riffs, sparkling keyboard solos, warm and sometimes hysterical vocals and most of all great and diverse melodies and rocking passages.

Sanctuary/Noise 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
9 September 2004

Never judge a book by its cover or CD for that matter. Surely if this would have been the case here, the new Silent Force CD would have been out with yesterdays trash. It's like a bad cliche of every metal album ever released since the late 70ies. The music on the other hand is excellent crafted metal, even if they're hardly breaking any new ground here. "Worlds Apart" (this seems to be a popular title nowadays - see 'Pulse') is their third and definitly best effort and I'm sure it will appeal to fans of both power, melodic, and indeed neo-classical metal.

D.C. Cooper (ex-Royal Hunt) are one of those vocalists whom single handely can take a record to the next level. This time he's also been blessed with great material and production by Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69). The voice is indeed the centre of attention and the CD contains elements of several hardrock genres. Sure, it's all been done before and it's really just a matter of trying to create "something" of your own, and most importantly, write catchy yet powerful material to go along with the extra crispy fries. Something which they've really managed to provide us with throughout the entire album. Nontheless, you need to spin this a couple of times and then let it all sink in.

SPV/Steamhammer 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
15 September 2004

Beware of the "return" of the powermetal gods from Italy: Rhapsody. Their second album "Symphony of Enchanted Lands"(1998) was their absolute masterpiece with powermetal hymns like "Eternal Glory" or "Symphony of Enchanted Lands". Songs full of drama, bombast, and pathos and of course greatly played music. Now 6 years later Rhapsody reaches their climax with this new album called "Symphony of Enchanted Lands part 2, The Dark Secret". A marvelous, unbelievable fantasy story, with 72 minutes of the best bombastic metal you have ever heard. The CD features a complete choir, a dozen of individual soloists, a 60-piece orchestra, 12 amazing songs and last but not least Mr. Christopher "Saruman" Lee; who is the narrator that "guides" the listener through the dark secret.

Before I go any further I would like to warn you that if you do not like classical music(opera), then you better should stop reading and buy another CD. Because right from the overture the songs are filled with opera-like choir and orchestral passages, and of course the dark voice of Mr.Lee adds to the feeling that we are dealing with something special here. "Unholy Warcry" was also on the mini-album and this song is the perfect example of the "new" music of Rhapsody, called film score metal. Excellent singing by Fabio, bombastic orchestral parts and fast guitar rhythms and riffs are the key words here. After these first two spectacular songs one might wonder if these guys could do even better...And the answer is: yes, they can bloody well do better.

Sony Music 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
13 September 2004

As Europe announced their comeback, Sony didn't waste any time putting together a new compilation CD and this DVD, which features all the videos the band made during their heyday, and some bonus material.

The ten videos capture the sights and sounds of the late eighties commercial hard rock boom. "The Final Countdown" kicks off the show, and it's surely one video that most of you must have seen at least once. I still rate is as one of the band's best videos, although the sound on this dvd does seem to be a bit muddy on this one track (anyone else noticed this?). The video of "Rock The Night" has to be rated among the most ridiculous videos of the era, with a goofy story line of the band stopping for burgers at a Hard Rock Cafe, getting excited over seeing themselves on the TV, and spontaneously starting a playback show right there and then...ketchup bottles can be used as guitars and microphones just as well.

"Carrie" is a rather simple ballad video with the band looking suitably nice and cleancut, while in "Cherokee" they go for a more hard rock image, ripped t-shirts and jeans and by god, do the hairdos look a bit messy? The band must have had a big budget for the video, as it's filmed in the Grand Canyon I guess and features indians, cowboys and all sorts of effects.

The videos from the album "Out Of This World" are very much in the style of several other late eighties videos. There's the classic "let's play in a dramatically lit castle" video ("Superstitious"), the even more classic "abandoned industrial building" video ("Open Your Heart") and the obligatory "Live in Japan" video ("Let The Good Times Rock"). Good songs, OK videos but admittedly nothing "out of this world" (sorry, couldn't resist...).

