NOW PLAYING on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER
December 2022
1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience - ‘Los Angeles Forum, April 26 1969’ (Experience Hendrix - At times this is absolutely mind-blowing!)
2) Hillbilly Vegas - ‘The Great Southern Hustle’ (Conquest Music - Sublime, hook-friendly Southern rock from Oklahoma)
3) Bernie Tormé - ‘The Final Fling’ (Retro Wrek - Behind-closed-doors documentation of his power-trio’s last tour back in 2018)
4) Heavy Metal Kids - ‘The Albums 1974-’76’ (7Ts - The first three albums plus outtakes and B-sides… ‘Kitsch’ is a ’kin masterpiece)
5) Remedy - ‘Something That Your Eyes Don’t See’ (S-Rock Music - Big hooks, cool vocals, crunch-laden guitars, killer production… this debut has it all)
6) Arc Of Life - ‘Don’t Look Down’ (Frontiers - Airy, deeply melodic and sometimes maddeningly moreish prog-rock)
7) Caught In Action - ‘Devil’s Tango’ (Steelheart - Slick, magnificently radio-friendly melodic rock)
8) Enuff Z’Nuff - ‘Finer Than Sin’ (Frontiers - The major labels and hit singles are gone long but EZ’N can still get us dancing on the table)
9) Hawklords - ‘Live At Kozfest 2022’ (Shellshock - A super-tasty helping of space rock)
10) Autograph - ‘Beyond’ (Frontiers - Sounds very little like their heyday-era work, but I kinda like it all the same)
November 2022
1) Black Sabbath - ‘Heaven And Hell’/‘Mob Rules’ (BMG - Newly expanded double-disc editions… both utterly essential)
2) Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners - ‘Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners’ (Wicked Cool - A pleasing mix of blues, Southern rock and Ginger-fied boogie)
3) Slade - ‘Sladest’ (BMG - Unbelievably, I’ve never owned this little beaut on CD!)
4) Kiss - ‘Creatures Of The Night’ (Universal - Half-speed remastered 180-gram audiophile vinyl edition)
5) Threshold - ‘Dividing Lines’ (Nuclear Blast - Maybe a tad less wonderful than ‘Legends Of The Shires’, but still rather great)
6) Silverhead - ‘More Than Your Mouth Can Hold: The Complete Recordings 1972-1974’ (Purple Records - Comprehensive 6-CD retrospective of a brief yet shining career)
7) Allen-Olzon - ‘Army Of Dreamers’ (Frontiers - Beautifully balanced melodic intensity from Symphony X’s Russell Allen and ex-Nightwish singer Anette Olson)
8) Jaime Kyle - ‘Wild One’ (Wild One Records - Ploughs the delicate middle ground between soft-rock, blues-lite, pop and country-tinged AOR)
9) The Petal Falls - ‘Everything About You’ (Petalfalls.com - Is it just my obsession, or is there something mildly UFO-esque about these guys?)
10) Galahad - ‘The Last Great Adventurer’ (Avalon - The 11th album from the veteran UK proggers… impressively diverse in content)
11) Massive Wagons - ‘Triggered!’ (Earache - Their steady rise continues…)
12) Vinnie Moore - ‘Double Exposure’ (Mind’s Eye Music - Half-vocal-half-instrumental set from the long-serving UFO guitarist)
13) Leatherwolf - ‘Kill The Hunted’ (NIL8 Records - Melody, muscle and indecent quantities of guitar)
14) Corky Laing - ‘Finnish Sessions’ (On Stage - Solo album from Mountain’s former drummer, includes cameos from Ian Hunter, Michael Monroe and more)
15) White Skies - ‘Black Tide’ (Pride & Joy Music - Mick White and Ray Callcut celebrate the classic AOR of yesteryear)
16) Kira Mac - ‘Chaos Is Calling’ (Kiramac.com - Downtuned, modern-sounding female-fronted hard rock with a cool melodic twist)
17) Orianthi - ‘Rock Candy’ (Frontiers - Smooth, powerful, melodic… sometimes even a little volcanic)
18) The Roads - ‘Simple Man’ (Escape Music - A cheerful, robust, hook-friendly slice of hard rock)
19) Ginevra - ‘We Belong To The Stars’ (Frontiers - Melodic rock-meets-metal, with added AOR and shred guitar)
20) Ultima Grace - ‘Ultima Grace’ (Frontiers - Grandiose, dramatic power-metal, fronted by Anette Olzon - yes, her again!)
