NOW PLAYING on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER
December 2019
1) The Who - ‘Who’ (Polydor - Still showing flashes of why they were once so important)
2) Leprous - ‘Pitfalls’ (Inside Out Music - How did this masterpiece of bleak ambient majesty evade me till now?)
3) Art Nation - ‘Transmission’ (Gain/Sony Music - Technicolour fusion of AOR, pop, hard rock and dance… sensational!)
4) Malone Sibun – ‘Come Together’ (Redline Music/Cargo - Fabulous, blues-laden hard rock)
5) Hawklords - ‘Heaven’s Gate’ (Shellshock - They just keep turnout out these mini-classics!)
6) Praying Mantis - ‘Keep It Alive!’ (Frontiers - CD/DVD concert set from Italy in 2018)
7) Revival Black - ‘Step In Line’ (revivalblack.com - Dirty, filthy, blood-curdling British rock ‘n’ roll)
8) Lovekillers Featuring Tony Harnell - ‘Lovekillers Featuring Tony Harnell’ (Frontiers - As a pastiche of the TNT of the 1980s this is worth a listen)
9) Passion - ‘Passion’ (Frontiers - Praiseworthy return of Night By Night’s Daniel Rossall, now trading under a very silly new stage name)
10) Voyager - ‘Colours In The Sun’ (Season Of Mist - Where heavy prog meets pulsating pop!)
11) King Of Hearts - ‘King Of Hearts’ (Melodic Rock - Tommy Funderburk, the man with the voice of gold, is back)
12) Dirty Shirley - ‘Dirty Shirley’ (Frontiers - George Lynch really *must* try to hang onto talented singer Dino Jelusick)
13) Edge Of Forever - ‘Native Soul’ (Frontiers - Alessandro Del Vecchio and company go back to their melodic roots)
14) A New Tomorrow - ‘Universe’ (Frontiers - Big-riffing, tuneful rock with a slight nod to Alter Bridge)
15) House Of Shakira - ‘Radiocarbon’ (Frontiers - Enjoyable ‘cept for the godawful Leppard pastiche of the title song)
November 2019
1) Work Of Art - ‘Exhibits’ (Frontiers - Fans of Toto, Journey, Survivor and Giant will pee their pants)
2) Degreed - ‘Lost Generation’ (Gain/Sony Music - The Swedish band’s boldest statement yet)
3) The Band - ‘The Band - 50th Anniversary Edition’ (Capitol - Remixed and remastered, with bonus disc of their Woodstock 1969 set)
4) Trapeze – ‘The Best Of: Leavin’ The Hard Times Behind’ (Purple – Includes unreleased live show from 1977)
5) Grand Slam - ‘Hit The Ground’ (Marshall - I suspect that Philip would approve…)
6) Tyketto - ‘Strength In Numbers - Live’ (Frontiers - Great but should’ve been a double-disc!)
7) Angel Witch - ‘Angel Of Light’ (Metal Blade - It was about time Mr Keybourne pulled his finger out again!)
8) Pretty Maids - ‘Undress Your Madness’ (Frontiers - The Danes’ 16th studio set literally drips with hooklines!)
9) Rox - ‘Roxstars’ (AOR Blvd - All hail the rebirth of Rox!!)
10) Phil Campbell - ‘Old Lions Still Roar’ (Nuclear Blast - Why on earth did the former Motör-man take so long to make a solo record?!)
11) Oak - ‘False Memory Archive’ (Karisma Recordings - Late to the party with this outstanding Norwegian prog band… can’t wait for more!)
12) Ken Hensley - ‘The Bronze Years 1973-1981’ (Hear No Evil - Four-disc set, including video interview)
13) Tygers Of Pan Tang - ‘Ritual’ (Mighty Music - The NWOBHM band continues a run of excellent form)
14) New England - ‘The New England Archives Box: Vol 1’ (Near No Evil - Fives discs of demos, outtakes and rough mixes)
15) The Flower Kings - ‘Waiting For Miracles’ (Inside Out - They’re incredibly good at what they do!)
