NOW PLAYING on the MIGHTY WURLINGTZER

December 2008
1) Twisted Sister – ‘Live At The Astoria’ (Demolition – CD/DVD of now legendary London gig in August 2004)
2) Rush – ‘Snakes & Arrows – Live’ (Eagle Vision – DVD of the tour… tremendous!)
3) Symphony X – ‘Paradise Lost’ (Inside Out – Expanded double-disc edition… if you don’t own already, buy or die!)
4) Kooga – ‘Across The Water’ (Krescendo – Welsh pomp-rock from 1986 – on CD for the first time!)
5) GMT – ‘Evil Twin’ (RetroWrek – Menacingly incisive garage rock)
6) Kreator – ‘Hordes Of Chaos’ (SPV – Germanic thrash at its best)
7) Opeth – ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ (Peaceville – DVD of the album… at last!)
8) Thunder – ‘Bang!’ (STC Recordings – Consistency personified)
9) Girlschool – ‘Legacy’ (Wacken/SPV – Still the best all-female band in the business)
10) Saxon – ‘Into The Labyrinth’ (SPV – Biff, bash, bosh!)
11) China Blue – ‘Twilight Of Destiny’ (Frontiers – Stratospheric AOR of the purest kind)
12) Wino- ‘Punctuated Equilibrium’ (Southern Lord – Wondrous solo album from the Godfather Of Doom)
13) Dan Reed – ‘Coming Up For Air’ (Advance three-track DVD of the album – Songs to die for!)
14) Hate Gallery – ‘Compassion Fatigue’ (The Unit Music Label – Cyber-metal with a punky twist)
15) Roxanne – ‘Roxanne’ (Krescendo – Re-issue of long-lost hard rock gem from 1988)
16) Nickelback – ‘Dark Horse’ (Roadrunner – Produced by ‘Mutt’ Lange… their best yet?)
17) Various Artists – ‘We Wish You A Metal Christmas’ (Armoury – A lot more listenable than you’d expect!)
18) Valentine – ‘Soul Salvation’ (Valco – 18 years later, Hugo and company are back!)
19) Pride Tiger – ‘Pride Tiger’ (Powerage – Sails close to Thin Lizzy territory, sometimes **too** close)
20) Hope – ‘All Of My Days’ (Escape Music – Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Bryan Adams…)
21) JaR – ‘Scene 29 (Link Music – Exquisite West Coast smoothness from Jay Graydon and Randy Goodrum)
22) Firebrand Super Rock – ‘Firebrand Super Rock’ (Independent four-song EP – Does what is says in the tin!)
23) Finntroll – ‘Midnattens Widunder’/‘Nattfödd’/‘Ur Jordens Djup’ (Spikefarm re-issues – rampaging folk-metal)
24) The Lizards – ‘Archeology’ (Hyperspace – Covers album; includes nice version of Heep’s ‘The Wizard’)
25) Takara – ‘Invitation To Forever’ (ProgRock – Hmmmm, they’ve gone a bit heavier…)

November 2008
1) AC/DC – ‘Black Ice’ (Columbia – Well worth the wait; let’s just hope it’s not their last)
2) Tesla – ‘Forever More’ (Frontiers – Sacramento’s finest back with a helluva bang!)
3) Anathema – ‘Hindsight’ (Kscope – Clever re-workings of their older songs; little short of a masterpiece…)
4) Hawkwind – ‘In Search Of Space’ (Liberty – Expanded re-issue of 1971 space rock classic)
5) White Sister – ‘White Sister’ (EMI America – Their debut from 1984, invokes memories of a classic Firefest performance!)
6) Martin Orford – ‘The Old Road’ (Giant Electric Pea – Emotional retirement from the IQ/Jadis keyboardsman, includes cameos from John Mitchell, John Wetton, Nick D’Virgilio)
7) Frost – ‘Experiments In Mass Appeal’ (Inside Out – So the first album **wasn’t** just a flash in the pan!!)
8) Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Beautiful Mess’ (Sewtoe Productions – A master-class in radio-friendly slickness and funky groove)
9) Eden’s Curse – ‘The Second Coming’ (AFI – Hooks and sizzling guitar solos a-plenty)
10) Jeff Beck – ‘Performing This Week: Live At Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (Eagle – A must-own for Beck disciples)
11) Satyricon – ‘The Age Of Nero’ (Roadrunner – How the hell did they surpass the wondrous ‘Now, Diabolical’?)
