Tears From Venere-Temporary Lives

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Tears From Venere is a up-and-coming hard & heavy/pop punk-infused Italian rock n' roll band that was formed in 2011 and is made up of vocalist/guitarist Vincenzo Santoriello, guitarist/backing vocalist Andrea Morelli, bassist/backing vocalist Simone Morelli and drummer Matteo Rendina. The self-produced (and ABSOLUTELY recommended!) "Temporary Lives" is Tears From Venere's first full-length release and this golden gem of an album(!) follows in the footsteps of several successful singles and a 2012 EP called "A Long Road For Happiness...". Packed from top to bottom with nine great tracks of pure rock n' roll fun, "Temporary Lives" opens by way of the catchy "Roulette" and doesn't take it's foot off of the pedal until the very end of "Frame And Glory"! In-between those two very cool numbers there is one hell of a wild & crazy rock n' roll party going on so it's probably a good thing that you set yourself up with a designated driver before hanging out with the four guys in Tears From Venere! When it comes to debut albums there are very few that are as much fun and well-structured as "Temporary Lives". Then again there are probably not a lot of Italian rock bands like Tears From Venere! On the one hand you're looking at a hard rock band with more than a few familiar influences. Some of these would be Guns N' Roses, Hanoi Rocks, Dangerous Toys, Alice Cooper, Ratt, New York Dolls, Velvet Revolver, and "Too Fast For Love"-era  Mötley Crüe. That's all fine and dandy I hear you saying and you are quite right with that assessment. There is nothing fancy about that lot of influences. Not at all. The thing is you are also looking at a group of heavy rockers that pulls off HUGE chunk out of bands like Eddie and the Hot Rods, (early) Green Day, Bad Religion, The Stooges, All, (early) The Offspring, and Social Distortion for consumption. What you ultimately end up with is a bar room-worthy Italian four-piece that is smashes together late eighties/early nineties pop punk, heavy rock, old-fashioned hard rock, seventies punk, and garage metal. And it's all been neatly bundled together by way of real rock and roll. How very thoughtful...

Free Metal Monday: Former Angels-Live at The Zoo

Self-Release/Independent
2015

Released back on June 21st, "Live at The Zoo" is (ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!) full-length album from Australian hard rock/rock 'n' roll band Former Angels. Recorded live at The Zoo in their hometown of Brisbane by Jesse Nikolic, "Live at The Zoo" features the killer live sound of a real  rock 'n' roll band and it is nothing short of criminal that Former Angels are essentially giving something as good as this away for free! Influenced by the likes of AC/DC, Guns 'N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Wolfmother, Stonefield, and Jimi Hendrix, Former Angels are every bit as good as other so-called "name brand" acts if not a million-billion times better!! Someday (hopefully soon) somebody is going to catch on to this band, scope them up and then sign them because talent like this just doesn't come strolling along everyday! Offered as a name-your-own-price download, "Live at The Zoo" is for all you lovers of raw rock and roll and barroom-worthy hard rock! 

The Franklys-Bad News

Electric Wood Records
2015

The Franklys are an all-girl garage/rock n' roll band whose members hail from Sweden, the UK and the US. A London-based quartet, The Franklys made their debut in February of 2013 with the release of a self-titled EP. Preceded by the singles "Puppet" and "What You Said", "Bad News" was released this past April and this three-track EP was produced by Sean Genockey (RedRacer) and mastered by Ed Woods (Muse, Roger Daltrey). Digitally-speaking, "Bad News" is available to purchase on Amazon and iTunes. Incidentally, iTunes is where I downloaded this particular EP even though promotional material had been sent my way courtesy of Metal Mark. Give this EP a try for yourself and you'll understand all too well why it is I'm interested in supporting this band. I've got a good feeling about The Franklys. One listen to "Bad News" was all it took to get hooked on that feeling with the title track alone simply flooring me with it's Black Sabbath meets The Runaways in a dive bar vibe! Meanwhile there's "What You Said" with it's slightly twisted take on garage rock. It has a bit of a Blondie feel to it and this number shows just how easy it is for The Franklys to adapt their personal influences into something fresh and unique. Other influences include artist such as The Hives, The Strokes, Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Led Zeppelin, Mando Diao, and The Who. That said, "Puppet" all but rocks to it's own beat and said beat is provided by American drummer Nicole Pinto. The other members of The Franklys are Jen Ahlkvist (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Fanny Broberg (lead guitar), and Zoe Biggs (bass) with "Puppet" cutting a huge hole in the atmosphere thanks to it's trailblazing rock and roll fire! If "Bad News" doesn't get The Franklys noticed then I have no idea what will! You can find this AMAZING rock n' roll band online here as well as over at their Facebook page. If you're lucky enough to live on the other side of the pound then by all means check these ladies out live! This kind of rambunctious rock and roll always sounds better live even if that idea sounds close to impossible! I mean if "Bad News" is this good on tape could you imagine it LIVE and LOUD? The band must do some deadly-serious foundation shaking when they take the stage and if I lived in London you better believe that I would be right there front and center when they did it! Don't miss out on this one friends!