16) Per Wiberg - ‘Head Without Eyes’ (Despotz - Diversity and quality from the much-travelled former Opeth keysman)
17) The Dark Element - ‘Songs The Night Sings’ (Frontiers - More from ex-Nightwish singer vocalist Anette Olzon and Insomnium’s Jani Liimatainen)
18) Molly Hatchet – ‘Battleground’ (SPV – Two live discs from the current incarnation… inconsistent but rather good)
19) The Glorious Sons - ‘A War On Everything’ (Black Box Recordings - I couldn’t hear those Jellyfish comparisons but loved it nonetheless)
20) Fast Buck – ‘Night Games – The Complete Recordings’ (Lemon Recordings – An obscurity from 1976 given the full four-disc bells and whistles treatment)
October 2019
1) Flying Colors - ‘Third Degree’ (Mascot - Yet more outstanding pop-prog quality from Messrs Morse, Morse, Portnoy, McPherson and LaRue)
2) Alter Bridge - ‘Walk The Sky’ (Napalm - Still no sign of weakness from the kings of modern-day arena rock)
3) Angel – ‘Risen’ (Cleopatra – Not sure about the production nor some of the songs, but mostly this is great…)
4) The Magpie Salute - ‘High Water II’ (Provogue - For lovers of The Black Crowes…)
5) Hawkwind – ‘All Aboard The Skylark’ (Cherry Red – They just keep on producing the goods…)
6) Vambo ‘Vambo’ (Goliath - Colourful, flamboyant and memorable… a band of real potential)
7) The Wildhearts – ‘Diagnosis EP’ (Graphite - The UK’s pop-metal masters continue to ride the wave)
8) Burnt Out Wreck – ‘This Is Hell’ (Cherry Red - Massively enjoyable, hard-hitting boogie-rock in the AC/DC vein)
9) Airbourne – ‘Boneshaker’ (Spinefarm – Still doing exactly what it says on the tin…)
10) Ray Alder – ‘What The Water Wants’ (Inside Out - Rewarding solo set from the Fates Warning frontman)
11) Whiskey Myers – ‘Whiskey Myers’ (Snakefarm - Another step up the ladder for the rising Southern rockers)
12) Mick Devine - ‘Hear Now’ (Escape Music - The frontman of Seven teams up with guitarist Steve Morris)
13) Block Buster – ‘Losing Gravity’ (Frontiers – Great name, also a tremendous band!)
14) Ian Gillan With The Don Airey Band And Orchestra – ‘Contractual Obligation #2: Live In Warsaw’ (Ear Music – Far, far better than the apparent casual nature of its title…)
15) Michael Sweet – ‘Ten’ (Frontiers – Chunky, melodious fare from Stryper’s golden-voiced singer)
16) Robert Tepper - ‘Better Than The Rest’ (AOR Heaven - Better than *most* of them, anyway…)
17) Edenbridge – ‘Dynamind’ (SPV – The tenth album from his talented female-fronted prog-metal outfit from Austria)
18) Wildwood Kin – ‘Wildwood Kin’ (Silveryone/Sony – Beautiful, relaxed Sunday morning sounds…)
19) Vanden Plas - ‘The Ghost Xperiment: Awakening’ (Frontiers - No real surprises, but existing fans will enjoy)
20) The Ferrymen - ‘A New Evil’ (Frontiers - Ditto)
September 2019
1) The Defiants – ‘Zokusho’ (Frontiers – Blimey… this outstrips their debut)
2) Opeth – ‘In Cauda Venenum’ (Nuclear Blast - The English language version, of course!)
3) Eclipse - ‘Paradigm’ (Frontiers - The master craftsman Erik Mårtensson strikes again)
4) Status Quo – ‘Backbone’ (Ear Music – Their best work in quite a while…)
5) Black Star Riders ‘Another State Of Grace’ (Nuclear Blast – New line-up but the same killer vibe!)