12) Carcass – ‘Symphonies Of Sickness’ (Earache – Double-disc edition, features demos and DVD extras)
13) Jimi Jamison – ‘Crossroads Moment’ (Frontiers – Warm and fuzzy AOR from ex-Survivor mouthpiece)
14) Big Big Train – ‘English Boy Wonders’ (www.bigbigtrain.com – Radically re-vamped new version of 1997 prog-rock escapee)
15) Wishbone Ash – ‘Then Again… Live’ (Boneapart – Includes a live performance of the ‘Argus’ album)
16) Anthrax – ‘Live Noize’/‘NFV: Oidivnikufesin’ (Cherry Red Films – Vintage videos on DVD at last)
17) Various Artists – ‘The Undying Fire’ (ARFM – Oddities ‘n’ obscurities from the world of melodic hard rock)
18) Nashville Pussy – ‘Live In Hollywood’ (SPV – Shit-kickin’ concert DVD)
19) Gary Moore – ‘Bad For You Baby’ (Eagle – He’s still got ‘dem blues’… I’m happy to say)
20) Slipknot – ‘All Hope Is Gone’ (Roadrunner – Better late than never… it rocks!)
21) Axl Rudi Pell – ‘Tales Of The Crown’ (SPV – The former Steeler guitarist’s… ulp… 17th release!)
22) Hydrogyn – ‘Deadly Passions’ (DR2 – Disregard the iffy Alanis cover, the rest is fine…)
23) Bitches Sin – ‘UDUVUDU’ (Bitches Sin Records – NWOBHM veterans still have the fire)
24) Van Tramp – ‘Van Tramp’ (Tune Pony – One of the best debut albums of 2007… shame I had to buy it now to discover it!)
25) Losing Sun – ‘Perspective’ (GMF – Intelligent, modern hard rock…)

October 2008
1) Metallica – ‘Death Magnetic’ (Vertigo – It’s **far** from perfect, but they’re back on track at last…)
2) FM – ‘Back In The Saddle… Live’ (Transistor Pictures – The long-awaited Firefest DVD, with great sound and visuals…)
3) Marillion – ‘Early Stages: The Official Bootleg Box Set 1982-1987 (EMI – Mouth-watering, unreleased six-CD live set)
4) Motörhead – Motörizer (SPV – Lemmy’s purple patch continues)
5) Shadowman – ‘Ghost In The Mirror’ (Escape Music – The best album yet from Steve Overland and company)
6) Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla – ‘Keith Emerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla’ (Edel – At last… Emo revisits signature sound)
7) Michael Schenker Group – ‘Best Of, 1980-1984’ (EMI – Had almost forgotten how brilliant some of this stuff was…)
8) Ross The Boss – ‘New Metal Leader’ (AFM – Ex-Manowar co-founder doing what he did best)
9) Chicago – ‘XXXII: Stone Of Sisyphus’ (Rhino – Their ‘lost’ album available at last)
10) Queen + Paul Rodgers – ‘The Cosmos Rocks’ (EMI – Okay, okay, they should’ve given it another name, but I like it…)
11) Sherwood – ‘A Different Light’ (MySpace Music - New heirs to the power-pop throne?)
12) Trivium – ‘Shogun’ (Roadrunner – Just watch their ascendancy continue…)
13) Cradle Of Filth – ‘Godspeed On The Devil’s Thunder’ (Roadrunner – Their finest in quite a while)
14) Jimmy Copley - Slap My Hand (Eyes Wide Shut Recordings – Veteran sticksman with various guests, including Jeff Beck)
15) Within Temptation & The Metropole Orchestra – ‘Black Symphony’
(Roadrunner – Got eight hours to spare? Check out this four-disc CD/DVD package!!)
16) The Reasoning – ‘Dark Angel’ (Comet Music – Classy female-fronted prog-metal)
17) Newman – ‘Decade’ (Chrome Dome – Commemorating ten years spent creating quality melodic hard rock)
18) Emerson Lake & Palmer – ‘Brain Salad Surgery, Deluxe Edition’ (Universal – Utterly indispensible re-issue)
19) Pat Travers – ‘Black Pearl’ (Lemon Recordings – Re-issue of underrated gem from 1982)
20) Paul Raymond Project – ‘Virtual Insanity’ (www.paulraymond.info – Nothing too flash, but there are some splendid songs here)
21) The Haunted – ‘Versus’ (Century Media – Back to top form again!)
22) Marshall Law – ‘Razorhead’ (DR2 – Blood, thunder and bloody thunderous riffs!)
23) F5 – ‘The Reckoning’ (OarFin Distibution – David Ellefson returns in a not-so-Junior capacity)
24) Fliptron – ‘Gravity Calling’ (Tiny Dog – Ingenious pop-rock, produced by Rat Scabies)
25) Honeymoon Suite – ‘Clifton Hall’ (Frontiers – An enjoyable return to basics for the Canucks)
26) Skinny Molly – ‘No Good Deed…’ (Moss Rose – Above-par Southern Rawk from ex-Skynyrd sideman!)
