ALBUM REVIEW: JOE BONAMASSA - DRIVING TOWARDS THE DAYLIGHT

Guitar god Joe Bonamassa has reaped his roots for his 13 studio album. Harking back to the glory days of early ‘60s rock n' blues, producer Kevin Shirley has assembled a unique group of musos including Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford. From inspired self-penned originals 'Dislocated Boy', 'Heavenly Soul', 'Somewhere Trouble Don't Go' and the road-tested title track 'Driving Towards The Daylight' to rugged-rock cover versions of Howlin Wolfs' 'Who's Been Talking', Robert Johnsons' 'Stones In My Passway', Tom Waits’ 'New Coat Of Paint', Bill Withers’ 'Lonely Town Lonely Street', Bernie Marsden’s 'A Place In My Heart', Willie Dixon’s 'I Got All You Need' and the Jimmy Barnes classic 'Too Much Ain’t Enough Love' it's a balanced affair highlighting the guitarist's signature style. Another gutsy performance from the blues rock titan - Lucky 13!

Mark Crampton

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: THE CULT - CHOICE OF WEAPON

Ian Astbury is the closet mainstream rock has ever come to having a genuine medicine man since the demise of the great Jim Morrison. With 'Choice Of Weapon' a lot of the mystical mumbo jumbo that sometimes muddied the message of The Cult’s music has been jettisoned for a more leather-arsed, bike-revved rocking approach that suggests that Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy have made up any musical differences. What we get is an entire album cut from the band's classic sonic cloth of raindance rhythms, cyclical, driving guitar hooks, and impassioned vocals, but with enough variety to stop things getting into a rut. The snarl and spit of 'For The Animals' and the loose-jointed thunder of 'The Wolf' make stand-out tracks and suggest that Astbury and Duffy are still channeling big hairy vibes from the place where only the shaman can go!

Colin Liddell

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: SLASH - APOCALYPTIC LOVE

Eschewing the superstar co-star vocalist carousel that he employed on his previous outing, Slash has kept his touring buddy Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge onboard for the duration of this album and supplemented the line-up with ‘Conspirators’ Brent Fitz on drums and Todd Kerns on bass. 'Apocalyptic Love' boasts more of a band feel and as a result the songs are more cohesive, honed and toned. A flurry of wah-wah introduces the title track which soars into a classic chorus, ‘One Last Thrill’ then explodes with a punk attitude reminiscent of the feral Guns, with Kennedy railing aggressively. ‘You’re A Lie’ is the breakout hit thanks to Slash’s righteous riffing and a contagious chorus. However it is the six-minute 'Anastasia' where the ex-Gunner brings the sound of classic rock kicking and screaming back into the present - Top hat duly doffed!

Joe Mackett

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: GREAT WHITE - ELATION

Great White's pure passion for music hasn’t faltered despite 'personnel' trials and tribulations. The band's 12th studio album 'Elation' (featuring original members guitarist Mark Kendall, keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie, drummer Audie Desbrow plus ‘fresh fins’ bassist Scott Snyder and XYZ voxman Terry Ilous) showcases a rock n' roll team completely re-charged and re-focused. From the rollicking bluesy rock of '(I've Got) Something For You', and the raucous sassy shuffle of 'Promise Land', to soulful radio-friendly melodic milestones 'Hard To Say Goodbye', 'Love Is Enough' and 'Heart Of A Man' the group's trademark hard rock sound is most definitely back-on-track. Terry Ilous' characteristic vocal delivery is perfect and has proved a 'positive' inspiration. A back-to-basics blues rock album from a band in a state of euphoria!

Mark Crampton

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: EUROPE - BAG OF BONES

Swedish hard rockers Europe have gone back to blues basics for their 9th studio album 'Bag Of Bones' with the help of producer Kevin Shirley who has worked his magic yet again. Opener 'Riches To Rags' sets the standard whilst lead cut 'Not Supposed To Sing The Blues' (an addictive Led Zep workout) burns the house down. Inspiring compositions such as the title track (which features Joe Bonamassa on slide guitar) and the Deep Purple-esque 'My Woman My Friend' add depth. Elsewhere the straight-forward hard rock of 'Firebox' and the stripped-down acoustic tingle of ‘Drink And A Smile' are stadium-filling hallmarks.The shining twin stars of singer Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum stand-out trumps here providing perfect interplay. Europe were born to sing the blues... contender for rock album of the year!

Mark Crampton

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: ACCEPT - STALINGRAD

Comeback albums are often like middle-aged men getting new Porsches. It may have seemed like this when Accept got together with vocalist Mark Tornillo for 2010’s 'Blood Of The Nations', a potent record that won rave reviews. The German metal band’s latest, 'Stalingrad' is taking that comeback and running with it. From the chugging guitars and sky-splitting vocals of opener 'Hung Drawn And Quartered' to the doom-laden riffs of the title track and the smouldering menace of 'Twist Of Fate', this album successfully builds on the gargantuan superstructure of its predecessor. True peace comes on the battlefield when each side has fought a worthy battle that both can respect. This is the spirit that this record breathes and the reason why it will be as big a hit in Russia as it is in Germany, the two nations whose titanic struggle inspired its epic theme!

Colin Liddell

ROCK iKON Magazine

DVD REVIEW: IRON MAIDEN - EN VIVO

There’s something about Latin American metal audiences that makes for great live vids. For ‘En Vivo!’, Maiden had two shows on their 'The Final Frontier World Tour' filmed (Buenos Aires and Santiago) but the Chilean capital won out in the final cut. Cue massive stadium filled to the gunnels with an energized crowd and Maiden on full throttle! The whole spectacle was captured in HD by what must have been an army of cameramen, and edited to perfection. To convey the energy and excitement of what was a great gig, the movie constantly switches between full-screen/split screen shots of the band in full flow, intercut with crowd shots - a difficult job brilliantly done. Highlights are too many to mention, but the 'Behind The Beast' feature gives a fascinating insight into the mechanics of running a metal monster as big as Iron Maiden!

Colin Liddell

ROCK iKON Magazine