Hard Rock Reviews
As much as I like to call myself and this site Kevy Metal, my journey into music actually began with hard rock. Seventies and nineties hardrock – plus contemporary bands inspired by these styles – are still a significant part of what I listen to, and therefore, Album of the Week reviews on hard rock bands are published frequently. You can find all of them right here. Overlaps with my heavy metal reviews inevitably exist.
Looking for something specific, but can’t find it by browsing the reviews? Searching by artist name or release title using the search bar might bring up some Album of the Week reviews I have written before I started tagging my reviews properly.
-
Album of the Week 19-2016: Ace Frehley – Ace Frehley
When all original Kiss members released their solo debuts on the same day – September 18th 1978, to be exact – critics viewed it as a cash grab. Given Kiss’ commercial track record, it probably was, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the music isn’t good. In fact, Paul Stanley’s…
-
Album of the Week 14-2016: Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent
Sure, we could spend all day discussing how obnoxious Ted Nugent can be as a person, though I suspect him of making it seem much worse than it actually is, but let’s not forget that his debut album is easily the best Hard Rock album from 1976 – a year…
-
Album of the Week 08-2016: Merry – Peep Show
When I was exploring the many bands that comprise the Japanese Rock scene, Merry quickly became one of my favorites. Why? Because the country is full of bands imitating the bigger acts, while Merry has a strange, but appealing sound that is truly and uniquely their own. Shreds of Rock…
-
Album of the Week 53-2015: Rainbow – Rising
Before I get into the actual musical brilliance of this mid-seventies masterpiece, just look at that album cover. If that isn’t monumental, I don’t know what is. Luckily the music answers to that as well; Rainbow’s sophomore album is where the band really started coming into its own. Ritchie Blackmore’s…
-
Album of the Week 47-2015: Galneryus – Reincarnation
Original singer Yama-B’s final album with Japanese Power Metal masters Galneryus is one of their most controversial releases. The album is more experimental in nature than any of their previous records – which have all been more or less straight up Power Metal – and that may put off some…
-
Album of the Week 43-2015: Stryper – Fallen
Almost exactly two years ago, ‘No More Hell To Pay’ took me by surprise. I have always had great respect for Stryper as musicians – and Michael Sweet as a singer in particular – but none of the albums released since their reunion early this century as quite as consistent…
-
Album of the Week 41-2015: Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell
Black Sabbath of course has a legendary status in the pantheon of Heavy Metal based on their first six albums with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals alone. And rightfully so. But none of Black Sabbath’s albums are so amazing all the way through as ‘Heaven And Hell’, which was recorded with…
-
Album of the Week 40-2015: Amorphis – Under The Red Cloud
Consistency is key in Amorphis’ career. The Finnish sextet has hardly released any subpar records and although the stylistic detours of the first half of their discography are in the past, you can always depend on the band to come up with a well-crafted record. ‘Under The Red Cloud’ is…
-
Album of the Week 39-2015: Iron Maiden – The X Factor
Blaze Bayley’s tenure with Iron Maiden – or the other way around, if you will – has been unjustly overlooked and therefore, I’d like to shed some light on Bayley’s epic debut with the British Heavy Metal legend. ‘The X Factor’ has often been named Maiden’s worst record, but that…
Kevy Metal 