27) Ugly Mother – ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’ (www.ugly-mother.com – Surprisingly adept, Lizzy-like hard rock)
28) Finlay Morton – Back To Basics’ (Stoneroom Recordings – Aberdeen-based singer/writer in magpie-ish mood)
29) Dominoe – ‘The Story Is Far From Told’ (NL Distribution – German pop-rock… you vill enjoy! I certainly did!)
30) The Erotics – ‘Rubbish’ (Trashpit – I’m not really a fan of glam-rock, especially British ones, but this title is misleading)

September 2008
1) Black Sabbath – ‘The Rules Of Hell’ (Rhino – Five-disc box of the glorious RJD years)
2) Angel – ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’ (Lovember – Re-mastered re-issue of pomp-rock masterpiece from 1977)
3) It Bites – ‘The Tall Ships’ (It Bites Music Partnership – As good as I hoped it would be!)
4) UFO – ‘Live Throughout The Years’ (Mischief Music – Four-disc box of shows from 1976, 1982 and 1998… previously available as ‘Live On Earth’)
5) Genesis – ‘When In Rome’ (Virgin DVD – Reunion show, with a slew of extra features)
6) Into Eternity – ‘The Incurable Tragedy’ (Century Media – Stunning operatic power metal)
7) Shinedown – ‘The Sound Of Madness’ (Atlantic – Surging, super-melodic modern rock)
8) Cathedral – ‘The Carnival Bizarre’ (Earache – Dual-disc edition of 1995 doom-metal essential)
9) Swallow The Sun – ‘Plague Of Butterflies’ (Spinefarm – Imagine if members of Marillion, Emperor and My Dying Bride formed a band…?)
10) Blood Ceremony – ‘Blood Ceremony’ (Rise Above - Sabbath-meets-Tull with witchy female vocals)
11) Valentine – ‘Live At Firefest IV’ (Transistor Pictures – Souvenir of a great day out at Nottingham Rock City)
12) Cloven Hoof – ‘The Definitive Part One’ (EM Music – Their best songs re-recorded… Invigorating, fist-pumping power metal)
13) Night Ranger – ‘Rockin’ Shibuya 2007’ (Frontiers – You can still rock in… Japan?!)
14) Them Is Me – ‘Them Is Me’ (Garston – Ex-Reef duo return with a new twist on their old sound)
15) The Melvins – ‘Nude With Boots’ (Ipecac – The only band with worse hair than my own, and they’re still going strong)
16) The Pink Fairies – ‘Findland Freakout 1971’ (Major League Productions – Gotta love that 20-minute version of ‘Uncle Harry’s Last Freakout’)
17) Biloxi – ‘III: In The Wake Of The Storm’ (Retrospect - An emotionally charged collection of pure AOR songs)
18) Bumblefoot – ‘Abnormal’ (Bald Freak Music – Intriguingly eccentric solo album from GN’R guitarist)
19) Love – ‘The Forever Changes Concert’ (Snapper DVD – 2003’s Royal Festival Hall performance… an absolute gem!)
20) Holy Ghost Revival – ‘Twilight Exit’ (1965 – Overblown indie-meets-retro-glam hysterics…)
21) Leatherwolf – ‘New World Asylum’ (NIL8 – Ballsy, melodic power metal)
22) Nosound – ‘Lightdark’ (Burning Shed – Sophisticated, soothingly ambient prog)
23) Chrome Hoof – ‘Pre-Emptive False Rapture’ (Southern – Mental, experimental prog-metal disco… or something)
24) The Keith Reid Project – ‘The Common Thread’ (Rockville – The return of Procol Harum’s lyricist, with various special guests including John Waite)
25) P.O.D. – ‘When Angels & Serpents Dance’ (BDR/Cooking Vinyl – Christian metal usually turns my stomach… not these guys)

August 2008
1) UFO – ‘Lights Out’/‘Obsession’/‘Strangers In The Night’ (EMI – The Holy Grail of UFO recordings, all with bonus tracks and sleeve essays…)
2) Touch – ‘Touch’ (Rock Candy – Mouth-watering expanded overhaul of pomp-rock gem from 1980)
3) Thin Lizzy – ‘UK Tour 75’ (Major League Productions – Flawed only by Phil Lynott’s onstage references to Georgie Best and ManUre…)
4) Poison – ‘Seven Days Live’ (Armoury – Their Hammersmith Odeon show from 1983 in audio format at last)
5) Black Stone Cherry –‘Folklore And Superstition’ (Roadrunner – Yes, it’s even better than their debut!)