6) The Allman Brothers Band – ‘Midnight Rider: The Essential Collection’ (Spectrum – Cheapo sampler for ripping onto my iTunes… magnificent!)
7) Thunder – ‘The Greatest Hits’ (BMG - Two discs of songs that have become part of my DNA)
8) Lee Abraham – ‘Comatose’ (F2 Music – Classy, super-melodic prog-rock)
9) Samantha Fish - ‘Kill Or Be Kind’ (Rounder - A sumptuous slice of contemporary blues)
10) League Of Lights – ‘In The In Between’ (Eightspace – Mesmerising female-voiced pop-rock, with a tantalising slither of prog)
11) Sayer & Joyce – ‘Makes You Stronger’ (Gulf Coast – Contains a variety of blues-rock styles, all pleasingly performed)
12) Baker Gurvitz Army – ‘On The Road Again (Live)’ (The Store For Music – Concert from London’s New Victoria Theatre in 1975)
13) Annie Haslam – ‘Annie In Wonderland’ (Esoteric Recordings – Remastered version of her bewitching solo debut from 1977)
14) Marseille ‘Unfinished Business’ (Gas Station Music - On vinyl at last… many thanks, Nige!)
15) Various Artists – ‘Jobcentre Rejects: Ultra Rare NWOBHM, Volume 2 1980-1985 (On The Dole – More unearthed gems!)
16) Renaissance – ‘Tour 2011 Live In Concert’ (Esoteric Recordings – Two CDs and a DVD from a show in the USA)
17) Blackrain – ‘Dying Breed’ (SPV – Hook-laden, sleazy hard rock from… ulp… France!)
18) Crashdïet – ‘Rust’ (Frontiers – Attitude-charged sleazy, melodic hard rock)
19) Shogun – ‘The Lost Album’ (Steelheart Memories – Shelved recordings for the UK AOR combo’s third album, laid down back in 1987)
20) Wally – ‘Martyrs And Cowboys: The Atlantic Recordings 1974-1975’ (Esoteric Recordings - Remastered anthology of recordings by the obscure Brit proggers)
August 2019
1) Sons Of Apollo – ‘Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ (Inside Out – The prog-metal supergroup goes down the penguin suit route)
2) Soleil Moon – ‘Warrior’ (Frontiers – A mouth-watering fusion of country-rock, jazz, pop and adult-contemporary)
3) Unruly Child – ‘Big Blue World’ (Frontiers – They’ll always be judged against their cataclysmic debut, but this is still well worth a listen…)
4) IQ – ‘Resistance’ (Giant Electric Pea – A fabulous double-set from the enduring UK proggers)
5) Michael Schenker Fest – ‘Revelation’ (Nuclear Blast – More lead singers than you can shake a mic stand at)
6) Spread Eagle – ‘Subway To The Stars’ (Frontiers – After 25 years away this is fresher than it has a right to be…)
7) Laurence Jones Band – ‘Laurence Jones Band’ (Top Stop Music – Another terrific record from the youngster)
8) Chantel McGregor – ‘Bury’d Alive’ (Tis Rock Music – Great title… and a very impressive in-concert disc)
9) Warner E Hodges – ‘Live At Bootleggers’ (Jerkin’ Crocus – A riotous concert set from Oct 2018)
10) Riot – ‘Live In America – The Official Bootleg Box Vol 3, 1981-1988’ (Hear No Evil – Live shows, rehearsals and demos spread across six discs)
11) Axe – ‘Final Offering’ (Escape Music – Cool Southern swagger and light yet rugged hooks)
12) Alice Cooper – ‘The Breadcrumbs EP’ (Ear Music – A unique six-song collection on limited edition on 10-inch vinyl)
