In a career now spanning nearly 25 years and having made a huge impact on the rock scenes both in their native New Zealand and current home Australia, Shihad are set to recognise this in pretty much the best way possible, with the release of a 38 song double disc titled The Meanest Hits.  Combined with this release, has been […]

Date: Friday 22 June 2012 Venue: Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne, Australia Photos by: Lens Of Rock (www.lensofrock.com) Check out the full live gallery right here…

For over 20 years, Jaded Heart have been one of Germany’s most successful ever rock bands and new album Common Destiny will only strengthen their reputation worldwide.  On this their 11th studio album, Jaded Heart combine the power metal’esque riffs of previous album Perfect Insanity, with more stadium rock sized chorus’s that hark back to the bands earlier days. We […]

Official Bio: “Wreaking havoc from the Bay area to the Hollywood hills, the Los Angeles band Diamond Lane delivers an infectious blend of rock and roll along with a mesmerizing stage presence. Since their Hollywood debut in 2009 to a sold out crowd at The Viper Room, this California quintet has ballooned into the next mammoth rock phenomenon. Their third […]

Get What You Give that’s the title of the brand new record from California hardcore band The Ghost Inside, the bands third album and their first to be released through the legendary Epitaph Records.  Produced by Jeremy Mckinnon of A Day To Remember, The Ghost Inside fans are likely to find this to be the bands heaviest album to date, […]

Official Bio: “Straight from Rivington Street in the lower east side of New York City, The Dirty Pearls tell their stories about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.  They deliver rock anthems that will make you roll down your car window, turn the stereo all the way up and just drive! The Dirty Pearls have supported such acts as KISS, […]

In 25 words or less: Rick Springfield rules! Tribute albums – now aren’t they always an interesting proposition, there sure have been some shockers released over the years, others just unnecessarily bastardise some true classic songs, then there’s the flip side….who are these albums for the listening pleasure of?  In the case of the cynical out there reading this, you […]

Official Bio: The Last Nova is an American active rock band from San Francisco, California consisting of lead vocalist Gabriel Davy, drummer Rob Bujak, bassist Surge Monroe and guitarists Aaron Goforth and Nick Young.  TLN has been gaining recognition within the industry over the last year, having been featured on the Iron Man 2 video game which has sold more […]

Third albums are generally an interesting enough prospect in themselves for both band and fan, but combine that with some lineup changes, releasing said third album via a new record label and on the back of all six band members making the commitment to basically drop everything and head to Sweden with the determination to come back with a career […]

Official band bio: After a turbulent start to 2012, Sydney-based folk/indie-pop trio SET SAIL are ready to once again make their mark on the Australian music scene embarking on a mammoth 18-date tour of the country parading a new collection of heartfelt rhythms in the form of their new six-track “Hey!”, due for release on June 22, 2012. “Hey!” features […]

“Legacy is a high octane concoction of 80’s influenced hard rock, AOR, modern metal and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal…full of fist pumping whoaaaaaaa, whoooooaaaa’s” Well aren’t these boys from Essex, UK who call themselves The Morning After and deliver a totally 80’s influenced amalgam of hard rock, AOR, modern metal and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, an […]

“When it comes to Hartmann it’s all about earthy melodic rock songs with a dollop of blues and modern rock elements” Hartmann – Balance, this being the fourth album now from the former At Vance frontman Oliver Hartmann.  More than just that claim to fame however, Oliver Hartmann possesses some mighty vocal chords which has seen him contribute them to […]

Official band bio: “There’s something to be said for fate in the music world. One moment you’re left with the skeleton of a band, unsure when you’ll be able to follow your calling again, the next you’ve got a whole new line-up, a brand new home, a stronger, more defined sound and are recording with some of the biggest names […]

It’s been interesting following the fortunes of Norway’s Wig Wam who initially blasted onto the scene back in 2005 with their entry into the Eurovision song contest with In My Dreams.  Similarly over in Sweden, there was The Poodles who followed a similar trajectory.  Both bands have struggled to shake their Eurovision moniker and quite frankly, also to be taken […]

“Delivers everything you would expect from an album featuring a Rambo like guitarist with a machine gun guitar.  There’s loads of gargantuan guitar work, some massive fist pumping anthems” Kane Roberts – for some he may be best known as probably one of the most identifiable members of Alice Cooper’s band, the hulk like guitarist with an arsenal of machine […]