6) Mötley Crüe – ‘Saints Of Los Angeles’ (Mötley – As I suspected, it’s a bit of a grower!)
7) DragonForce – ‘Ultra Beatdown’ (Roadrunner – Wave your plastic swords in the air… DF are back!)
8) Deep Purple – ‘Around The World Live’ (Eagle Vision – Lavishly packaged four-DVD set)
9) Edgar Winter – ‘Rebel Road’ (Evangeline – Chewn-conscious hard-blues, with cameo from Slash – terrific!)
10) Todd Rundgren - ‘Arena’ (Hi Fi Records – A “return to riff-orientated guitar rock” says The Man. He does not lie…)
11) From The Inside – ‘Visions’ (Frontiers – Danny Vaughn and Fabrizio V.Zee Grossi set out to make a Journey album, and almost succeed!)
12) Fight – ‘Into The Pit’ (Metal God Entertainment – The first two albums, plus two more discs of add-ons)
13) Sebastian Bach – ‘Angel Down’ (Demolition – An Angel delight…)
14) Backyard Babies – ‘Backyard Babies’ (Spinefarm UK – Let’s get this party started!)
15) Starbreaker – ‘Love’s Dying Dream’ (Frontiers – The glorious return of ex-TNT man Tony Harnell)
16) Crash Kelly – ‘One More Heart Attack’ (Opening Day Entertainment – Spunky, hummable rock ‘n’ roll)
17) Stephen Pearcy – ‘Under My Skin’ (Evangeline – Once a rodent, always a rodent…)
18) Dan Baird & Homemade Sin – ‘Dan Baird & Homemade Sin’ (Jerkin’ Crocus – The gap-toothed Southern boogie master returns!)
19) Peter Friestedt – ‘LA Project II’ (Zink Music – Sublime, muso-friendly West Coast AOR)
20) Beth Hart – ‘37 Days’ (Provogue – Christ, what a voice!)
21) Cage – ‘Hell Destroyer’ (Destroy All – Very heavy but stubbornly melodic trad-metal)
22) Rose Kemp – ‘Unholy Majesty’ (One Little Indian – Amazing… folk-meets-doom with a slight twist of prog)
23) Ozric Tentacles – ‘Jurassic Shift’ (Snapper CD – Expanded edition of 1993 freak-out!)
24) Jason Ringenberg – Best Tracks And Side Tracks 1979-2007’ (Jerkin Crocus – The pure-C&W stuff is horrid,
but Jason’s **great** when he rocks!)
25) Jefferson Starship – ‘Mick’s Picks Volume Three: Substage, Karlsruhe 10/16/05’ (Bear – Triple-CD of concert in Germany)

July 2008
1) Journey – ‘Revelation’ (Frontiers – Believe the hype, this is a bloody marvel)
2) Rose Hill Drive – ‘Moon Is The New Earth’ (Megaforce – Quite simply, one of the best new(-ish) bands out there…)
3) H.E.A.T. – ‘H.E.A.T.’ (Stormvox – Please welcome the new saviours of melodic rock?!?)
4) Carcass – ‘Heartwork’ (Earache – Expanded edition… the first time on CD for yours truly)
5) The Quireboys – ‘Homewreckers And Heartbreakers’ (Jerkin’ Crocus – Spike and company’s best since the first one)
6) ZZ Top – ‘Live From Texas’ (Eagle Vision – This DVD confirms they’ve still got it in spades…)
7) Alice Cooper – ‘Along Came A Spider’ (SPV – Alice’s back-to-basics 25th studio album maintains run of form)
8) Stone Gods – ‘Silver Spoons & Broken Bones’ (Intergral/PIAS – The Darkness with the nasty bits removed)
9) Easy Action – ‘That Makes One’ (KGR Music – AOR-tastic record fair bargain from 1986)
10) Weezer – ‘Weezer’ (DGC/Interscope – The song remains the same but… hey, it’s a great song!)
11) Joe Bonamassa – ‘Live From Nowhere In Particular’ (Provogue – Double-disc of live blues-rock action)
12) Richie Kotzen – ‘Live In Sao Paolo’ (Frontiers – Ex-Poison/Mr Big guitarist gets deliciously soulful)
13) Duke Special – ‘Songs From The Deep Forest’ (V2 – Saw these guys opening for Uriah Heep last summer, what a terrific, quaint album)
14) Lauren Harris – ‘Calm Before The Storm’ (Demolition – A good deal better than certain reviewers would have you believe!)
15) Oli Brown – ‘Open Road’ (Ruf – Accomplished blues from young fella who by rights should be squeezing his zits)
16) Gavin Rossdale – ‘Wanderlust’ (Interscope – The former Bush/Institute frontman grows up…)
17) Bonded By Blood – ‘Feed The Beast’ (Earache – Thrash till death!!)
