Eleven years after the release of their well received ‘Wings of Love’ album, the bulk of Find Me’s ‘Nightbound’ sees the much loved AOR band often sticking to a tried and tested brand of melodic rock. A couple of tracks deviate from the formula to explore different avenues of classic rock, but it’s fair to say that this fifth album plays very much to the fan. Drawing influence from bands like Survivor – whose Jim Peterik scores co-writing credits – and more modern melodic rock bands like Lionheart, the material has no real care for fashion, but what it does, it does brilliantly. So much of the strength in the band’s sound is due to vocalist Robbie LaBlanc (sometime of Blanc Faces) who possesses one of the best melodic rock voices of his generation. When you have someone like Robbie on board, capable of summoning the power of Joe Lynn Turner circa 1985 and the huge melodic sounds of a peak Dave Bickler or Steve Overland, there’s little point in trying to branch out or add new twists to a classic rock backdrop – his huge voice handles the 80s influenced sounds so perfectly.
Author Archives: Real Gone
Listen: The Red Crow return with a new track ‘Haunted Eyes’
Formed in Brazil in 2013, The Red Crow gradually carved out a place among the cult bands on the expansive desert rock and stoner metal scene over the next few years. The band could’ve reached it’s end when founding member Christiano Vieira relocated to Portugal in 2022, but deciding he had more to give, he retained the old name and assembled a new band.
THE HALF-CUBES – My Girl / Someday
This two track release from The Half-Cubes is, in power pop terms, pure gold. Its pedigree is assured thanks to two different aspects. Firstly, as their name suggests, this band are made up from half of power pop legends The Flashcubes and, secondly, the tracks featured are both re-workings of classics from the Eric Carmen catalogue. Although neither track has been drastically rethought, both sound great with a brighter production sound than Carmen’s original recordings were ever afforded. ‘My Girl’, in particular, plays like a genre classic for 2024, despite its mid 70s vintage.
Listen: Transport League unveils new track ‘Primate Apeshit’
The new single from Transport League is a riff-centric beast that should appeal to a huge cross section of the rock and metal audience. A very cold and mechanical feel employed during the intro suggests something with an industrial heart, but the track ultimately blossoms into something very different.
Watch: Tellers Scribe share new video for ‘Bella’
The opening of ‘Bella’, the current single from Tellers Scribe, wastes no time in setting a brilliantly heavy sound in place. The guitar tones mix post-grunge with a pinch of nu metal, and also add a hugely sludgy element to give everything a pleasingly dirty feel. For some, that might be complex ensough, but this is also augmented with a few very old school “horsey squeals” bringing slightly more of an old school vibe. In short, this grabs the ear in seconds.