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.
Tag Archives: hard rock
SKINHER – Heartstruck
As the name suggests, Skinher is a project helmed by bassist Kyle Skinher, also of prog metal band Hail Spirit Noir. In the main, this band couldn’t be further removed from his “day job”, since it abandons most proggy aspects and the heavier end of the metal spectrum in favour of some massive haired, retro hard rock thrills. Kyle claims the influences come from the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen and everyone’s favourite Ghost, but the truth is that the best parts of ‘Heartstruck’ are even more retro – and sometimes more melodic than both. This is a record that really taps into the melodic rock and metal sounds of yesteryear, to the point where you’d expect to find it propping up the release schedule on a label like Frontiers Records.
ROBIN McAULEY – Alive
Robin McAuley’s 2021 album ‘Standing On The Edge’ was unexpectedly good. With that release, the veteran rock singer not only managed to turn in one of the year’s best melodic rock albums, but one of the year’s best albums – period. Although McAuley has only ever taken a sporadic approach to recording as a solo artist, the record’s huge choruses and swathes of late 80s inspired melodies showed his talent hadn’t waned since his heyday, and if anything, it suggested his voice was stronger than ever. The following year found Robin moonlighting with hard rock supergroup Black Swan (also featuring ex-Dokken man Jeff Pilson and guitarist Reb Beach), which allowed him to apply his voice to a few chunkier arrangements on occasion. It wasn’t the kind of album that achieved massive worldwide success, but was well loved by the dyed in the wool rock fans who actually heard it, continuing something of a winning streak.
Check out video for Kovanta’s debut single, ‘Be My Queen’
Formed in 2019, Irish band Kovanta came together with a shared love of classic rock and metal bands, but also a love of the alternative movement of the early 90s. Their debut single ‘Be My Queen’ celebrates these strong musical styles and more, in a way that shows a youthful confidence.
HEROES AND MONSTERS – Heroes And Monsters
Although formed as a new band in 2022, Heroes And Monsters features three very established musicians. Guitarist Stef Burns will need no introduction for a lot of rock fans, having played with Alice Cooper and Y&T in the 90s. Bassist Todd Kerns mightn’t have reached household name status in the UK, but he’s also been a member of Alice’s touring band, recorded with Slash, and been an integral part of big selling Canadian alternative rock band Age of Electric. With Evanescence/Black Label Society man Will Hunt occupying the drum stool, Heroes And Monsters have a great pedigree, even before taking their music into consideration.