18) Silent Rage – ‘Four Letter Word’ (Frontiers – Kiss-style hard rock, produced by Gilby Clarke)
19) Valient Thorr – ‘Immortalizer’ (Volcolm Entertainment – Classy, old-school-derived heavy metal)
20) Stef Burns – ‘World, Universe, Infinity’ (UltraTempo – Ex-Y&T man offers enjoyable blues, with vocals… thankfully!)

June 2008
1) Testament – ‘The Formation Of Damnation’ (Nuclear Blast – A fuggin’ monster!!!)
2) Whitesnake – ‘30th Anniversary Collection’ (EMI – Re-mastered three-disc anthology)
3) Sparks – ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’ (Lil’ Beethoven – These guys are geniuses)
4) Glenn Hughes – ‘First Underground Nuclear Kitchen’ (Frontiers – Funky beyond belief… but grows with repeated listens)
5) The Allman Brothers Band – ‘Seven Turns’/‘Shades Of Two Worlds’
(SPV re-issues – Not the greatest ABB records in the world, but nice to have ’em on CD)
6) Children Of Bodom - ‘Something Wild’/‘Hatebreeder’/‘Tokyo Warhearts’/‘Follow The Reaper’
(Spinefarm re-issues – They have stood the test of time rather well…)
7) Ted Nugent – ‘Sweden Rocks’ (Eagle Vision – Live DVD/CD - Terrific music; awful human being)
8) Marcello-Vestry – ‘Marcello-Vestry’ (NL Distribution – One for fans of Danger Danger)
9) Deborah Bonham – ‘Duchess’ (Atco – First-rate singer/songwriter fare)
10) Cult Of Luna – ‘Eternal Kingdom’ (Earache – Concept album based on a journal by a madman whose wife is killed by an owl)
11) Grand Magus – ‘Iron Will’ (Rise Above – Arguably the best work yet from Sweden’s classic doomsters)
12) Vincent Crane – ‘Close Your Eyes: A Collection 1965-1986’ (Castle Music – Double-disc retrospective of late Atomic Rooster keyboardsman)
13) Jorn – ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ (Frontiers – Whitesnake in Mini-Me form… but rather good)
14) Soul Doctor – ‘That’s Live’ (Metal Heaven – Quality melodic hard rock from Germany)
15) Glenn Hughes – ‘Live In Australia’ (Edel – Unplugged onstage, and at the top of his game)
16) Tony Mills – ‘Vital Designs’ (Phoenix Music – Prog-metal-tinged solo outing from TNT frontman)
17) Mostly Autumn – ‘Glass Shadows’ (Mostly Autumn – A refreshing breeze of subtlety and finesse)
18) Kiuas – ‘The New Dark Age’ (Spinefarm – Bombastic Pagan power metal from Finland)
19) Death Ray – ‘Death Ray’ (Capricorn – Junk shop gem… what a bargain)
20) Ozric Tentacles – ‘Live At The Sunrise Festival’ (Snapper – An open-air freakout comes to your living room)

May 2008
1) Opeth – ‘Watershed’ (Roadrunner – Barring a miracle, this is the album of 2008)
2) Uriah Heep – ‘Wake The Sleeper’ (Universal – So good it’s **almost** worth the wait)
3) Def Leppard – ‘Songs From The Sparkle Lounge’ (Mercury – Believe the reviews; a top-notch return to form)
4) Whitesnake – ‘Good To Be Bad’ (SPV – Way, way better than I’d feared…)
5) Iron Maiden – ‘Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of, 1980-1989’ (EMI – Nice to have all the classics on one album)
6) Rush – ‘Snakes & Arrows Live’ (Atlantic – Terrific-sounding concert double from the last tour)
7) The Black Crowes – ‘Warpaint’ (Silver Arrow – Nobody does this style of music quite like the Robinsons)
8) Ihsahn – ‘angL’ (Candlelight – Prog-extreme metal genius from Emperor guitarist)
9) Kip Winger – From The Moon To The Sun’ (Frontiers – His solo stuff just gets better and better)
10) Harem Scarem – ‘Raw & Rare’ (Firefest – DVD of the band’s farewell show, plus extras)
11) Porcupine Tree – ‘Lightbulb Sun’ (K Scope – Re-mixed and re-mastered, double-disc edition of 2000 album)
12) Children Of Bodom – ‘Blooddrunk’ (Spinefarm – Delicious fusion of melodic death metal and Scandi-thrash)
13) Asia – ‘Phoenix’ (Frontiers – Inconsistent, but it’s a grower)
14) The Hellacopters – ‘Head Off’ (Psychonaut – What a shame it’s their last… this rocks!)