"Prisoners In Paradise" was the band's last album (up until now of course), and it didn't exactly storm the charts. Still, three videos were made. The first one of them was the title track of the album, and it seems to be the one with the biggest budget. There's a storyline that follows the lyrics, and the video itself is a very stylish one. "I'll Cry For You" is shot in a theather or something, a very simple performance video, while the last one, "Halfway To Heaven" is a "live" video shot in a small club. Although the song is not that heavy, you'll notice that both Joey Tempest and keyboard player Mic Michaeli are playing guitars on it! Similary to Bruce Springsteen's classic "Dancing In The Dark" video, a young girl is pulled to the stage do dance...I don't know whether she was an aspiring actress like Courtney Cox in the Springsteen video.

The bonus material will offer some extra laughs for everyone. The material is from the archives of Swedish national TV, and you'll get to enjoy some early Europe performances. There's footage from the Swedish rock championship competition in 1982, where young Joey sports a truly horrendous moustache. In the 1984 live material the facial hair is gone and the famous perm is already crowning his head...and just like many "heavy metal" singers of the era, Tempest is wearing very "cool" red spandex trousers.

I think that there must be tons of live material floating around, and that would have been great addition to the DVD, but it's an entertaining flashback to the "good old days" as it is anyway. Rock now, rock the night...who-oh, who-oh.

SPV/Steamhammer 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
15 September 2004

Only a year ago Canadian "retro" rockers Saga released their last album and now only a year later we are already treated to a new CD. Drummer Steve Negus is currently taking time out, and Canadian Christian Simpson was enlisted to fill in for him. The new drummer made his presence felt on this new album, because "Network" sounds rawer, more lively and more spontaneous than the previous Saga albums.

In the superb opener "On The Air" you can hear Saga's typical sound, Chrichton's guitar, Chrichton's keys and the very recognizable voice of Michael Sadler are dominant as ever. If you listen very carefully and if you know other Saga albums, then this song will remind you of albums like "Worlds Apart" or "Silent Knight", albums that are already 20 years old! Other highlights on "Network" are: "Don't Make A Sound"(great melody and very diverse), "Live At Five"(rather heavy) and "Believe"(a beautiful typical Saga ballad with a thrilling guitar solo).

SPV 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
13 September 2004

It feels like I've been playing nothing 'but Pat Travers albums for the last couple of weeks. First the re-issues and now this "old geezers stick together" project with Carmine Appice (ex-King Kobra, Rod Stewart, Vanilla Fudge, Ozzy Osbourne, etc). These projects hardly ever turn out great now do they? Well, this time however they've managed to create a fine album in the old tradition with a touch of new. The sheer energy of "It Takes A Lot Of Balls" surprised the hell out of me as I never expected it to rock this hard. There are still fillers to be found but at least further apart than lately.

Opener "Better From A Distance" really sets the pace and standard of the entire album. Indeed, powerful blues rock with gritty guitar riffs, driving drum sounds and intricate bass grooves are only to be expected. The opening track along with "Never Saw It Coming" is a real power rock and a treat for any Travers/Appice fan. I don't believe I've ever heard such powerful chords and sound coming out of Travers amp. It's like he's been upgrading his old tone with the addition of the massive sound by Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top). Carmine is simply great too with technical advanced chops and fills throughout the CD.

Inside Out 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
15 September 2004

The debut album of this British and Swedish prog rock collective was praised by almost all magazines and e-zines. I for my part prefer the Flower Kings and I would "describe" the Tangent as a band like Karmakanic. Excellent musicians, great compositions, but there is something missing which I cannot really put my finger on. Maybe it is the fact that there are too many jazz influences (I am not that keen on saxophone and horns) or that I miss the "real" musical power sometimes.

