Review: MICHAEL SWEET – The Master Plan (2026)
If you blinked then you might have missed the release of ‘The Master Plan’, the latest solo album by STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet. The album was released on April 3, 2026 through Frontiers Music…
![Review: SODOM – Get What You Deserve [Deluxe Box Set] (2026)](https://rockisgeorge.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/89e30500-4d89-4663-9293-297959c35218.jpeg?w=1200)
Review: SODOM – Get What You Deserve [Deluxe Box Set] (2026)
“The ‘Get What You Deserve’ Deluxe Box Set is a 1993/1994 time capsule of treasures from one of Germany’s most respected Thrash Metal bands. It’s not for everyone…”
Review: AXEL RUDI PELL – Ghost Town (2026)
They say bands like AC/DC and MOTORTHEAD make the same album over and over again. This can also be said for AXEL RUDI PELL. I’ve heard nearly the entire catalog, and there were no surprises on ‘Ghost Town’. However…
Review: ROB ZOMBIE – The Great Satan (2026)
‘The Great Satan’ is the 8th studio album by musician and filmmaker ROB ZOMBIE. Rob’s latest collection of music, his first in nearly five years, can actually be summed up in just two words…
Review: CONEY HATCH – Coney Hatch (2025)
It hasn’t been easy for fans or collectors to get their hands on the 1982 self-titled debut by Canadian rockers CONEY HATCH. You won’t find it streaming on Apple Music or Spotify. You might find pieces of it on YouTube…
Review: DREAM THEATER – Quarantième: Live à Paris (2025)
If you’re reading this vinyl review, then I’m sure you know the backstory. DREAM THEATER reunited with drummer Mike Portnoy to celebrate their 40th Anniversary with an extensive European & U.S. tour. I should also mention…
Review: JOHN 5 – Ghost (2025)
JOHN 5 has an impressive 30+ year pedigree that ranges from songwriting to studio work, and from film to live performances. Some of you would be taken aback by some of the songs and full albums that JOHN 5 has written for other artists…
Review/Unboxing: ALL SINNERS – We Own The Night (2025)
After three independent releases and years of local and national gigging, Massachusetts-based Hard Rock & Metal act ALL SINNERS delivers their first full-length studio album We Own The Night. Freshly signed to Rat Pak Records, the album is set for release on November 14, 2025.
Review: DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG – Babylon (2025)
October 3, 2025 will see the release of Babylon, the first full-length album by DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG. I’ve given this album quite a few spins in recent weeks, and I still can’t figure out what Udo Dirkscheider is trying to accomplish here. The music of ACCEPT & U.D.O. is pretty straightforward…
Review: FOGHAT – Fool For The City (50th Anniversary Edition)
On September 12, 2025, Rhino Records is releasing a 50th anniversary edition of FOGHAT’s first platinum selling album Fool For The City. The British blues rockers’ 5th studio album gets an upgrade in the audio department, as well as a bonus disc/vinyl of a new, never before heard 1975 live performance at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago…
Review: GLENN HUGHES – Chosen (2025)
Most recently, Glenn released two back-to-back albums with the Hard Rock collective THE DEAD DAISIES, and his fifth album with Blues Rock “supergroup” BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. It has been nine years since Hughes’ last solo album Resonate, and the time has come for his 15th (probably) solo album CHOSEN…
Review: HELLOWEEN – Giants & Monsters (2025)
German Power Metal legends HELLOWEEN are celebrating 40 years of existence with the release of their 17th studio album Giants & Monsters. As is the case with most bands whose career spans decades, the Heavy Metal titans have seen their share of highs and lows…
Review: PRIMAL FEAR – Domination (2025)
Domination is the fifteenth studio album by German Power Metal stalwarts PRIMAL FEAR. Guitarist Magnus Karlsson makes his return to the group as a performer with the departure of Alex Beyrodt for this release. Karlsson alongside band founders…
Review: A-Z – A2Z2 (2025)
2022 saw the self-titled debut of the Mark Zonder lead project A-Z. Although Zonder doesn’t like the term ‘project’, A-Z was almost a one-off for the current WARLORD drummer…
Review: VARIOUS ARTISTS – Magic Power: All-Star Tribute to TRIUMPH (2025)
Sometime back in the late ’90s, there was a batch of “all-star” tribute albums produced and released by Deadline Music (Cleopatra Records). Those releases featured members of the bands I grew up listening to in the ’80s. Some of the releases were solid, others not so much…
Review: ALL SINNERS – We Are The…Acoustic (2025)
Massachusetts-based hard rockers ALL SINNERS self-released their debut 4-track EP in 2022. Since then they have gone on to share stages across New England with ACE FREHLEY, DANGEROUS TOYS, WARRIOR SOUL and SLAUGHTER. They even made a trek out to LA in 2023 to open for QUIET RIOT, FASTER PUSSYCAT, and L.A. GUNS at the infamous Whisky A Go-Go…
Review: DARK CHAPEL – Spirit In The Glass (2025)
DARK CHAPEL was formed by BLACK LABEL SOCIETY guitarist Dario Lorina. Their debut album Spirit In The Glass was released on February 28, 2025. Zakk Wylde’s right-hand axman has been tearing up fretboards well before his professional debut as a member of Jani Lane’s (WARRANT) backing band at the ripe old age of 16…
Review: RICKY WARWICK – Blood Ties (2025)
BLOOD TIES is the latest solo album by BLACK STAR RIDERS, THIN LIZZY and THE ALMIGHTY frontman RICKY WARWICK. It follows his impressive 2021 album WHEN LIFE WAS HARD & FAST …
Review: THE DARKNESS – Dreams on Toast (2025)
It’s been 22 years since Permission to Land, the debut album by the UK Glam Rock outfit THE DARKNESS. Back then, some passed them off as the next coming of QUEEN, while others compared them to SPINAL TAP…