15) Jack Bruce & Robin Trower – ‘Seven Moons’ (Evangeline – Blues with attitude)
16) Warrior Soul – ‘Live In England’ (Livewire – Wish I’d have been there!)
17) No-Man – ‘Schoolyard Ghosts’ (Kscope – More evocative, ambient prog from Messrs Wilson and Bowness)
18) Tygers Of Pan Tang – ‘Animal Instinct’ (Cargo/Livewire – Great album, except it doesn’t sound like a NWOBHM band!)
19) Firewind – ‘The Premonition’ (Century Media – Shred-tastic melodic metal)
20) Eric Gales – ‘The Story Of My Life’ (Provogue – Fiery, funky, rockin’ blues)
21) Steve Miller Band – ‘Live From Chicago’ (CHM DVD – I’m predisposed towards any band with a song called ‘Fly Like An Eagle’, but this is great!)
22) The Batallion – ‘Stronghold Of Men’ (Dark Essence – Quality Norwegian black-thrash in the vein of Darkthrone)
23) Alliance – ‘Road To Heaven’ (Escape Music – By a long chalk, their best so far…)
24) Slaves To Gravity – ‘Scatter The Crow’ (Gravitas – Anthemic debut from band that cut their teeth as the Ga-Ga’s)
25) Circular Logik – ‘One’ (Artist Service – Hard-driving, hook-laden rock)
26) Dominici – ‘O3 – A Trilogy, Part 3’ (Inside Out – Unsightly ex-Dream Theater singer returns)
27) The Pineapple Thief – ‘Tightly Unwound’ (Kscope – Enticing, acoustic-enhanced prog)
28) Sonata Artica – ‘The Collection’ (Spinefarm – UK edition of ‘best of’)
29) Walter Trout – ‘Outsider’ (Provogue – He’s still got the blues…)
30) Zero Hour – ‘Dark Deceiver’ (Sensory – Densely ominous prog-metal)

April 2008
1) Romeo’s Daughter – ‘Romeo’s Daughter’ (Rock Candy – Expanded re-issue of one of the most underrated British rock albums of all time)
2) Michael Bolton – ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ (Rock Candy – Remember when he had the barnet and rock attitude to match that monstrous vocal talent?)
3) Avantasia – ‘The Scarecrow’ (Nuclear Blast – Star-strewn ‘metal opera’ from Edguy frontman Tobias Sammet)
4) Work Of Art – ‘Artwork’ (Frontiers – Wondrous Toto-esque AOR)
5) The Storys – ‘Town Beyond The Trees’ (Hall Recordings – Somehow they live up to the billing of ‘Swansea’s answer to The Eagles’!)
6) Demians – ‘Building An Empire’ (Inside Out – Mellow, lazily seductive modern prog… approved by Steven Wilson)
7) Steve Lukather – ‘Ever Changing Times’ (Frontiers – Toto’s guitarist/singer in impressive form as solo artist)
8) The Move – ‘Looking On’ (Salvo – Hugely important album from 1970, the band’s first with Jeff Lynne)
9) Lionheart – ‘Hot Tonight’ (Krescendo – Re-issue of cult AOR masterpiece from 1984)
10) Everon – ‘North’ (Mascot – It’s been too long since the last album from this terrific German prog group)
11) In Flames – ‘A Sense Of Purpose’ (Nuclear Blast – Horns aloft! The lead guitars are back!!)
12) Sahg – ‘Sahg II’ (Regain – Love the hard rock of the 70s? You’ll like this…)
13) Brother Firetribe – ‘Heat Full Of Fire’ (Spinefarm – Anthemic, melodic hard rock)
14) Dokken – ‘Lightning Strikes Again’ (Frontiers – C’mon, everyone knows what to expect from the dudes by now…)
15) The Jayhawks – ‘Tomorrow The Green Grass’ (American – Country-rock golden oldie from 1995)
16) X-Sinner – ‘Fire It Up’ (Retroactive – Rollockin’, AC/DC-meets-Def Leppard-style hard rock)
17) Warrel Dane – ‘Praises To The War Machine’ (Century Media – Nevermore singer’s solo debut… classy prog-metal)
18) Ricky Warwick – ‘Love Owes EP’ (Trust Few Music – More quality tunes from Almighty frontman)
19) Shannon – ‘Angel In Disguise’ (www.shannon-rock.com – Authentic-sounding French melodic hard rock)
20) Rocky Athas’ Lightning – ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’ (Amiable, accomplished blues from the Texan guitarist that Thin Lizzy immortalised in ‘Rocky’)

March 2008
1) Diamond Head – ‘Living On… Borrowed Time’/‘Canterbury’ (Metal Mind Productions – Expanded CD editions of masterpieces from 1982 and 1983)
2) Stone Gods – ‘Burn The Witch EP’ (Play It Again Sam – Four songs prove that… ulp!… there’s light after The Darkness)
3) Steve Hillage – ‘Germany 1977’ (Voiceprint DVD – Cosmic stuff, ma-a-a-a-n!)
