At the point where the UK summer kicked in, Kelowna released an excellent single, ‘Insanity’. A track that introduced the Scottish rock band to many, it managed to mix different guitar driven styles, from melodic hard rock to stoner grooves, in such a way that it made this still new band sound rather grand, but without any feeling of grandiosity.
Tag Archives: melodic rock
YOUNG MARTYRS – Might Just Be Enough
The third album from Bath’s Young Martyrs is easily their best release to date. Its ten tracks – straddling rootsy rock, melodic rock and a whole wave of Americana sounds with a pinch of UK influence – showcase a mature sounding band. More importantly, ‘Might Just Be Enough’ presents the work of musicians who have a natural gift for well crafted songs.
Watch: John DeMena shares new video for ‘More Than Meets The Eye’
By its very nature, prog rock is complex, and the fans love that level of indulgence. ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ by multi-instrumentalist/songwriter John DeMena takes that to extremes, but manages to convey a feeling of an artist actually using his musical talents to progress, rather than just wheeling out some obvious Yes-isms or some outdated and misguided tribute to Gentle Giant.
Watch: Young Martyrs share new video for ‘Sugar On My Tongue’
Since their formation, Young Martyrs have been a reliable source for great singles. In particular, ‘Everyone Else Disappears’ presented a great radio friendly pop rock sound that provided an easy entry point into the band’s catalogue with its very melodic, chorus driven approach, while the Americana themed ‘Never Gave You The Blues’ offered a more mature angle in terms of songwriting, and the more recent ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ flaunted a more epic sound with its use of contrasting power chords and harmony driven vocals. All three of these recordings shared elements which could’ve been the work of three different bands, but in their own way, each showcased Young Martyrs as an act to keep an ear for in future.
Watch: Magnum – Rock Hard Festival 2019
Throughout the 80s, Magnum were one of the great hopes of British AOR. Their mid 80s releases ‘On A Storytellers Night’ and the Roger Taylor produced ‘Vigilante’ gained the band critical acclaim, and remain beloed by fans. 1988’s ‘Wings of Heaven’, arguably, represented a career peak, and a show from Hammersmith captured on that tour formed an essential VHS release. Unfortunately ‘On The Wings of Heaven Live’ languishes in a VHS limbo, now unlikely to gain an official DVD release.