Review: THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Give Us The Moon (2025)
You would never know by listening to THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA that their founders were originally known for their work with Melodic Death Metal acts SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY…
Review: HIM – When Love & Death Embrace: Best Of 1997-2003 (2024)
Has it really been 24 years since Finnish act H.I.M. introduced us to their brand of “Love Metal”? Yes it has. Didn’t the band break up 11 years ago? Yes they did. Haven’t they already released a greatest hits package? Two actually…
Review: VOODOO CIRCLE – Hail To The King (2024)
VOODOO CIRCLE is the longtime side project of ex-PRIMAL FEAR guitarist Alex Beyrodt. Debuting with their self-titled album in 2008, VOODOO CIRCLE was put together to pay homage to their ’70s and 80s Blues Rock idols.
Review: CATEGORY 7 – Category 7 (2024)
CATEGORY 7 is the latest ‘supergroup’ project courtesy of Metal Blade Records. Their self-titled debut was released on July 26, 2024. The band features vocalist John Bush (ARMORED SAINT), guitarist Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB)…
Review: MR. BIG – Ten (2024)
A reunited MR. BIG is a good year or so into their final tour around the globe, appropriately titled The BIG Finish. Although vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, and bassist Billy Sheehan resisted the idea of new music without founding drummer Pat Torpey…
Review: ANVIL – One And Only (2024)
Sometimes I think that Canadian Heavy Metal act ANVIL is playing a joke on Heavy Metal fans. How can a band that has been around for 40 years, and has written and released 20 studio albums, still sound like they are amateurs just getting started? …
Review: AXEL RUDI PELL – Risen Symbol (2024)
Having followed AXEL RUDI PELL since the release of 2004’s Kings And Queens, I knew exactly what to expect on the German guitarist’s 22nd studio album Risen Symbol…
Review: MEANSTREAK – Blood Moon EP (2024)
For those out of the loop, MEANSTREAK was an all-female Thrash Metal band out of Rockland, NY, that formed in 1985. Their 1988 debut album Roadkill is considered by many to be one of the best in its genre. Due to the album’s success, the band scored opening slots for such Metal heavyweights as OVERKILL, MANOWAR, ANTHRAX, and MOTORHEAD. Despite their…
Review: LIONHEART – The Grace Of A Dragonfly (2024)
Drummer Clive Edwards (ex-UFO), bassist Rocky Newton (MSG), guitarist Dennis Stratton (ex-IRON MAIDEN), guitarist Steve Mann (MSG) and vocalist Lee Small (ex-SHY) have been the nexus of U.K. Melodic Rock act LIONHEART since their 2017 release Second Nature…
Review: KMFDM – Let Go (2024)
German Industrial act KMFDM is celebrating 40 years in 2024. Led by founder and multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, KMFDM has amassed a rather large catalog of music from studio albums, collaborations, EPs, live releases, rarities and more. To celebrate their four decades of Electro-Metal dominance…
Review: WINGER – Volume One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993 Box Set (2023)
In honor of the band’s 35 anniversary, BMG has packaged up WINGER’s first three studio albums, plus a bonus demo collection, and released them as both a CD box set and vinyl box set entitled Volume One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993…
Review: DGM – Life (2023)
ife is the eleventh studio album by the Italian Progressive Metal act DGM. It was written primarily by guitarist and producer Simone Mularoni over the course of two years. Life was released on November 17, 2023 through Frontiers Music…
Review: SOLEDRIVER – Return Me To Light (2023)
OLEDRIVER is the latest project by STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet and EDGE OF FOREVER mastermind Alessandro Del Vecchio. While the two have collaborated on prior Frontiers Music projects ICONIC and SUNBOMB, this is their first collaboration that features the duo exclusively…
Review: SEVENDUST – Seven of Sevendust (2023)
BMG recently released an extensive box set by Heavy Metal mainstays SEVENDUST. Seven of Sevendust comes in two configurations; a 7-CD set and a 9-LP set. This collection covers the band’s studio work from 2005-2015…
Review: ALICE COOPER – Road (2023)
Road is the latest album by legendary rocker ALICE COOPER. It is his 29th studio album overall, and the first album written and recorded with his current live band; guitarist Ryan Roxie, bassist Chuck Garric, guitarist Nita Strauss, drummer Glen Sobel, and guitarist Tommy Henriksen. Road was produced by longtime Alice Cooper collaborator Bob Ezrin…
Review: U.D.O. – Touchdown (2023)
Touchdown is the eighteenth studio album by German Heavy Metal mainstays U.D.O. Vocalist Udo Dirkschneider is flanked by his son Sven Dirkschnider on drums, Andrey Smirnov & Fabian Dee Dammers on guitar, and ex-ACCEPT bandmate Peter Baltes on bass. Baltes has worked with Dirkschneider in the past in different capacities, but his membership in U.D.O. is now official…
Review: BLAZE BAYLEY – Damaged Strange Different And Live (2023)
In 2021, the album War Within Me brought me back to BLAZE BAYLEY. I hadn’t heard an album by the one-time IRON MAIDEN frontman since Tenth Dimension in 2002. It wasn’t because I didn’t like BLAZE BAILEY, but likely because there were other artists I liked more. We’re talking pre-streaming here, so you had to pick and choose your music back in my…
Review: Y & T – Yesterday and Today Live (2023)
Originally released in 1991, Yesterday and Today Live (Expanded Edition) has recently been re-released by Metal Blade Records on various multi-colored vinyl, double CD, and digital streaming. The expanded edition features two live performances left off the original release, “Earth Shaker” and “Rescue Me”….