But, please, do not get me wrong, this is an exciting and skilled progressive rock album. The epic opener "The Winning Game" is a mix of the Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Camel, Gentle Giant, Caravan and King Crimson, with outstanding guitarparts, but sadly too much flute and sax for my part. "Skipping The Distance" is rather unusual with again too much saxophone and some mice funky rhythms, where bass player Jonas Reingold and drummer Zoltan Csorsz really set the tone.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
10 September 2004

Patrick Henry Travers started out playing second fiddle with his brother's band before joining forces with Ronnie Hawkins of 'The Band' fame. However, he didn't manage to secure a solo deal in his homeland Canada and moved therefore to London, UK, where Polydor signed him up after a successful concert at The Reading festival. "Makin' Magic" (Polydor - 1977) being his second release it also displayed a harder and better approach towards music (at least in my ears), than the somewhat annonymous debut.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
12 September 2004

A major improvment since "Putting It Straight" and Travers most metallic sounding record of the 70's (Polydor /1978). "Heat In The Street" was also the first album to feature new guitarist Pat Thrall (Hughes/Thrall, Asia, Meatloaf, etc), and drummer Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, etc). Something which only meant an improvment towards the over all rock sound and attitude in general. It's more in the style of Aerosmith and Ted Nugent (back then) than previous attempts, and it clearly holds more aggressive guitarwork than before.

Inside Out 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
15 September 2004

All these side projects make the life of a music lover very expensive. Now we are treated to the second album of The Jelly Jam; featuring: Rod Morgenstein (drums), John Myung (bassguitar) and Ty Tabor (vocals and guitar). I must say that I rather preferred the other side project of these guys called Platypus (with Derek Sherinian). They made two great albums, but then Sherinian left and the trio seeked new challenges under the banner of The Jelly Jam.

I truly liked their debut album, which was released two years ago, a powerful album that was a musical mix between Dream Theater, King's X and the Dixie Dregs. The second album however is far less interesting because I sadly miss the power in the music as on their first album. Excellent tracks from the debut album like the two instrumentals "The King's Dance" and "The Jelly Jam", or songs like "Nature's Girl" and "Under The Tree" can not be found on this new CD.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
11 September 2004

"Putting It Straight" was Travers second full-length release in the space of 12 months back in the year or 1977. The Majestic Rock reissue holds no bonus tracks I'm afraid and therefore it's back to the old days, when a full album had no more than eight tracks in store. Guest musicians such as Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham (also 21 Guns, etc) and Rainbow's Tony Carey (later famed solo artist in Germany), makes up for any sour grapes I'm sure.

MTM 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
10 September 2004

I can't find anything grand to say about the first album with Pulse as only singer Simon Abbotts (a lite version of Steve Overland?), made a lasting impression. The sophomore release is way better than the dodgy debut, even if there's still a couple of fillers included. "Worlds Apart" combines a more 'catchy' approach to songwriting with a tougher, more contemporary sound, only failing to be a great album due to the lack of a good production.

Okay, so I'm playing this directly after listening to the Silent Force CD with the same title. Wow... talk about major mistake as you'll notice exactly how lousy the production is in comparness. As always a matter of $$$ of course and God only knows it's not an easy task being a recording melodic hardrock act in 2004. However, I'm sure they could beef up the sound yet another notch or two with a more capable person behind the wheel. Especially the drum sound is darn annoying (mostly the hi-hat /ride) and you simply have to try and ignore it in the end.

Z Records 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
13 August 2004

Z Records continue their quest sign to every late eighties/early nineties hard rock artist...If I remember correctly, Adam Bomb released his first album "Fatal Attraction" way back in 1985, and followed it a few years later with a more glam-styled "Pure S.E.X.". I recall that I had both of those albums as vinyls back then for a while, but wasn't too fond of them and eventually sold them.

This album is a compilation and for one thing for sure, it showcases the versatility of the man. You'll get some eighties' styled metal ("I Want My Heavy Metal"), glam/sleaze rock ("SST", "Pure S.E.X."), more modern sounds ("The Beginning Of The End"), stuff that could be compared to Alice Cooper ("Shattered Smile") and some covers. Hell, a track like "DWI On The Info Super Highway" sounds like all those critically acclaimed rock bands of today, usually named "The -es"...Maybe Adam should change the name of the band to The Bombes...or The Adames...and get a sixties' haircut?