October
2022
1) Alter Bridge - ‘Pawns & Kings’ (Napalm - Seven albums in and still delivering the goods…)
2) Cardinal Black - ‘January Came Close’ (Jump In - Quite possibly the debut album of 2022)
3) David Longdon - ‘Door One’ (English Electric - Enchanting posthumous solo work from the much missed Big Big Train singer)
4) Big Big Train - ‘Summer Shall Not Fade: Live At Lorelei’ (English Electric - A bittersweet trip back to their show at Lorelei in 2018)
5) Perfect Plan - ‘Brace For Impact’ (Frontiers - Magnificent melodic hard rock songs sung to perfection by Mr Kent Hilli)
6) Avantasia - ‘A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society’ (Nuclear Blast - Yet more brilliant lunacy courtesy of Herr Sammet)
7) The Dowling Poole - ‘Refuse’ (369 Music - Delightfully quirky pop-rock, one of the most underrated bands around…)
8) Stryper - ‘The Final Battle’ (Frontiers - Still making Christian rock semi-acceptable)
9) Turkish Delight - ‘Volume One’ (Escape Music - This guest-strewn disc is a real sweet treat!)
10) Chez Kane - ‘Powerzone’ (Frontiers - Missing the days of Vixen, Pat Benatar and Lee Aaron? Give this a try…)
11) Captain Black Beard - ‘Neon Surprise’ (Mighty Music - Miami Vice’s Don Johnson called and he wants his aviator shades back…)
12) Queensrÿche - Digital Noise Alliance (Century Media - The fourth album since their ‘big change’, this is probably the best so far)
13) Kiss Of The Gypsy - ‘Thirty EP’ (Kissofthegypsy.co.uk - Three new songs to celebrate their 30th anniversary)
14) Thundermother - ‘Black And Gold’ (AFM - Adrenaline-charged, AC/DC-inspired hard rawwwkkkk)
15) Rebecca Downes - ‘The Space Between Us’ (Mad Hat - A satisfying blend of tuneful blues and guitar-orientated hard rock)
16) Cactus - ‘Evil Is Going On, The Atco Albums 1970-1972’ (Hear No Evil - Eight discs of prickly yet joyous hard rock)
17) Grand - ‘Grand’ (Frontiers - Trad-AOR from Sweden… an encouraging debut)
18) Impellitteri - ‘Wake The Beast’ (Global Rock - Three discs of material culled from 1987 to 2020)
19) Wildness - ‘Resurrection’ (Frontiers - Slick, crisp Scandi-AOR… predictable but fun)
20) Smashed Gladys - ‘Raw’ (Golden Robot - Unheard demos released to honour their late singer Sally Cato... far better than it sounds on paper)
September2022
1) Slade - ‘All The World Is A Stage’ (BMG - Utterly amazing five-CD live boxed set!)
2) Sweet - ‘Greatest Hitz 1969-1978’ (BMG - Awesome new anthology… the double coloured vinyl is a thing of exquisite beauty)
3) Megadeth - ‘The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!’ (Tradecraft/Universal - Mr M has still got it...)