![Review: SCORPIONS – Colours of Rock [Vinyl Reissues 1974-1978] (2023)](https://rockisgeorge.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/scorpions.jpg?w=1200)
Review: SCORPIONS – Colours of Rock [Vinyl Reissues 1974-1978] (2023)
In conjunction with the SCORPIONS 2023 European tour, BMG is reissuing twelve key album’s that helped define the German group’s legacy. These albums will be released on colored vinyl with some being remastered from the original tapes for the first time ever. The first wave of releases focus on the SCORPIONS formative years…
Review: JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 – Crash of Life (2023)
Guitarist extraordinaire Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) is back with Crash of Life, his third studio album under the JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 banner. Joining Hoekstra once again…
Review: GLORYHAMMER Return To The Kingdom Of Fife (2023)
Hailing from the no-so-distance Kingdom of Fife, the mighty GLORYHAMMER have returned with another album loaded with power, majesty, and adventure. Return to the Kingdom of Fife is the band’s fourth studio album, and a call back to their decade old debut album Kingdom of The Fife (2013)…
Review: JOE PERRY – Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII (2023)
Back in 2018, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry teamed up with a bunch of his brothers in music for the release of the Hard Rock ‘n’ Blues album Sweetzerland Manifesto. The album featured contributions by Robin Zander (CHEAP TRICK), David Johanson (NY DOLLS), and in-demand session vocalist Terry Reid…
Review: ALCATRAZZ – Take No Prisoners (2023)
The sixth studio album by ALCATRAZZ, Take No Prisoners, is set for release on May 19, 2023. It features Waldo, Shea, Stump, White, and incoming drummer Larry Paterson (BLAZE BAYLEY)…
Review: JASON BIELER AND THE BARON VON BIELSKI ORCHESTRA – Postcards From The Asylum (2023)
Ex-SAIGON KICK guitarist and Brownsville pie-eating contest winner JASON BIELER is back with the follow up to his 2021 release Songs For The Apocalypse…
Review: OVERKILL – Scorched (2023)
On April 14, 2023, legendary Thrash Metal act OVERKILL will release their 20th studio album. 20th! The New Jersey 5-piece have shown no signs of slowing down in their 40+ years of existence. ..
Review: L.A. GUNS – Black Diamonds (2023)
Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis ‘reunited’ to form (their version) of L.A. GUNS with the release of The Missing Piece (2017) through Frontiers Music. Since then the duo has gone on to release The Devil You Know (2019), Checkered Past (2021), and on April 14, 2023 Black Diamonds…
Review: ACID KING – Beyond Vision (2023)
San Francisco’s ACID KING is closing in on a 30 year presence in the industry. While band members have entered and exited its ranks, front woman Lori S. continues to fly the flag since day one…
Review: TRAGEDY – I Am Woman (2023)
New York sensation TRAGEDY is an all Metal tribute to the BEE GEES and beyond. They have been lighting up stages across the globe with premature glitter bombs, swollen disco balls, and bombastic exuberance for over a decade…
Review: ROXANNE – Stereo Typical (2023)
I will admit that I was very skeptical that I would have any interest in the latest album by ROXANNE Stereo Typical. That’s due in part to their crazy backstory in which I was too young at the time of their debut to confirm…
Review: AIR RAID – Fatal Encounter (2023)
Fatal Encounter is the 4th studio album by Swedish Heavy Metal act AIR RAID. It is set for a February 24, 2023 release through High Roller Records…
Review: XANDRIA – The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)
With the arrival of 2023, so comes the arrival of a re-energized and reborn version of XANDRIA. Currently fronted by vocalist Ambre Vourvahis, and backed by top-notch musicians, XANDRIA is ready to unleash their 8th studio album The Wonders Still Awaiting on February 3, 2023…
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