UBP International 2003
Review by Endre 'Bandi' Hübner
3 September 2004

Bulgaria's answer to Dream Theater is here. The answer may be a little too late but better late than never anyway. Music Station is a six-piece band following the well-paved progressive rock path with virtuoso keyboard and guitar work, a high-pitched vocalist and complex yet memorable songwriting.

The musicians (all six of them Bulgarian) may be local heroes in their home country but their names are totally unfamiliar beyond their borders. Yet they deliver a quality record with astonishing musicianship, good lyrics in English, performed with no notable accent. The production is well-balanced, crystal clear, personally I could have done with a little more aggressive guitar and bass sound but that's just the matter of taste. As you may have guessed from this comment, the keyboards are pretty much in the front of the mix which is absolutely okay because Boris Zashev delivers a stunning performance, his keyboard sounds are amazing and his piano work is really notable [make sure to check the "Intro to Shaping" or the instrumental parts of "After Twighlight"]. Unlike many bands of the genre Music Station is easy to digest, the riffs are memorable, the keyboard parts are melodic, the refrains are sing-able, and the backing vocals are thick and frequent, giving some of the songs a "potential hit" feeling (obviously baring in mind we are still talking about complex progressive rock here).

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
4 September 2004

Many if not all English hardrock journalists and reporters disliked Tobruk and their likes in the 80ies (Shy, Airrace, early FM, etc). You know, British hardrock acts with a soft spot for the American dream and sound. If you were a band from the industrial midlands of England, then by jove, you should sound and act like a British band from the midlands. Something which unfortunately wasn't the case with Tobruk and they surely payed the price of being too "American" in their approach to music.

Produced by Lance Quinn of Bon Jovi and Lita Ford fame, "Wild On The Run" was originally released in May of 1985. Recentely signed with Parlophone EMI after spending four long years waiting for their big break to come true, the lads were finally ready to take on the world, or at least so they thought. They had actually recorded the smashing title track "Wild On The Run" for Neat Records already back in 1983. The single (b/w 'The Show Must Go On') didn't exactly rush the charts and not much came out of the deal. You'll find however the two songs as bonus tracks on this very CD release.

Indie 2004
Review by Endre 'Bandi' Hübner
3 September 2004

The underground kings of "weird rock" [a category invented to fit Pushing Red Button's music somewhere] are back with another full-length album. If you ever dated a psychology or sociology PhD student girl, you must have an idea what the title of the album may refer to. I say "may" cuz you never know it with Pushing Red Buttons.

Even though the music can be characterized as progressive rock with some alternative touches, let's face it: when it comes to Pushing Red Buttons the music is mostly a good excuse to make the world face the lyrics. Some of them are tongue in the cheek funny while others aim to make you use your brain a little. There isn't a noticeable difference in the songwriting since their previous release [review in our archives], the arrangements got a little more diverse with guest musicians on sax and strings but the main influence in the band is still the keyboard player, main songwriter Steve Herrig assisted by Rich Gaglia on guitars and lead vox.

Escape 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
6 September 2004

The combination of Escape and re-issues always sounds like a sure winner in my books. I honestly can't remember the last time they disappointed us with a crappy re-release. It may not always be popular music for the average joe, but then again, why would it be? This time however it's only fair to raise a finger (the middle one?) as a warning to some of the potential buyers out there.

"Surrender" with the excellent vocalist Alfie Zappacosta upfront released their debut in 1979 and it's definitely the sound of the times. Many of the songs from the self titled album feels like something you'd expect to turn up in a drama movie back then (Kramer vs Kramer perhaps?). They are remarkable bleach at times without any real hooks or refrains to grab hold to. Out of the eight tracks from the debut, I'd say only "Some People" and "Buddy", comes through with shining colours. The rest aren't exactly fillers... but it's a weird mixture of 70's Pop, Westcoast, and elevator music. You will probably enjoy them more if you were old enough to drive during those days. Me being a child of the 80's, find them quite boring and uninspiring, even if I've been looking further and further back in time (musicwise) lately.