“World Of Pain shows that Angel King are more than adept at delivering some pretty hot sleaze rock songs, but just not a whole albums worth.” Unfortunately, when you come from Sweden as Angel King do and when you have the tag of glam/sleaze rock, immediately the expectations of those from this corner of the world in Australia are sky high. […]

Official bio: Since 2007, Sydney’s Resist The Thought have been carefully engraving their name into the Australian metal scene. Thanks to a relentless touring ethos which found them forever on the road and sharing stages with the likes of Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain and All Shall Perish, Resist The Thought garnered enough momentum to propel themselves overseas to Lambesis […]

Eve 6, yes this is the same band that back in 1998 had a radio hit here in Australia with Inside Out, the song that saw the at the time teenagers “wanting to put their tender heart in a blender”.  For me, Eve 6 is best defined by their second album Horrorscope which in the year 2000 was as close […]

In 25 words or less: Millencolin fans out there, I’m sure most of you have already bought this already….if you haven’t, what the hell are you waiting for?  First things first, Happy 20th anniversary to Millencolin, you crazy Swedish punksters!  In celebration of their 20 years, the guys have just released The Melancholy Connection, which is essentially a follow on from the 1999 […]

  Heaven – so who out there reading this thought they would be seeing a reformation of these Aussie rock legends in 2012?  Well as many of you are well aware, it’s happening and it’s happening in less than two weeks from today with the Heaven Twenty Twelve Tour!  Whilst 2001 saw a lineup of Heaven support Judas Priest, significantly […]

Press release: Australian rockers Raise The Flag, return on their ‘Bon But Not Forgotten’ Celebration to the No. 1 rocker in the world Bon Scott. On what would have been Bon’s 66th Birthday they pay homage to the legend singer. On the rhythm section, Izzy Osmanovic, (Screaming Jets), and Rogue Shark Mick Adkins splitting the twin Marshall stacks and taking […]

“From seriously the most dependable artist in my entire collection, I applaud Richard Marx for yet another exceptional release.” Whilst this observation hasn’t been completely lost on me over the years, sitting down to write this review, I was reminded that when it comes to albums I’ve owned, Marx’s bazillion selling Repeat Offender album would sit somewhere amongst the first 10 […]

“Dominated by melodic rock right to the very end, this is the album that many Hardline fans have most likely been waiting for since Double Eclipse.” Whilst the lineup of Hardline has changed much over the course of the bands 20 odd year history and 4 albums, there has been one constant – the unmistakable vocals of Johnny Gioeli, surely […]

Official press release: “Critically acclaimed English troubadour Daniel Pearson trades in timeless and melodic songs that fuse the dynamics of alternative rock to the heart-on sleeve honesty of classic singer-songwriters, sung with a unique voice that’s equal parts confidence and vulnerability. Growing up in a small Yorkshire town he fell in love with both the 90s alt.rock of The Lemonheads, […]

“I can’t explain why it only took the opening 10 seconds of Wishing Well for Daniel Pearson to have me completely hooked, but it did.” Isn’t music just a wonderful thing, or more specifically, aren’t our own personal reactions to music an even more wonderful thing?  Like I often do, do you often sit and wonder why sometimes your ears and […]

The Delta Riggs have been kicking around now for the best part of around 5 years or so, and on this, their latest EP, this really shows, for this is one heck of a great rock ‘n’ roll release from one very tight, highly capable band.  With fellow bands like Stonefield and My Dynamite currently blazing the trail of Aussie […]

Melbourne four piece The Hiding have recently released their debut EP, which given the comparative success of the anthemic, textured style of pop rock that they play, it’s an EP with a potential massive reach not only here in Australia, but undoubtedly the USA.  Million Miles Away opens the EP with it’s boundless energy and electro rock tinges, whilst 6 […]

In 25 words or less: “It is the music of H.E.A.T that provides the soundtrack for the utopian world that I, Scott A Smith, Esquire lives, here in 2012.” When I first discovered Swedish melodic rockers H.E.A.T back in 2008 on the back of their self titled, debut release, there was something so magical for me personally in what H.E.A.T […]

“It’s not a very cool thing today to really have saxophone on an album and we were like is it “legal” to have a saxophone on the album, but me and Dave love stuff like Michael Bolton so we were like we have to have saxophone on this song.” When I first discovered Swedish melodic rockers H.E.A.T back in 2008 […]

Originating back in 2004, Melbourne’s 4ARM have taken all before them in 2012.  Having released new album Submission For Liberty worldwide, the response it has garnered has elevated the band to the status of one of the most exciting thrash bands in the world today.  On June 9th the band will be hitting the stage at one of the most […]