13) James Holkworth And The Coolbenders – ‘We Want To Be Famous’ (Jamesholkworth.com – Nice to hear a blues rock band with sense of humour)
14) Humble Pie – ‘On To Victory’ (The Store For Music – Repackaging of their ninth album, released in 1980)
15) Eighteenth Hour – ‘Eighteenth Hour’ (Escape Music – Slick, modern and hugely enjoyable)
16) Freedom Call – ‘M.E.T.A.L.’ (SPV – A tasty slab of melodic power-metal)
17) Domination Inc – ‘Memoir 414’ (SPV – UK-based Greek metalheads add modern groove to the power of thrash)
18) Tear Gas – ‘Piggy Go Getter’ (Esoteric Recordings – Forerunners of SAHB, officially on CD for the first time)
19) The Fluffy Jackets (Featuring Manny Charlton) – ‘Something From Nothing’ (Cargo – Terrible band name; pretty decent LP)
20) The Dead Daisies – ‘Locked And Loaded: The Covers Album’ (SPV – Listenable but well… kinda pointless if you ask me)
July 2019
1) The Allman Betts Band – ‘Down To The River’ (BMG – Truly subline Southern hard rock with a huge dollop of soul)
2) Arch/Mattheos – ‘Winter Ethereal’ (Metal Blade – The former and current duo of Fates Warning returns in style)
3) Danny Vaughn – ‘Myths, Legends & Lies’ (Townsend Music – Thought you knew all there was to know of Tyketto’s frontman? Think again…)
4) Pattern Seeking Animals – ‘Pattern Seeking Animals’ (Inside Out – A fascinating Spock’s Beard spin-off band)
5) Rosalie Cunningham – ‘Rosalie Cunningham’ (Esoteric Antenna – Purson’s main person lays down marker as a solo artist)
6) Nad Sylvan – ‘The Regal Bastard’ (Inside Out – Hackett’s singer in blue blooded solo form)
7) Majestica – ‘Above The Sky’ (Nuclear Blast – Melodic power metal doesn’t get too much better)
8) Heather Findlay – ‘Wild White Horses’ (Black Sand – The former Mostly Autumn singer teams up with Thunder’s Luke Morley)
9) Elles Bailey – ‘Road I Call Home’ (Outlaw Music – Bluesy, soulful Americana… very promising)
10) 7 Miles To Pittsburgh – ‘Revolution On Hold’ (A67 Records – Enjoyable, hard riffing bluesy rock)
11) Lethbridge Owen – ‘Mind Over Matter’ (Lethbridgeowen.com – Debut from a London-based West Coast influenced duo… been out for a while but it’s fabulous)
12) Sabaton – ‘The Great War’ (Nuclear Blast – Imagine World War I set to a power-metal soundtrack)
13) Jailbirds – ‘The Great Escape’ (Golden Robot – Did you heard about the time Airbourne and the Tatts jammed in in Irish bar?)
14) Stranded – ‘New Dawn’ (Escape Music – Soothing, West Coast-flavoured easy-listening)
15) Procol Harum – ‘Broken Barricades’ (Esoteric Recordings – Exhaustive triple-disc overhaul of Trower’s farewell to the band)
16) Fish On Friday – ‘An Initiation (2010-2017)’ (Esoteric Antenna – Soothing melodic prog – the best of their four albums)
17) Billy Sherwood – ‘Citizen: In The Next Life’ (Frontiers – If only the bloke had a stronger voice…)
18) Patrick Moraz – ‘Patrick Moraz’ (Esoteric Recordings – Revision of wonderfully overblown album from 1978)
19) Narnia – ‘From Darkness To Light’ (Narnia Songs – Christian melodic metal from Sweden… much better than it sounds on paper!)