SPV 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
3 September 2004

Going through the info sheet you can read that Biff Byford explains that "Lionheart is the most powerful album we've ever recorded". Gee... that's original and surely he wouldn't let us think it's the wimpiest album they've ever recorded. You pretty much know what to expect from Saxon by now anyhow, and at least it's better than their previous release.

"Lionheart" is nontheless the true definition of being safe without any major surprises or sudden hickups. They slam it into second gear and stay there for almost the entire album. The attitude is slightly 'heavier' than before though, and some rapid fire guitar work are indeed the centre of attention every now and then. Check out "Justice" or "To Live By The Sword", for some truly powerful stuff and the new and experienced drummer Jörg Michael (ex-Stratovarious, Running Wild, UDO, etc), adds another dimension with his double bass drumming. The latter song had me almost thinking about those German speed acts which Michael used to hang out with.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
6 September 2004

Here's yet another mid 80's melodic hardrock act out of London/UK, that happened to be influenced by the US rock of Journey and Foreigner.. or at least according to themselves. I can't hear much of any of the two mentioned acts to be honest. I'd say it's more in the vein of early 80's Magnum, Nightwing, Saracen, and Uriah Heep. Rather symphonic and pompous than AOR-ish in many ways, and more comparable with Kansas, if any US acts are needed at all in the description (just go with the British ones instead).

Snowblind never became the household name they set out to be, and you can actually file this under the "obscure" and "vanishing" by now. Their one and only album release at the Belgian Mausoleum label in 1985 is something of a cult item in Japan (then again so is Godzilla). This being my first encounter with the band, I must say that it's not bad at all, even if it's hardly the album of that century. Vocalist Tony Manson (ex-Omen) had once auditioned for Uriah Heep and narrowly lost out to Goalby? And you only have to go as far as "Possession", to find some obvious Uriah Heep influences. "Sierra" has Saracen written all over it and "Now Is The Hour" opens up with fluffy keys in the tradition of Magnum. Pick of the bunch is the classy "Chasing The Dragon", which will remind you of Magnum in more ways than one.

Inside Out 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
8 September 2004

Anyone’s Daughter’s name stands for sophisticated and ambitious rock music. Made in Germany, in the late 70s and early 80s this band was one of the most popular art rock bands ever; and they were mentioned with bands like Eloy, Novalis or Triumvirat. After a very long break the band made a come back in 2001 with a different line-up and a CD called “ Danger World”.

This album "Wrong" is a bit more rockier than it’s predecessor, however I must say that it does not rock me off my feet. Nine rather boring tracks are on this album and most of the songs are piano dominated, rather slow stuff for falling asleep if you suffer from insomnia.

SPV 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
6 September 2004

Holy crap... yet another Blackmore's Night compilation. Are they trying to convice us about the true meaning of being a rich and famous musician? That you can simply run down your fans with the same old songs as always and let them spend big money on it (and I didn't even mention KISS & Gene $immons here). Perhaps I should address this directly to the labels after all, since it seems like you only have to record a couple of CD's nowadays, until they have a compilation in the works (and three or four live albums on top of that).

Musicbusiness 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
30 August 2004

It seems that 2004 is the year of Comebacks for several 80'ies acts. Many of them may have been going all this time, but only this year they have released high-profile albums (Scorpions, WASP, TNT), and a few of them have really restarted their career (Europe). Stage Dolls falls between these two: they made a comeback attempt with the album "Dig" a few years ago, but nothing much came out of it. Indeed the album could just as well be forgotten, as it wasn't a very strong effort.

Frankly, I was half-expecting this one to be a rather lame album, just like many of these much-hyped comeback albums, but I was wrong...so very wrong!

Torstein Flakne and co have put together a seriously catchy album that I rate to be easily as good as the much-loved self-titled 1988 release of theirs. The band's sound has been slightly updated, with the closest reference being the latest Def Leppard album "X". Some tracks reminded me of Bad Company's late eighties AOR stuff too. On the other hand, the band has picked up some surprising new-country influences, to the extent that I'd be willing to bet good money on the success of these songs, if someone like Lonestar or Faith Hill were to cover them for the U.S. market. Just add steel guitars, fiddles and a video on CMT and you've got a hit...

