ALBUM REVIEW: GUN - BREAK THE SILENCE

It’s possibly the greatest humiliation in rock that Gun (after all the great Glaswegian rock they produced) are still best known for covering a song by funksters Cameo. If being ‘Gallus’ and ‘Taking On The World’ mean anything, it means not settling for this. And true to their destiny, they are back with their first studio album in 15 years, fully charged with the desire to rewrite the rock history books. With the legendary Dave Eringa of Manics fame at the console, part of that blistering surge you hear on big, beefy opener 'Butcher Man' is the sound of all the stops being pulled out. Much of the album is laced with an intriguing mix of pop-punk and Americana (for instance 'Lost & Found' is The Byrds meets The Buzzcocks). With a good mix of punchy and wistful songs 'Break The Silence' is clearly an album constructed with heavy duty touring in mind!

Colin Liddell

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: ASIA - XXX

Thirty years after their classic self-titled debut ascended to the top of the U.S. charts the 'original' line-up of Asia are again 'riding the dragon's wings'. Firmly rooted in pop-rock territory, with infectious hook-lines, 'XXX' re-captures the dynamic energy of that first 'iconic' release. 'Face On The Bridge' with its catchy chorus, the haunting 'Bury Me In Willow', and the emotive 'Ghost Of A Chance' prove that the Wetton/Downes songwriting partnership is stronger than ever. 'Tomorrow The World' and 'Al Gatto Nero' have those clever lyrical turns that vocalist/bassist John Wetton is renowned for while guitarist Steve Howe makes his mark on 'Judas' and 'No Religion' both featuring neat musical interplay with keysman Geoff Downes and drummer Carl Palmer. Asia have delivered their best recorded work since '82 when 'the disco hotspots held no charm for you'!

Mark Crampton

ROCK iKON Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: RUSH - CLOCKWORK ANGELS

In their time Rush have produced some of the finest recorded moments in rock history, be it guitar-driven hard rock, their late '70s progressive period or their '80s embracing of a cleaner punchier song-based sound. In short 'Clockwork Angels’ is a cleverly calculated album that is aimed to please Rush fans old and new. We had a good idea of what to expect from the sneak previews of 'BU2B' and 'Caravan' (released in 2010) which were intended to give the band some new material for their 'Time Machine' tour. As with these two songs, the single and pre-release taster 'Headlong Flight' show that Rush have squarely replanted their feet in hard rock territory and the production and individual performances of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are again beyond par. A bombastic straight-a-head rock album designed to sound great live!

Geoff Banks

ROCK iKON Magazine

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