20) Matt Pearce & The Mutiny – ‘Gotta Get Home’ (Mutinear – The Voodoo Six guitarist heads off in a funky, bluesy hard rock direction)
June 2019
1) The Rods – ‘Brotherhood Of Metal’ (SPV – The 1980s metalheads return in thunderous style)
2) Rory Gallagher – ‘Blues’ (UMC – Does what it says on the tin… largely unreleased material)
3) Valentine – ‘Valentine’ (Rock Candy – Incredibly, I’ve never owned this classic from 1990 on CB till now! #OhTheShame)
4) Samson – ‘Bright Lights: The Albums 1979-1981’ (Hear No Evil – Includes the whole of ‘Head On’ mixed by Tony Platt)
5) Savoy Brown – ‘City Night’ (Quarto Valley – A set of great hard rocking blues anthems)
6) Soft Machine – ‘The Harvest Albums 1975-1978’ (Esoteric Recordings – ‘Bundles’, ‘Soft’ and ‘Alive And Well’ re-mastered)
7) Colorvine – ‘Wake Up’ (CV Media Group/Cargo – The band once known as Tower City return with something fresh and summery)
8) Neal Morse – ‘Jesus Christ – The Exorcist’ (Frontiers – A Biblical tale given the full-on prog bells and whistles treatment)
9) Warrior Soul – ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Disease’ (Livewire/Cargo – Studio album number ten… still edgy!)
10) American Tears – ‘White Flags’ (Escape Music – Mark Mangold’s latest guitar-less prog freak-out)
11) Timo Tolki – Avalon: Return To Eden’ (Frontiers – An unlikely return to form for the eccentric former Stratovarius guitarist)
12) Glenn Hughes – ‘The Official Bootleg Box Set Volume Two 1993-2013’ (Purple/Cherry Red – A must-have for collectors)
13) Rebecca Downes – ‘More Sinner Than Saint’ (Mat Hat – A continuation of her metamorphosis from blues to hard rock)
14) Savage Messiah – ‘Demons’ (Century Media – The UK thrashers head into less predictable territory… bravo!)
15) Axel Rudi Pell – ‘XXX Anniversary Live’ (SPV – Enduring ex-Steeler guitarist reaches creditable solo milestone)
16) Phenomena – ‘Anthology’ (Phen-X – 25th anniversary collection)
17) The Kris Barras Band – ‘The Divine And Dirty’ (Provogue – Er… better late than never! D’oh!!)
18) Lucifer’s Friend – ‘Black Moon’ (Lucifer’s Records – Their second studio album of the reunion era)
19) Dorja – ‘Gemini’ (dorjaband.com – Accomplished hard rock from a transatlantic all-female hard-rockin’ combo)
20) Sweet Oblivion Featuring Geoff Tate – ‘Sweet Oblivion Featuring Geoff Tate’ (Frontiers – Just stick to the Queensrÿche albums, okay?)
May 2019
1) Diamond Head – ‘The Coffin Train’ (Silver Lining Music – A monster… the best thing they’ve done in decades)
2) The Wildhearts – ‘Renaissance Men’ (Graphite – Their first album in a decade is well worth the wait)
3) Big Big Train – ‘Grand Tour’ (English Electric – It took me a coupla spins, I admit, but afterwards… wow!)
4) Gong – ‘The Universe Also Collapses’ (Kscope – Gong’s next generation continues to thrive)
5) Kingdom Come – ‘Classic Album Collection’ (Caroline – Their first three albums newly re-mastered with bonus tracks)
6) Crazy Lixx – ‘Forever Wild’ (Frontiers - Mascara-smudged melodies, rousing rhythms and cranked guitar riffs… love it!)
7) Stray – ‘Mudanzas’ (Talking Elephant – New re-issue of a mini-classic from 1973)
8) First Signal – ‘Line Of Fire’ (Frontiers – Classy, anthemic hard rock from Mr Harry Hess)
9) Inglorious – ‘Ride To Nowhere’ (Frontiers – Got a finished CD at last… Never, ever, ever, ever underestimate Inglorious)
10) Gin Lady – ‘Tall Sun Crooked Moon’ (Cozmic Artefactz – A fifth album from the versatile Swedes… this is superb!)
