The debut EP from The Shang Hi Los was a little rough around the edges, but at its heart, it had some great songs. The musical marriage between guitarist Danny Kopko (Watts) and Jen D’Angora (Downbeat 5) seemed to be a perfect one, and their mix of garage rock and retro pop suggested great things ahead. A couple of years on, this full length album is bigger sounding, more slickly arranged and better produced, creating the kind of record that’s almost everything fans could’ve hoped for. By tackling various different styles throughout, it sometimes has a restless spirit, but some strong vocals – aplied brilliantly throughout – ensure the material hangs together well as a showcase for the Boston band’s talents.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
HEAVENS EDGE – Get It Right
The 1990 debut from Heavens Edge is held in high esteem by some melodic metal fans. Released during the tail end of the big hair boom, the record mixed different rock and metal styles with some inconsistency, but when the record really hit the mark, it showed off a really talented band. From high octane solos and riffs on loan from Judas Priest’s ‘Point of Entry’ on ‘Play Dirty’, to unashamed party rock derived from Warrant (‘Skin To Skin’), a passable take on a Ratt-ish sound (‘Bad Reputation’) and even a couple of melodic rock standouts (‘Come Play The Game’, ‘Find Another Way’), it became an album with something of interest to many hard rock fans at the time. Unfortunately, their musical enthusiasm didn’t translate into mega worldwide acclaim – or sales figures – and following a few years of swimming against a musical tide, the band split in 1993.
CIRCUS OF ROCK – Lost Behind The Mask
The debut album from Circus of Rock gave hard rock fans plenty to enjoy. The side project from King Company’s Mika Rantanen saw the Finnish musician collaborating with a whole host of familiar faces, including Tyketto’s Danny Vaughn, Axel Rudi Pell, Hardline vocalist Johnny Gioeli, and ex-Nightwish man Marco Hietala. This second outing for the Circus (released in May 2023) isn’t quite as impressive in terms of roll call, but any album that features vocal contributions from Uriah Heep’s Bernie Shaw and the legendary Jeff Scott Soto is definitely worth hearing.
LAMBRINI GIRLS – You’re Welcome EP
When confronted with a cartoon of a burning turd on a release’s artwork, there’s a hint that you might be about to encounter something with a lack of subtlety. When it comes to Brighton’s Lambrini Girls, “a lack of subtlety” only really scratches the surface when it comes to describing a fantastic musical assault. On their 2023 EP ‘You’re Welcome’, their mix of anger, social commentary and musical punch is so needed that such absolute directness is vital.
INDUSTRIAL PUKE – Born Into The Twisting Rope
On their debut EP ‘Where Life Crisis Starts’, Industrial Puke made a tightly wound noise that took the guts of Propagandhi circa ‘Supporting Caste’ and fused that with elements of classic Discharge and a pinch of Earth Crisis for hardcore goodness. Although brutal, the EP had a little more melody than those influences would immediately suggest, and thanks to a couple of smart arrangements, it was clear that the band were a cut above your average extreme music acts, or any of crust punk’s low budget heroes.