4) Status Quo - ‘Heavy Traffic’ (Universal - Expanded three-CD version of their 2002 album… with sleeve essay from yours truly)
5) The Sheepdogs - ‘Outta Sight’ (Dine Alone - Truly delightful retro rock from Saskatoon, Canada)
6) Lonely Robot - ‘A Model Life’ (Inside Out Music - John Mitchell continues to make deeply affecting a melodic prog-rock)
7) Kings Of Mercia - ‘Kings Of Mercia’ (Metal Blade - FM’s Steve Overland and Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matteos serve up chunky modern rock)
8) This House We Built - ‘This House We Built’ (THWB - A confident, summery and sometimes funk-fuelled debut album)
9) Kansas - ‘Live Confessions (From New York To Omaha)’ (Cannonball - Three discs of radio broadcasts from 1977 and 1982)
10) House Of Lords - ‘Saints And Sinners’ (Frontiers - With a little help from Mark Mangold, it’s the best thing they’ve done in a while)
11) Givevra - ‘We Belong To The Stars’ (Frontiers - Members of Primal Fear, H.e.a.t and Seventh Crystal deliver melodic metal with a modern edge)
12) Anvil - ‘Impact Is Imminent’ (AFM - Still very much a Marmite band, but after 19 albums I’m in the ‘love’ camp)
13) Taboo - ‘Taboo’ (Frontiers - Delightful modern rock, featuring Ken Hammer of Pretty Maids on the geetar)
14) Bandolier Kings - ‘Time To Remember, Volume 2’ (Grooveyard - A homage to Budgie, with guests including Tony Bourge)
15) Various Artists - ‘This Was Your Future: Space Rock (And Other Psychedelics) 1978-1998’ (Cherry Red - Three discs of Dave Brock-selected fuzziness)
16) Alan Parsons - ‘One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv With The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’ (Frontiers - Mr Parsons presents more live symphonic shenanigans)
17) Streetlight Circus - ‘Super Fine Sugar’ (Escape Music - A neat fusion of broken-bottle attitude with sugar-buzz commercialism)
18) Sunstorm - ‘Brothers In Arms’ (Frontiers - Rousing melodic hard rock)
19) Noussomes - ‘The Untouched Series, Vol 8’ (No Dust - Nine exhumed tracks from the long defunct, tough-to-categorise Northerners)
20) Others - ‘Strength’ (Roadrunner - I find most alt-rock utterly unlistenable, however these guys from Portland really buck the trend!)
August 2022
1) H.e.a.t - ‘Force Majeure’ (Ear Music - Relax everybody, they’ve still got it…)
2) Lillian Axe - ‘From Womb To Tomb’ (Global Rock - Going boldly where Lillian Axe have never ventured before)
3) Dynazty - ‘Final Advent’ (AFM - An absolute firecracker of a hard rock album)
4) Generation Radio - ‘Generation Radio’ (Frontiers - For lovers of Chicago, Journey and country rockers Rascal Flatts)
5) Jimi Jamison - ‘Rock Hard’ (Iconoclassic - The long-lost solo debut from the late, great former Survivor frontman surfaces after 30 years)
6) Nordic Union - ‘Animalistic’ (Frontiers - Their partnership between Pretty Maids singer Ronnie Atkins and Erik Mårtensson still produces fireworks)
7) King’s X - ‘Three Sides Of One’ (Inside Out - Their first album in 14 years is an absolute joy)
8) Alcatrazz - ‘Official Bootleg Box: Volume 2 (1983-1984)’ (Hear No Evil - Five discs of Bonnet, the Yng, Waldo and company onstage)
9) Bernie Marsden - ‘Trios’ (Conquest - On a run of form, Marsden explores the format of three-piece bands with his usual scrupulous attitude)
10) Sarayasign - ‘Throne Of God’ (Melodic Passion - A stunning work that draws upon world class vocals, intelligent arrangements and all-round invention)
11) SiX By SiX - ‘SiX By SiX’ (Inside Out - Ian Crichton, Robert Berry and Nigel Glockler make music without shackles)
12) Tyla’s Dogs D’Amour - ‘Three Bridge Cross’ (King Outlaw/Cargo - The CD is one disc electric, another unplugged… there’s also lovely yellow vinyl)
13) Hydra - ‘Point Break’ (Frontiers - Toto-ish, super-smooth AOR from the Stockholm-based songwriter and musician Henrik Hedström)
14) Vanden Plas - ‘Live & Immortal’ (Frontiers - Two live discs from 2016, plus a very welcome long-form DVD)
15) Laurence Jones - ‘Destination Unknown’ (Marshall - Having turned thirty earlier this year, Jones loosens those blues shackles to rock a little)
16) Audrey Horne - ‘Devil’s Bell’ (Napalm - Why on earth are these Norwegians so underrated?)