The highlights include the ultra-catchy title track with a hook that just jumps at you, the hit-worthy ballad "Someone Like You", the moody "Too Late For Love" and "Summertime Ladies". There are no weak songs really though. The only downfall of the album is the fact that it's maybe a little bit too nice and polite sometimes, and a couple of the songs are a bit too familiar sounding. But still, one of the best albums of 2004, no question about it!

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
31 August 2004

The release which completely divided the Waysted fans into two camps. Originally issued in November 1986, it was their first to feature new (American) singer Danny Vaughn (Tyketto), and their first with a rather "wimpy" approach. Well, at least according to some of their beer drinking fans of the past. "Save Your Prayers" tend to have more in common with US and MTV friendly rock (of the era), than the meat and potato UK music with previous singer FIN upfront.

To be honest, many of the tracks are closer to Tyketto than the UK music of ex-UFO bassist Pete Way. Not that strange perhaps as Vaughn co-wrote most of the material, even though he never got any credit for it. One thing's for sure, you'll definitely see where Tyketto came from with songs like "Black & Blue" or "Singing To The Night". Danny's voice is the centre of attention and it carries the material throughout the entire album.

Lion Music 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
1 szeptember 2004

In the nineties the music market was "flooded' with instrumental guitar albums. Some famous guitar players of that time were Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Joey Tafolla, Greg Howe, Vinnie Moore and Tony Macalpine. Later on guitar players like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen conquered the rock world with their excellent guitar picking.

Nowadays this instrumental guitar "market" is not that contemporary anymore, although Satriani and Vai still make great records. Joe Stump also belongs to my favorite guitar pickers and he now releases his seventh CD called "Speed Metal Messiah". And what a wonderful album it is, maybe his best so far; the album is packed with great melodies, cool groves and killer riffs.

STARLIGHT 2004
Review by Satu Reunanen
27 August 2004

I’ve never heard Aquila’s music before, but it’s no wonder. This Dutch band is quite unknown in Finland, but AOR Heaven in Europe and JVC released this album in Japan with great feedback. "Man With A Mission" is the second release from the band that saw the light of day only in 2001, though the members have been playing far longer than this. All the 14 tracks were written and produced by Fred Hendrix, also involved with Terra Nova along with the other Aquila member Ron Hendrix, arrangements by Aquila.

Aquila is about light pop songs with catchy hooks. Their music is actually so easygoing and radiofriendly, that they shouldn’t have a problem building a bigger fanbase. There’s a hint of Police, Ugly Kid Joe, Doors-keyboards and the vocals are quite similar to Tommy Eriksson (Ageness). Aquila takes influences from everywhere, but the songs have been written with a good taste and easy structure, they don’t start bouncing around without a point. The music is refreshing with good melodies, even with rebellious attitude with heavy guitars and sounds, like in "Bite Me". There’s even reggae and funk involved, but it doesn’t come out too strong to take the bands music off their strong course.

Review by Satu Reunanen
1 September 2004

The progressive metal band A Lower Deep hails from Alabama, USA, the country that has given us the prog Gods Dream Theater, but for the past years has been pretty quiet in offering European fans what they want. And when talking about good prog metal, it’s even harder to find. In today’s music business and in US standards A Lower Deep are a miracle, but one that might not find their fans in their own country but from those that hail after complex melodies instead of what has become the norm for american metal, nu-metal and the likes.

Nevermore and older Fates Warning are the closest comparisons in this bands sound and doomish, complex prog-like songs, where thrash influences can also be detected. The heavy sound, heavy drums and riffs keep it all together in the dreamy atmosphere, where vocals mostly have a cold, haunting feeling to them. This is one of those releases you don’t get in too easily, but then again the example bands above aren’t easy to open either. This is the bands second self financed release, earlier being released in 2002.