11) Alliance – ‘Fire And Grace’ (Escape Music – Sublime AOR from a band with connections to Boston, Sammy Hagar, GTR and 3)
12) Tony Mills – ‘Beyond The Law’ (Battlegod Productions – The ex-Shy/TNT vocalist goes out in a blaze of glory)
13) Nitrate – ‘Open Wide’ (AOR Heaven – The second album from this fine Nottingham-based outfit)
14) Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts – ‘Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts’ (Mattmitchellmusic – The Pride/Furyon/Colour Of Noise frontman spreads his wings to go solo)
15) Tank – ‘Re-Ignition’ (Cleopatra – Re-recorded songs from their first four albums, with special guests)
16) Soto – ‘Soto’ (Inside Out – JSS slips back into his heavier alter ego… I like it!)
17) Renaissance – ‘Live At Carnegie Hall’ (Esoteric Recordings – The newly re-mastered three-disc edition)
18) Sammy Hagar & The Circle – ‘Space Between’ (BMG – Given the sheer talent on display this is pretty disappointing)
19) The Brink – ‘Nowhere To Run’ (Frontiers – Pop-flavoured and engaging hard rock from a fine Cambridge combo)
20) Dogface – ‘From The End To The Beginning’ (Pride & Joy Music – The best bits of their three albums… wonderful keys-driven hard rock)
April 2019
1) Jim Peterik & World Stage – ‘Winds Of Change’ (Frontiers – Mega tuneage from the former Survivor man and an army of friends)
2) Lonerider – ‘Attitude’ (Escape Music – Awesome bluesy hard rock from band featuring Messrs Overland, Kirke and Morris)
3) Lonely Robot – ‘Under Stars’ (Inside Out Music – Mr Mitchell wraps his trilogy and leaves us wanting more)
4) Fortune – ‘Fortune II’ (Frontiers – Brilliant, long awaited sequel from the cult US pomp-AOR crew)
5) Family – ‘Live At The BBC’ (Madfish – Magnificently packaged deluxe eight-disc box)
6) Michael Thompson Band – ‘Love & Beyond’ (Frontiers – Beautiful melodic rock played by consummate musicians)
7) Be Bop Deluxe – ‘Futurama’ (Esoteric Recordings – Deluxe double-disc edition of album from 1975)
8) Tedeshi Trucks Band – ‘Signs’ (Snakefarm – You love mature Southern rock? This’ll leave ya breathless)
9) The Wildhearts – ‘The Wildhearts’ (Round – Their so-called ‘white’ album awarded full bells and whistle treatment, triple vinyl! Thanks Darren!)
10) Various Artists – ‘Jobcentre Rejects: Ultra Rare NWOBHM 1978-1982 (On The Dole – Lovingly compiled anthology for a much loved era)
11) United Progressive Fraternity – ‘Planetary Overload Part 1: Loss’ (Giant Electric Pea – Spine-tingingly thoughtful and melodic prog)
12) Patrick Moraz – ‘The Story Of i’ (Esoteric Recordings – The first time I’ve owned this one from 1976 on CD)
13) Leverage – ‘Determinus’ (Frontiers – Killer symphonic metal/hard rock)
14) Seven Hard Years – ‘No Going Back’ (Lion’s Pride Music – The Anglo-US melodic rockers present their fourth album)
15) Hardline – ‘Life’ (Frontiers – Johnny Gioeli… what a singer! Tunes ain’t bad either!)
March 2019
1) Foreigner – ‘Live At The Rainbow 1978’ (Eagle Vision – 40th anniversary celebration of a landmark concert)
2) The Mute Gods - ‘Atheists and Believers’ (Inside Out – Revealing, entertaining fare from Nick Beggs and company)
3) Shotgun Symphony – ‘A Last Symphony: A Retrospective’ (Melodic Rock – Career-encompassing four-disc box… thanks Andrew!)