17) Restless Spirits - ‘Second To None’ (Frontiers - Tony Hernando from Lords Of Black with a plethora of special guest singers)
18) Hartmann - ‘Get Over It’ (Pride & Joy Music - There are some pretty decent meat and potatoes pop-rock ditties presented here)
19) John Steel - ‘Distorted Reality’ (Global Rock - The Bulgarian metal outfit’s international debut… with David Reece on vocals)
20) RXPTRS - ‘Living Without Death’s Permission’ (Metal Blade - The Bristolian chameleons come of age with tasty full-length debut)
July 2022
1) Cats In Space - ‘Kickstart The Sun’ (Harmony Factory - Their best record to date…)
2) Montrose - ‘I Got The Fire: Complete Recordings 1973-1976’ (Hear No Evil - Six CDs of studio and live material… utterly indispensable)
3) Dan Reed Network - ‘Let’s Hear It For The King’ (Drakkar - Their finest work since the reunion)
4) UFO - ‘High Stakes & Dangerous Men’/‘Lights Out In Tokyo - Live’ (Hear No Evil - Brings back great memories of an underrated era in their history)
5) When Rivers Meet - ‘Saving Grace’ (One Road Records - Searing yet deeply melodic blues, belatedly, I’m fully on board!)
6) Tank - ‘Filth Hounds Of Hades’ (High Roller - I wasn’t a fan when this came out in ’81, but time has been very, very kind to it - I was wrong!)
7) Crossing Rubicon - ‘Perfect Storm’ (Frontiers - A smooth, confident debut that suggests they could be a force to be reckoned with)
8) Orianthi - ‘Live From Hollywood’ (Frontiers - I was a complete newbie, now I’m a cautious fan!)
9) Jack Starr’s Burning Starr - ‘Souls Of The Innocent’ (Global Rock - A welcome return for the Mr Persistent of US shred guitar)
10) Jack Starr’s Burning Starr - ‘Eternal Starr: The Burning Star Anthology’ (Global Rock - Triple-disc refresher course for the above-named guitar slinger)
June 2022
1) White Spirit - ‘Right Or Wrong’ (Conquest Music - 42 years later…. an immaculate, special guest-enhanced successor to their debut)
2) Shinedown - ‘Planet Zero’ (Atlantic - They’ve become one of the most consistent rock bands out there)
3) Ousey/Mann - ‘Is Anybody Listening’ (Escape Music - Chris Ousey and Steve Mann deliver stirring, anthemic rock)
4) Lessman/Voss - ‘Rock Is Our Religion’ (Atomic Fire - Ex-Bonfire man Lessman teams up with Voss of Casanova and Mad Max fame)
5) Jimi Jamison - ‘Rock Hard’ (Iconoclassic - Jimi’s long-lost debut surfaces more than thirty years after being recorded and shelved)
6) Seventh Wonder - ‘The Testament’ (Frontiers - Delightfully melodic and airy prog-metal… air keys a go-go!)
7) Compass - ‘Theory Of Tides’ (Escape Music - A wonderful concept piece about the iconic astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei)
8) The Mighty Ra - ‘All Secrets Known’ (White Knight - Delicious melodic prog from the land of dragons and castles)
9) Palace - ‘One 4 The Road’ (Frontiers - A fourth album from the swashbuckling Lithuanian-born, Swedish AOR hero)
10) John Sloman - ‘Two Rivers’ (Red Steel Music - You want uncategoriseable genius? You got it!)
