VOODOO HILL – Waterfall

voodoo hillAfter three releases with Black Country Communion and one with subsequent spin-off band California Breed, legendary rock vocalist Glenn Hughes found himself very much back in vogue and at the top of his game. Those releases gained Glenn some of the most enthusiastic press he’d gained since the 70s. With that in mind, you’d think the next best move would be to relaunch his solo career and potentially give the world his strongest solo work since 1994 ‘From Now On’.

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NINE MILES SOUTH – Nine Miles South EP

Nine Miles SouthSituated in middle-class Surrey, Guildford is hardly the epicentre of British rock.  Aside from The Stranglers, few bands have ever put that town on the map.  It was the location for Carter USM’s final show first time around – a show succinctly described as “shit” by frontman Jim Bob – and is only a few miles away from where Paul Weller began his illustrious career with The Jam, but even so, it could hardly hold a candle to Camden, Newcastle or Coventry for historic musical thrills.  In this respect, Nine Miles South are possibly the best thing associated with Guildford since fictional character Ford Prefect decided to call it home after his relocation from Betelgeuse.

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SHAFT OF STEEL – Shaft Of Steel EP

shaft of steelIn an age where so many melodic rock discs seem to suffer from average production values, it’s a pleasure when one comes along that sounds almost as sharp as those great releases from the late 80s. Although only an EP, this debut release from London based Shaft of Steel is a bright and shiny affair where everything crunches in the way melodic rock always should, with its four songs delivered with plenty of enthusiasm.

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LYNCH MOB – Rebel

lynch mobEarly in 2015, ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch teamed up with Stryper vocalist Michael Sweet.  Their resultant album ‘Only To Rise’ contained a bunch of feel good hard rock tunes with big choruses.   This release by Lynch Mob, released only seven months later, lacks the general joie de vive of the Sweet & Lynch project. It seems somewhat underwhelming by comparison and is certainly less varied, but maybe that’s precisely George’s point: everything has a darker side. Over the years, Lynch Mob have released some decent albums.  While many hard rock fans tend to gravitate towards their late 80s debut due to its classic sound, the later discs bring plenty in the way of huge riffs.  2003’s ‘REvolution’ showed the band at their absolute heaviest and had plenty to recommend it, particularly if you enjoy riffs in dropped keys.  In more recent years, their first release for Frontiers Records – 2014’s ‘Sun Red Sun’ – mixed classic rock sounds with the darker edge of ‘REvolution’ and achieved enjoyable results, resulting in their biggest US chart success to date.

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