3) Devin Townsend – ‘Empath’ (Inside Out – Brilliantly, sometimes uproariously bonkers; could be the soundtrack to a very sick film indeed!)
4) LA Guns – ‘The Devil You Know’ (Frontiers – Right back to their best!)
5) Tim Bowness – ‘Flowers At The Scene’ (Inside Out – No-Man singer’s fifth solo outing… seductive)
6) Battle Beast – ‘No More Hollywood Endings’ (Nuclear Blast – Immense female fronted power metal)
7) Mostly Autumn – White Rainbow’ (Mostly Autumn – A lovely, heartfelt tribute to Liam Davison)
8) Glenn Shorrock – ‘Sings Little River Band In Studio’ (Social Family – Delightfully mellow)
9) A New Revenge – ‘Enemies & Lovers’ (Golden Robot – Classy, hooky hard rock from ‘Ripper’ Owens, Kerry Kelli, Rudy Sarzo and James Kottak)
10) David A Saylor – ‘Kiss Of Judas 2’ (AOR Blvd – Posthumous album from a hugely underrated melodic rock frontman)
11) The End Machine – ‘The End Machine’ (Frontiers – Three-quarters of the classic Dokken fronted by Robert Mason)
12) Deckchair Poets – ‘A Bit Of Pottery’ (Angel Air – If Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a prog-rock band…)
13) TNT – ‘Encore: Live In Milano’ (Frontiers – Harnell, Le Tekrø, Dahl and Hilton belt out the hits)
14) Seventh Wonder – ‘Tiara’ (Frontiers – These Swedish prog-metallers are massively underrated)
15) Snowy White & The White Flames – ‘The Situation’ (White Flames – Laid back, smouldering, enjoyable blues)
16) Dream Child – ‘Dream Child’ (Frontiers – Former members of Dio, UFO and Whitesnake pool forces)
17) Burning Rain – ‘Face The Music’ (Frontiers – Aldrich is a major talent but this is pretty inconsistent)
18) Gypsy Rose – ‘Reloaded’ (ScandiRock Records – Re-issue of AOR album from 2005… plus bonus track)
19) Alcatrazz – ‘Parole Denied – Tokyo 2017’ (Frontiers – It’s a bumper month for Alcatrazz fans!)
20) Alcatrazz – ‘The Official Bootleg Box Set 1983-1986’ (Hear No Evil – That’s the archive emptied now, surely?)
February 2019
1) Dream Theater – ‘Distance Over Time’ (Inside Out – This resides in my all-time top five of their catalogue)
2) FM – ‘The Italian Job’ (Frontiers… Live – officially! – at last… on DVD/CD)
3) Rose Tattoo – ‘Scarred For Live 1980-1982’ (Cleopatra – Five-disc set, including their legendary spot at Reading Festival 1982)
4) Queensrÿche – ‘The Verdict’ (Century Media – There’s no doubt from me as to where the balance of power now lies)
5) Steve Hackett – ‘At The Edge Of Light’ (Inside Out – This bloke hasn’t put a foot wrong in a decade)
6) Northward – ‘Northward’ (Nuclear Blast – Rousing hard rock from Nightwish’s Floor Jansen and Jørn Viggo Lofstad from Pagan’s Mind)
7) Evergrey – ‘The Atlantic’ (AFM – An exquisite final part of their thought-provoking trilogy)
8) Visitors From Bellatrix – ‘Orkid’ (Polite Bystander Productions – A mesmerising prog-rock opera in two parts)
9) JD Simo – ‘Off At Eleven’ (Crow’s Feet Records – Super high quality blues-rock, with a Southern tinge)
10) Find Me – ‘Angels In Blue’ (Frontiers - Robbie LaBlanc has some of the finest pipes in melodic hard rock)
11) Hollowstar – ‘Hollowstar’ (www.hollowstar.uk – A full-length debut album at last… this rocks!)