11) Ian Danter - ‘Rule Of Three’ (Cherry Red - Danter’s third solo album is hook-laden, hummable and massively enjoyable)
12) Jeff Scott Soto - ‘Complicated’ (Frontiers - Slick, sleek and tuneful; typically JSS)
13) Tygers Of Pan Tang - ‘The Wreck-Age’/‘Burning In The Shade’ (Hear No Evil - Expansive three-disc deep dive of their albums from the mid-’80s)
14) Taz Taylor Band - ‘Nocturnal’ (Global Rock - Punchy hard rock, with vocals from Graham Bonnet, Doogie White and others)
15) Tysondog - ‘Midnight’ (From The Vaults - This ’Dog still has teeth… very big teeth!)
16) Chaos Magic - ‘Emerge’ (Frontiers - Classy female-fronted symphonic rock)
17) Junkyard Drive - ‘Electric Love’ (Mighty Music - You can’t go wrong with simplicity, big riffs, memorable choruses and some occasional cowbell)
18) Ivy Gold - ‘Live At The Jovel’ (Golden Ivy - Massively enjoyable hard rock with a deep, bluesy foundation)
19) Vypera - ‘Eat Your Heart Out’ (Frontiers - Catchy melodic metal from Sweden)
20) The Big Deal - ‘First Bite’ (Frontiers - These Serbs play a style of melodic hard rock that at times crosses over into heavy metal)
May 2022
1) Status Quo - ‘Roadhouse Blues… Live… 1970-1971’ (Audio Vaults - Two excellent live discs, the CD of Stockholm 1971 is unbelievably good)
2) Def Leppard - ‘Diamond Star Halos’ (Bludgeon Riffola/Universal - Their first new music in seven years… contains some absolute corkers!)
3) Halestorm - ‘Back From The Dead’ (Atlantic - They keep on getting better and better…)
4) Reef - ‘Shoot Me Your Ace’ (Raging Sea - Produced by Andy Taylor, this is a beast of a rock ‘n’ roll record)
5) Strangeways - ‘Complete Recordings: Volume 1, 1985-1994’ (Hear No Evil - The first four albums, plus bonus tracks)
6) Lonerider - ‘Sundown’ (Escape Music - Three years in the making thanks to lockdown, and worth every darned second!)
7) Raven - ‘Rock Until You Drop: The 4CD Over The Top Edition’ (Hear No Evil - Full bells and whistles version of the band’s debut from 1981)
8) Lillian Axe - ‘Psalms For Eternity’ (Global Rock - Career-spanning triple-set, curated by Stevie Blaze)
9) Fortune - ‘Level Ground’ (Frontiers - Still surviving very nicely now that the post-reunion ‘wow factor’ has subsided)
10) Shark Island - ‘S’Cool Bus - Deluxe Edition’ (Deko - Their independent debut from 1986, plus two bonus tracks)
11) U.D.O. - ‘Game Over’ (AFM - Better late than never… former Accept man Dirkschneider back on fine form)
12) Bonham Bullick - ‘Bonham-Bullick’ (Quarto Valley - A sumptuous revisiting of material that spans seven decades)
13) Riot Act - ‘Closer To The Flame’ (Global Rock - Classy hard rock from former Riot duo, plus bonus disc of re-recorded gems)
14) Kasim Sulton - ‘Kasim 2021’ (Deko - Breezy, summery pop rock from the Utopia, Rundgren and Meat Loaf bassist)
15) Crashdïet - ‘Automaton’ (Golden Robot - Slamming melodic meta-a-a-a-a-a-al!)