4) Royal Hunt – ‘Collision Course’ (Frontiers – Exquisite, keyboard-driven melodic hard rock)
5) Rory Gallagher – ‘Stagestruck’ (Capo – Vintage live album from 1980)
6) Caamora – ‘She’ (Metal Mind Productions – Double-disc symphonic-prog opera inspired by H Rider Haggard’s book)
7) Plastic Toys – ‘For Tonight Only’ (Hill Valley – Spiky-topped pop-rock of the highest order)
8) Brainstorm – ‘Downburst’ (Metal Blade – Like melodic power metal? You’ll love this!)
9) Family – ‘The Best Of Family & Friends’ (Angel Air – Always been put off by those Larry The Lamb vocals till now…)
10) Jaded Sun – Gypsy Trip’ (SiAn – Highly contagious barroom rock)
11) Anthony Gomes – ‘Music Is The Medicine’ (Ruf – Funk-infused bluesy hard rock)
12) Space Ritual – ‘Otherworld’ (Esoteric – Surprisingly tasty album from Hawkwind breakaway band)
13) Last Autumn’s Dream – ‘Hunting Shadows’ (Escape Music – Swedish-German combo offer super-hummable pop-rock)
14) Egg – ‘The Metronomical Society’ (Burning Shed – Archive release of psychedelic space-rock… features Steve Hillage)
15) Davey Pattison – ‘Mississippi Nights’/‘Pictures’ (Angel Air – Re-issue of albums from 1999 and 2003… what an amazing voice)
16) Entombed – ‘Clandestine’ (Earache – Expanded re-issue of Swedish band’s second album, from 1991)
17) Rotten Sound – ‘Cycles’ (Spinefarm UK – A far from Rotten burst of Finnish grindcore)
18) Jeff Healey – ‘Mess Of Blues’ (Ruf – The Canadian guitarist’s first blues recordings in eight years)
19) The Gutter Twins – ‘Saturnalia’ (Sub Pop – I’m not a particular fan of Mark Lanegan or Greg Dulli, but this is **really** good)
20) Marcus – ‘Marcus’ (Krescendo – It’s aged a bit since 1976, but not as much as some others of its era)

February 2008
1) Led Zeppelin - ‘Live At The O2 Arena, 10th December 2007’ (Bootleg DVD)
2) Scorpions - ‘A Night To Remember, A Journey Through Time: Live At Wacken Open Air 2006’ (Sony/BMG DVD - Essential for Scorps fans)
3) The Eagles - ‘Long Road Out Of Eden’ (Eagles Recording Company - A trifle over-long perhaps, but houses some blinding songs!)
4) UFO - ‘Phenomenon’/ ‘Force It’/ ‘No Heavy Pettin’’ (EMI - First wave of expanded re-masters)
5) Stackridge - ‘The Forbidden City’ (Angel Air - Irresistibly marvellous double-live album from one of British music’s best-kept secrets)
6) Cavalera Conspiracy - ‘Inflikted’ (Roadrunner - The estranged ex-Sepultura siblings reunite
with monumental consequences - out on March 24th)
7) Spider - ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Gypsies’/‘Rough Justice’ (Krescendo - Expanded re-issues of boogie-tastic releases from 1982 and 1984)
8) Van Der Graaf Generator - ‘Trisector’ (Virgin - And then there were three…)
9) White Lion - ‘Return Of The Pride’ (Frontiers - Mike Tramp is back with a resounding bang)
10) Hellhammer - ‘Demon Entrails’ (Century Media - Ear wax need removing? These are your guys…)
11) Magnum - Wings Of Heaven Live’ (SPV - Their 1988 masterpiece performed onstage… plus other assorted gems)
12) House Of Lords - ‘Come To My Kingdom’ (Frontiers - The nightmare of ‘The Power & The Myth’ is officially pardoned)
13) Wishbone Ash - ‘The Power Of Eternity’ (Talking Elephant - New studio album from Andy Powell and company)
14) Wishbone Ash - ‘Live In Hamburg’ (Talking Elephant - Does what it says on the tin)
15) Bachman-Turner Overdrive - ‘Live!-Live!-Live!’ (Record fair bargain, recording of raucous Detroit show from the mid-80s)
16) Tal Bachman - ‘Tal Bachman’ (Columbia - Back in 1999, Randy’s son proved a chip off the ol’ block with this contagious set of songs)
17) Lizzy Borden - Appointment With Death’ (Metal Blade - Yes, I know it came out last year… I only just got my finished copy!)