Escape 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
29 August 2004

Born in Switzerland Paul Janz's family would move to Canada when he was four. A solid background with gospel music in the church choir and by the time he was ten years old he was writing arrangements and performing in front of huge crowds. He studied opera, classic trumpet, and was a member of the Christian band "Deliverance", who recorded three successful albums between 1976 and 1979 (including a #1 album in Germany). He signed with A&M in the 80's and "High Strung" was the first and probably the wimpiest solo album by Janz. Originally recorded back in 1985 he would receive a Juno award for most promising male vocalist in Canada that very year.

What you have here is a nice flashback and a solid Pop/AOR album in that typical mid-80's style. Fans of Body Electric and Straight Lines will notice that both Dave Pickell (keyboards) and David Sinclair (guitars) are included in the line-up. Add that legendary songwriter and ex-Prism member Jim Vallance play drums on a couple of tracks, and you're in for a treat. The fact that's it's Canadian and never before released onto CD, are extra kudos to Escape for giving us wimp rockers a second chance. Titles like "Don't Cry Tonight", "Close My Eyes", "All I Have", "Go To Pieces" are excellent songs in the Stan Meissner, Body Electric genre. I would also add the hi-tech pop/rock of Go West on top of that. Songs that fans of both standard 80's Pop and AOR would enjoy somehow. You simply know that Fernando Martinez at 'Emotion 98.3' would air these songs constantly (Grand Theft Auto - Vice City /the best? Playstation 2 game out there). You'll get dragged across an emotional mindfield, terrified of what might happen. All that glitters ain't gold though and you can find a couple of fillers among the nuggets.

MTM Music 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
28 August 2004

German hard rock label MTM have again put together a compilation of ballads from their recent and forthcoming releases. The label's biggest acts TNT, Dare and Joe Lynn Turner are naturally represented, but the emphasis is on newer acts, such as Human Temple, Edge Of Forever and Greenhouze. The last act actually provide the sole new track from their first album, to be released later this year.

What can I say about the music? I have a soft spot for ballads, and AOR/Hard Rock groups are known to deliver quality ballads. These artists signed to MTM aren't an exception to "the rule", and these examples of the softer side of rock are all instantly likeable. I think I like 'em all actually! The familiar bands don't disappoint, and indeed there are a few newer bands that require further investigation - Faro, Edge Of Forever and S.I.N. for example. Somehow I have overlooked their recent releases...gotta put 'em to the shopping list! I must re-mention Greenhouze...if "Train Song" is anything to go by, the album will be a good one. As for the familiar bands, I may be a bit biased but Human Temple's "Desert Rain" is a terrific ballad. I liked the original demo but this album version is on a totally different level. Other highlights among them include Dare's athmospheric "Silent Hills", Joe Lynn Turner's "Love Don't Live Here" and Shylock's impressive "Late Night Show".

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
30 August 2004

Every man's Poison? I doubt it, since the glamour music won't exactly appeal to every rocker out there. To keep it simple, Tigertailz recorded two albums in late 80's/early 90's, they came out of Wales, and borrowed a lot of stuff (including image and music) from Poison. It's 'look what the cat dragged in' and 'talk dirty to me', all over again somehow.

"Original Sin" is a compilation of demos, where the first seven songs came from the same sessions at their debut EP "Shoot To Kill". It's more or less the same material which would later end up on the debut "Young And Crazy", the following year. Music For Nations scrapped these versions and they simply had to re-record the entire album once again. So you'll get "Living Without You", "Young And Crazy", "Shoot To Kill", etc, in different versions and with Tokyo Blade drummer Steve Pierce behind the kit. Quite essential for the die-hard Tigertailz fan I'm sure.

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
30 August 2004

Blind Fury - "Where the georgie lads of Satan decided to take a break from their usual path of blood offering". The Newcastle (England) act Satan, which many associated with Black Metal, started out in the very early 80's as a decent NWOBHM group. They had absolutely nothing to do with black metal, goats, dodgy lyrics (...well), or otherwise satanic approach to music though. Brian Ross (ex-Blitzkrieg, Avenger) however left the band in 1984 and their old vocalist Lou Taylor, was interested in a comeback, provided that the name was changed into Blind Fury.