16) Nazareth - ‘Surviving The Law’ (Frontiers - Their second with Carl Sentance on vocals; for me, not as instant as ‘Tattooed On My Brain’)
17) First Signal - ‘Closer To The Edge’ (Frontiers - Crammed with pulsating yet smooth melodic hard rock anthems)
18) Forget-Me-Not Featuring Jane Gould - Forget-Me-Not Featuring Jane Gould (AOR Blvd - Female-fronted AOR straight out of the 1980s)
19) Jari Liimatainen - ‘My Father’s Son (Frontiers - Crisp, melodic hard rock from the flying Finn)
20) Suzi Quatro - ‘Back To The… Spotlight’ (7T’s - Inconsistent yet mostly enjoyable double-disc set, with multiple credits for a certain Andy Scott)
April 2022
1) Treat - ‘The End Game’ (Frontiers - Treat by name, treat by nature)
2) TNT - ‘Tell No Tales’/‘Intuition’ (Rock Candy - Re-mastered editions of two essential albums, released in 1987 and ’89)
3) Ronnie Atkins - ‘Make It Count’ (Frontiers - A second solo release from the Pretty Maids frontman)
4) Goodbye June - ‘See Where The Night Goes’ (Earache - Where AC/DC riffing meets country rock… yeah, really!)
5) Circle Of Friends - ‘The Garden’ (Escape Music - A lovingly crafted, star-enhanced tribute to the late mum of Fireworks magazine boss Bruce Mee)
6) John Elefante - ‘The Amazing Grace’ (Escape Music - The former Kansas frontman serves up a divine helping of pomp-lite)
7) Black Swan - ‘Generation Mind’ (Frontiers - Well-travelled four-piece comfortably survives those sophomore blues)
8) The Rods - ‘Metal Will Never Die: The Official Bootleg Box 1981-2000’ (Hear No Evil - Four discs of hooligan hard rock; warning… recording quality varies)
9) Jo Dog & Paul Black’s Sonic Boom - ‘Everybody Rains On My Parade’ (Black City - Very classy and surprisingly melodic sleaze-rock)
10) Bernie Marsden - ‘Chess’ (Little House Music/Conquest - Smoky, loving renditions of the Chess Records 45s that inspired him)
11) Thunder - ‘Dopamine’ (BMG - A new double-set born in lockdown… I found it a little over-long, if I’m honest)
12) House Of Shakira - ‘Lint XXV’ (Frontiers - The Swiss band’s original debut album from 1997, plus a bonus disc of demos)
13) The Temperance Movement - ‘Covers & Rarities’ (Earache - Does what it says on the tin… I miss these guys!)
14) Mick White - ‘Something’s Got To Give’ (Recordjet - A very welcome return for the former Samson and First Strike singer)
15) Find Me - ‘Lightning In A Bottle’ (Frontiers - Pristine AOR, includes a tasty remake of Frank ‘Brother Of Sylvester’ Stallone’s ‘Far From Over’)
16) Rust N’ Rage - ‘One For The Road’ (Frontiers - Strident yet tuneful hard rock from Finland)
17) Edge Of Forever - ‘The Days Of Future Past - The Remasters’ (Frontiers - Their first three albums given a spring clean)
18) Dave Edwards - ‘Many Rivers’ (Cadiz - Journeyman East End muso reveals songs old and new)
19) Poison Rose - ‘Little Bang Theory’ (Frontiers - Italian songwriter Marco Sivo steps out centre-stage and positively flourishes)
20) New Horizon - ‘Gate Of The Gods’ (Frontiers - Ummm… melodic power metal from former H.e.a.t. bandmates Erik Grönwall and Jona Tee)
March
2022
1) FM - ‘Thirteen’ (Frontiers - The only sensible choice)
2) Fish - ‘The Last Straw’ (Chocolate Frog - Beautiful triple-disc package of two live shows from 2018)
3) Georgia Satellites - ‘Lightnin’ In A Bottle: The Official Live Album’ (Cleveland International - Two sizzling discs of chunk-a-boogie recorded in concert in 1998)
4) Voivod - ‘Synchro Anarchy’ (Century Media - A much welcome return for the Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators)
5) Space Elevator - ‘Persona Non Grata’ (On Stage - Wasn’t so sure about their third album… this one is big step back in the right direction)
6) Mecca - ‘20 Years’ (Frontiers - The three albums from this fine Chicagoans all in one delicious place)
7) Malone Sibun - Ashes To Dust’ (Redline Music - The classy, bluesy hard rockers unveil a four-song EP)
8) Hawkwind - ‘Dreamworkers Of Time: The BBC Recordings 1985-1005’ (Atomhenge - Three CDs of material recorded onstage and in the studio)
9) Cactus - ‘The Birth Of Cactus’ (Purple Pyramid - Awesome early live show from Philadelphia in 1970)
10) Radioactive - ‘XXX’ (Frontiers - If slickly performed hard rockin’ anthems float your boat then watcha watching for?)