12) Renaissance – ‘Song For All Seasons’ (Esoteric Recordings – Three-disc edition of the album that spawned the hit ‘Northern Lights’)
13) Buckcherry – ‘Warpaint’ (Century Media – Album number eight and no sign of stopping just yet)
14) State Of Salazar – ‘Superhero’ (Frontiers – The Swedes deliver a patchy yet fun sophomore set)
15) Suzi Quatro – ‘No Control’ (SPV – A great li’l rock ‘n’ roll album)
16) The Picturebooks – ‘The Hands Of Time’ (Century Media – Gritty, dark blues-rock from Gütersloh, Germany)
17) Westbound – ‘Volume 1’ (Frontiers – A potent slab of melodic metal, with a bluesy edge)
18) Rock Goddess – ‘This Time’ (Bite You To Death/Cargo – Their first new album in more than three decades)
19) Spirits Of Fire – ‘Spirits Of Fire’ (Frontiers – Screaming heavy metal from Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and Chris Caffery)
20) Rosy Vista – ‘Unbelievable’ (SPV – All-female biker-rock from a German band presumed long extinct)
January 2019
1) Cats In Space – ‘Day Trip To Narnia’ (Harmony Factory – For me this is not as instant as their first two, but by golly it’s a grower!)
2) The Struts – ‘Young & Dangerous’ (Interscope – What an exciting prospect these guys are)
3) Bishop Gunn – ‘Natchez’ (Farm2Turntable – Compelling, fiery, Southern-infused rock)
4) REO Speedwagon – ‘Classic Years: 1978-1990’ (Hear No Evil – Nine discs of top-notch melodic hard rock)
5) Zal Cleminson’s Sin Dogs – ‘Vol 1’ (Sin Dogs Music – Powerful, memorable hard rock from the former SAHB/Nazareth guitarist)
6) Viana – ‘Forever Free’ (Escape Music – A mix of timeless AOR and grin-inducing blue collar hard rock)
7) Raven – ‘Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live In Aalborg’ (SPV – Athletic rock performed onstage in Denmark)
8) Them – ‘Manor Of The Se7en Gables’ (SPV – A gripping collision of power-metal and thrash)
9) Magnum – ‘Live At The Symphony Hall’ (SPV – Audio document of their most recent UK tour)
10) Thunder – ‘Please Remain Seated’ (BMG – The more delicate sound of Thunder…)
11) Starbreaker – ‘Dysphoria’ (Frontiers – A potent mix of melody and metallic muscle)
12) Dewa Budjana – ‘Mahandini’ (MoonJune – Exotic, guitar-led prog, with many special guests)
13) Renaissance – ‘Ashes Are Burning’ (Eclectic Recordings – Turning the clock back to 1973… such a beautiful voice)
14) Dead Man’s Whiskey – ‘Under The Gun Reloaded’ (McCall – Big, blues-laden hard rock)
15) Greenslade – ‘Greenslade’/‘Spyglass Guest’ (Eclectic Recordings – Expanded editions of albums from 1973 and ’74)
16) Tug Of War – ‘Soulfire’ (Escape Music - Balances a fizzy energy with Toto-esque proficiency)
17) Tara Lynch – ‘Evil Enough’ (Cargo – Melodic metal from the US guitarist/singer, soon to support UFO)
18) Tear Gas – ‘Tear Gas’ (Esoteric Recordings – The roots of SAHB… newly re-mastered)
19) The Keith Reid Project – ‘In My Head’ (Rockville – Enjoyable new solo music from Procol Harum’s co-founder)
20) Michael Bloomfield – ‘Living In The Last lane’ (Angel Air – His final album, first issued in 1980, now with bonus track)
Playlist 2018
Playlist 2017
Playlist 2016
The discs on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER will be changed every month.
If there are any albums you think should be included
on next month's playlist, please let us know!