"Out Of Reach" became Blind Fury's one and only release (1985), and the new direction wasn't exactly appreciated by the major part of the fans. In fact, the rest of the band got rid of Taylor instantly and went back under the monicker of Satan again. Only to be told by their record company a couple of years later to drop 'Satan' for good. They later continued as 'Pariah' and lived happily together forever after (or whatever...).

Perris Records 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
29 August 2004

Remember Kix? They were an 80'ies hard rock band who released a few albums back then, with "Blow My Fuse" being their most successful one, they even had a major hit single with the ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes". Funny Money is a band of the former Kix-vocalist Steve Whitman, and one could argue that they are direct continuation of Kix. They're not really, since most of the Kix-songs were written by the band's bass player whose name escapes me now. Still, if you liked Kix, chances are that you'd enjoy Funny Money, since the music is still influenced by Aerosmith and AC/DC.

"Skin To Skin" is a collection of somehow very 70'ies sounding rock tracks, which bow to the two aforementioned acts, but also to the likes of the Rolling Stones. Admittedly this kind of "classic rock" doesn't really interest me that much, but Funny Money are very good at it, and they have a few songs that save them from being instantly forgettable: the title track is a good Aerosmith-meets-Poison type of a ballad, and "Just One Dance" has a great hook. The band could have used a few, or many, more of those.

Mascot Records 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
25 August 2004

Former guitar player of Marilyn Manson John Lowery releases his first solo album. After been fired by Manson he concentrated on his solo career and came up with material for his first album in only a couple of weeks.

The CD contains 13 tracks filled with industrial riffs, classic rock guitar solos, strange jazzy parts, experimental samples and even rock and roll and country and western influences. Seven compositions, "Sugar Foot Rag", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Liberty", "Vertigo", "18969 Ventura BLVD", "Salt Creek" and "Goodnight", are all dreadful and sometimes even annoying. Especially the rockabilly/country and western like- songs are a complete horror to my ears.

Lion Music 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
25 August 2004

This is Volume 2 of the Jimi Hendrix tributes, and I am glad that I have not heard volume 1 as well. What are these guys thinking??? Jimi Hendrix is the best guitar player ever, he is the guitar god of all times!!! Why do you want to play Hendrix covers then, you can never reach his level as a guitar player, so what is the use of this CD?? By the way, you all know that I hate covers, but you should never try to cover Hendrix, play your own f*** stuff!!

If you only listen to the vocals in songs like "Room Full Of Mirrors" or "Purple Haze" you do not want to hear more, it really sounds awful. And then the guitar playing, do net get me started here……

Majestic Rock 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
31 August 2004

Only a taster of things to come really... and I'am certainly looking forward to their upcoming album by now. The Swedish band Million will once again return to the scene with a brand new label behind them. I've lost count on all their previous record companys and only hope that Majestic Rock will finally become their home away from home.

The guys needs a break as they're actually good at what they do. It's heads down, three to four chords, and one helluva attitude to rock'n'roll. It all dates back to the Kiss days (or daze?) I guess, since B.J happens to be a major fan of the shock rockers. The "2004 EP" hold five tracks where two are from the upcoming album (named Kingsize I believe?), two unplugged oldies (Sing Of Victory & In Your Dreams), and one is exclusive to this very release (What I Want). Vocalist Ulrich Carlsson only gets better with each release and keyboardist Johan Bergqvist has managed to find that special place within the band. Check out the new "Fight You Forever" for some impressive key-work in the classic school. The song reminded me briefly of Dalton with balls somehow? Really catchy stuff with a heavier approach to music than what the Lindmark brothers ever had. Could possible be one of the best Million songs ever.

You can find older reviews and everything else in the Reviews Archive. We also have this year's reviews linked above for an easy access to them. If you're looking for a specific title, use the search engine on frontpage or on the Reviews Archive page!

If you came to this page from a search engine, click the logo to view the entire site!