11) Lionville - ‘So Close To Heaven’ (Frontiers - These guys never disappoint…)
12) The Warner E Hodges Band - ‘Boots Up: The Best So Far’ (Jerkin’ Crokus - Two discs of great tunes, topped off by a remake of Sweet’s ‘Set Me Free’)
13) Lawnmower Deth - ‘Blunt Cutters’ (Cherry Red - Their first album in 29 years… bonkers but quite brilliant)
14) Zadra - ‘Guiding Star’ (Frontiers - Classy AOR from the guitarist of Dennis DeYoung’s band, with a cameo from his boss)
15) t - ‘Pareidoliving’ (Giant Electric Pea - An unexpectedly appetising mix of prog, melody and, ulp… alt-rock)
16) Faster Pussycat - ‘Babylon: The Elektra Years (1987-1992)’ (Hear No Evil - Four disc package, includes rarities and bonus tracks)
17) Cap Outrun - ‘High On Deception’ (Frontiers - How on earth did this lovely mix of melody and prog slip through the net?!)
18) Bangalore Choir - ‘All Or Nothing: The Complete Studio Albums Collection’ (Global Rock - Their three records, plus a host of bonus tracks)
19) Steve Harley - ‘Uncovered’ (Comeuppance - Unplugged set of mostly cover versions… nice ‘n’ relaxing!)
20) City Of Lights - ‘Before The Sun Sets’ (Frontiers - Melodic sparks fly between British songwriter and guitarist Neil Austin and the Greek vocalist Manos Fatsis)
February 2022
1) Scorpions - ‘Rock Believer’ (Universal Music - They’ve threatened to make an album like this for decades… now it’s here!)
2) Marillion - ‘An Hour Before It’s Dark’ (Ear Music - The veteran proggers are still bang on form…)
3) Lalu - ‘Pain The Sky’ (Frontiers - An extraordinary fusion of the depth and artistry of progressive music)
4) Degreed - ‘Are You Ready’ (Frontiers - Songs that simultaneously kick ass and take root in the brain)
5) Ten - ‘Here Be Monsters’ (Frontiers - Revisiting their sound from the mid-’1990s. Like Ten? You’ll love this…)
6) Skid Row - The Atlantic Years, 1989-1996’ (BMG - Beautiful seven-disc set on 180-gram vinyl)
7) UFO - ‘Cleveland 1982’ (Cleopatra - Nine-song radio broadcast from the ‘Mechanix’ tour)
8) Scarlet Rebels - ‘See Through Blue’ (Earache - The best thing to come out of Wales since… well, I can’t even think of a joke)
9) Rosalie Cunningham - ‘Two Piece Puzzle’ (Esoteric Antenna - The second solo album from ex-Purson person outdoes its predecessor)
10) Praying Mantis - ‘Katharsis’ (Frontiers - The kings of UK pomp in traditionally melodic form)
11) Midnite City - ‘Itch You Can’t Scratch’ (Roulette Media - I know it came out ages ago, but the red vinyl, gatefold edition is just sexy)
12) The Ferrymen - ‘One More River To Cross’ (Frontiers - Marauding melodic metal... this could be their best to date!)