18) Porcupine Tree - ‘Nil Recurring’ (Peaceville - Mini-album of material deemed surplus to ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’)
19) Money - ‘First Investment’ (Rock Candy - Long lost pomp-rock obscurity from 1979)
20) Primordial - ‘To The Nameless Dead’ (Metal Blade - Quality symphonic doom-metal from the Emerald Isle)
21) Black Tide - ‘Light From Above’ (Interscope - Thrill-a-minute debut from a kick-ass Miami youngsters)
22) Big Linda - ‘I Loved You’ (Ursa Major - Stupid name, great retro-rock record!)
23) Death Angel - ‘Killing Season’ (Nuclear Blast - A jarringly heavy audio-sensory assault)
24) Brother Firetribe - ‘Break Out’ (Spinefarm UK - Expanded re-issue of the awfully titled ‘False Metal’)
25) Mother’s Finest - ‘Mother’s Finest’ (Rock Candy - Funk-o-metal masterpiece from 1976)
26) Norther - ‘N’ (Century Media - These guys continue to make great records)
27) Leverage - ‘Blind Fire’ (Frontiers - Finnish melodic power-metal par excellence)
28) Don Airey - ‘A Light In The Sky’ (Mascot - Enjoyable solo album from much-travelled Deep Purple keysman)
29) Samurai - ‘Samurai’ (Esoteric - Re-release of prog obscurity from 1971)
30) Strapps - ‘Live At The Rainbow’ (Angel Air - Unreleased recording of Mick Underwood’s pre-Gillan hard rock band)

January 2008
1) Wishbone Ash - ‘Argus’ (Universal - Expanded edition of 1972 classic; twin-guitar heaven!)
2) Iron Maiden - ‘Live After Death’ (EMI DVD - It’s back at last, with a dazzling array of bolt-on extra features)
3) Krokus - ‘Metal Rendez-vous’ (Ariola - Cheesy headbanging masterpiece from 1980)
4) Stonerider - ‘Three Legs Of Trouble’ (Trustkill - Stunningly good retro-rock from wildly exciting Atlanta quartet)
5) Thin Lizzy - ‘Live And Dangerous’ (Universal DVD - Lizzy perform at the Rainbow Theatre in 1978, with loads of ‘extras’)
6) Benedictum - ‘Seasons Of Tragedy’ (Locomotive - Strong contender for album of 2008… already!)
7) Black Widow - ‘Demons Of The Night Gather To See Black Widow: Live’ (Mystic - Long-lost audio-visual documentary of a show from 1970)
8) Airbourne - Runnin’ Wild’ (Roadrunner - Terrific stompalong boogie in the time-honoured vein of Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and The Angels)
9) The Mars Volta - ‘The Bedlam In Goliath’ (Universal - Sheer deranged genius)
10) Ginger - ‘Market Harbour’ (Round - Yet more effortless quality from Wildhearts leader)
11) Man - ‘Rhinos, Winos And Lunatics’ (Esoteric - Expanded re-issue of 1974 catalogue gem, includes unreleased live recordings)
12) To-Mera - ‘Delusions’ (Candlelight - Top-notch female-fronted prog-metal)
13) Ayreon - ‘01011001’ (Inside Out - Arjen Lucassen again strikes gold with latest guest-strewn project)
14) America - ‘Live In Central Park 1979’ (Eagle Vision - Peter Clifton’s documentary makes it onto DVD at last)
15) Breathing Space - ‘Coming Up For Air’ (Enchanting prog-rock lite from Mostly Autumn members)
16) Man Raze - ‘Surreal’ (Surrealist - Those dance music/Police-inspired bits are ghastly, yet this contains some great moments)
17) Maestoto - ‘Caterwauling’ (Esoteric - Woolly Wolstenholme of Barclay James Harvest offers bleak yet fascinating prog)
18) Fight - ‘K5 - The War Of Words Demos’ (Metal God Entertainment - Some of those songs are way, way better than I remembered!)
19) Days Between Stations - ‘Days Between Stations’ (Bright Orange - Soothing, ambient space-prog)
20) Jonin - ‘The Secret’ (Tribunal - Tuneful debut from North Carolina metalheads)

PLAYLIST 2007
PLAYLIST 2006

The DAVE LING JUKEBOX SELECTION will be changed every month
If there are any albums you think should be included on next month's playlist
please let us know!