13) Lords Of Form - ‘Flying Chromium Society’ (Bandcamp - Absorbing space-rock from former Hawkwind man Niall Hone)
14) Bite The Bullet - ‘End Of The Line’ (Escape Music - Another well-crafted helping of melodic hard rock)
15) Edge Of Forever - ‘Seminole’ (Frontiers - Return of the ubiquitous Alessandro Del Vecchio… the man’s a human jukebox)
16) Girish And The Chronicles - ‘Hail To The Heroes’ (Frontiers - You like your rock ‘n’ roll direct and straight ahead? These guys are for you)
17) Rage - ‘Resurrection Day’ (SPV - The grizzled Germans plough an unexpectedly enjoyable path through the bowels of thrash and metal)
18) Eliminator - ‘Ancient Light’ (Dissonance Productions - Nothing whatsoever to do with ZZ Top, this is pure, raucous heavy metal)
19) Kraemer - ‘All The Way’ (Frontiers - Melodic hard rock-meets-metal, with a slight tendency to err on the ‘shrill’ side)
20) The Unity - ‘The Devil You Know - Live’ (SPV - The German-Italian melodic metalheads captured onstage)
January 2022
1) Big Big Train - ‘Welcome To The Planet’ (English Electric - Their latest, and now probably final, masterpiece. So, so sad…)
2) Saxon - ‘Carpe Diem’ (Silver Lining Music - The riffs are back!)
3) Magnum - ‘The Monster Roars’ (SPV - Veteran pomp-rock masters still deliver the goods in the studio)
4) Kissin’ Dynamite - ‘Not The End Of The World’ (Napalm - Teutonic hard rock to die for)
5) Out Of This World - ‘Out Of This World’ (Atomic Fire - Kee Marcello and Tommy Heart make a dynamite package)
6) Lana Lane - ‘Neptune Blue’ (Frontiers - Back after almost a decade with a “modern AOR album with slight proggy and pomp elements”)
7) Wille & The Bandits - ‘When The World Stood Still’ (Fat Toad - The Cornish band’s best record so far…)
8) Girlschool - ‘From London To Nashville’ (The Store For Music - Double-disc set of live recordings from 1984)
9) Sly & The Family Stone - ‘The Best Of’ (Epic - What a charity shop bargain! Now I need more…)
10) Fargo - ‘Strangers D’Amour’ (SPV - Dignified, gnarly riffs and quirky lyrics… I like it a lot)
11) Tokyo Blade - ‘Fury’ (Dissonance Productions - Another latterday career highlight!)
12) Giant - ‘Shifting Time’ (Frontiers - With only peripheral involvement from Dann Huff this is a decent album, but is it a Giant album?)
13) Autumn’s Child - ‘Zenith’ (Pride & Joy Music - A welcome return from the estimable Mikael Erlandsson)
14) Rescue - ‘Rescue’ (AOR Blvd - Re-mastered re-issue of cult favourite German AOR album from 1990, plus four bonus tracks)
15) Edge Of Forever - ‘Seminole’ (Frontiers - An enjoyable set of fist-raising melodic-metal anthems)
16) Just A Ride - ‘Just A Ride’ (Just A Record Label - Impressive melodic alt-rock, with an awe-inspiring mix from Chris Sheldon)
17) Affinity - ‘Remastered & Expanded’ (Esoteric Recordings - A bells and whistles, four-disc overhaul of their debut album, first released in 1970)
18) The Murder Of My Sweet - ‘A Gentleman’s Legacy’ (Frontiers - “A little bit proggier”, they claim… amazingly, it’s kinda true!)
19) Axel Rudi Pell - ‘Diamonds Unlocked II’ (SPV - The ex-Steeler guitarist selects 11 more of his favourite songs to cover)
20) Agarthic - ‘The Inner Side’ (Frontiers - Tune-based symphonic metal from Northern Italy)
Playlist 2021
Playlist 2020
Playlist 2019
Playlist 2018
Playlist 2017
Playlist 2016
Playlists Pre-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!