URIAH HEEP: Living the Dream (2018). My "review"...

  Uriah Heep is a legendary band, that need no introductions or recommendations. They have been around since forever, and they wrote their name with gold in the history of Rock (or Hard Rock if you like) music.

  I have been listening to them since my teenage years, and I have in my collection no less than 17 albums; studio and live ones.

  This year they have returned with their 25^th (or 26^th? I lost count) studio album, named as Living the Dream.

  I still can’t believe how good this album is! I was expecting a very mediocre album, like their previous ones, but this time I must admit that they did a really good job!

  I don’t think that there is anybody who  believes that after a 50-years-old career, they will release another The Magician’s Birthday or Demons and Wizards, correct?
  But you know what? Living the Dream is a high-quality album, that can be compared directly with some of their old releases. The sound is modern Hard-Rock, with many guitar riffs and solos, lots of classic-sounding keyboards and very good compositions. Bernie Saw’s voice is in very good condition, without having to add “for his age”…

  Mike Box’s recorded some very nice and “catchy” guitar riffs, that are accompanied by the keyboards of Phil Lanzon, and the result is very good to say the least.

The album includes some classic Hard Rock songs, some ballads and even a couple of "proggy" ones.

  In  a nutshell, Living the Dream is a very “decent” album that totally worth its money. I bought it, and I never regret it. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Favourite Tracks (so far): Living the Dream, Knocking at my Door, It’s all Been Said,  Dreams of Yesteryear.

                My Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.

MAIDEN UNITED: EMPIRE OF THE CLOUDS (2018). My review...

I am sure that many people aren’t familiar with the name Maiden United, so I will begin this post by providing some info about them.

  Maiden United is not a band; is an acoustic side project, including musicians from many English and Dutch bands. They are driven by the charismatic singer Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold, Ayreon) and the guitar player Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation). They are active for almost a decade now and their discography consists of 4 studio albums, with Empire of the Clouds being their brand new one.
  As you can understand from their name, they are some kind of an Iron Maiden tribute band, but they sound like no other. For the needs of the project, many musicians from different bands joined together to play an all-acoustic tribute to Iron Maiden; but all the songs are played with new arrangements. In their live performances, they have a very big list of guest musicians, including Paul Di’ Anno, Blaze Bayley and Anneke among others.
   This year, they decided to record an extended version of Iron Maiden’s epic Empire of the Clouds, which became a 24-minute long song, divided into 4 parts and it includes a dramatic narration. The result is simply wonderful! 

  The song tells the dramatic (and true) story of the R101 airship, which crashed on its maiden voyage in northern France on 5 October 1930. The narration parts help us understand what exactly happened back then, and they add a lot to the song’s dynamic.
   Empire of the Clouds is available in digital format and a double-CD edition. For the vinyl lovers there is also a vinyl edition available. 

  The first CD includes all 4 parts of Empire of the Clouds. The 2^nd CD includes again the same song, but in a wonderful live version, that was recorded in Amsterdam and includes lots of guest musicians. The last track of this double CD is a very interesting cover version of Killers, which is totally changed and really difficult to recognize.

  I think that this is a very interesting, enjoyable and rather unique release, which I recommend not only to the fans of Iron Maiden, but to all the fans of Rock music. Now I have to find their older releases, because these guys totally worth it!

                  My Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.

 

GFreedom's 2017 Top-10 (+5) album list. The last part...

Hello again!
  This is the last part of my Top-10 album list of 2017. In this post I will write the 5 albums that reached up to the final draft but didn't enter the Top-10 list, for just a few details. Once more, this list will be in alphabetical order.
                                   AYREON: The Source
  During the first quarter of 2017, the Dutch project Ayreon returned with one more Rock opera, as usual. Once more, Arjen Lucarssen, the mastermind behind Ayreon, gathered around him an impressive number of musicians and singers for the needs of the album. The outcome of this collaboration is very interesting and enjoyable to say the least. If you want to learn more details about this album, take a look at the review I wrote on April 2017, here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/04/ayreon-source-2017-sci-fi-rock-opera.html
Also, click on the following YT links, if you want to listen to a couple of songs:
AYREON: The day the world breaks down
AYREON: Sea of machines
                    DAVID GILMOUR: Live at Pompeii
  On September 2017, David Gilmour released the double live album Live at Pompeii, including songs from his days with Pink Floyd mixed with songs from his solo works. Yes, there is nothing new here, but it is a very well produced live album, including some legendary songs that we all loved. Here you can read a post I wrote about this album: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=david+gilmour
Click on the following YT lniks in order to listen (and watch) a couple of songs from the album:
DAVID GILMOUR: High hopes
DAVID GILMOUR: Comfortably Numb
                      INNERSPACE: Rise
  Rise was on of the surprises of 2017 for me. I had no idea about this band, until  found out about this album. Rise is a dark and melancholic, but wonderful concept album about a dystopian future. In my opinion, it needs a few listenings before you will be able to fully appreciate it. Last month, I wrote a - rather detailed - review about it, so if you are interested, just click here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/12/innerspace-rise-2017.html
Here are a couple of songs, in case you want to have an idea:
INNERSPACE: Tree of life
INNERSPACE: Fill the void
           PROCOL HARUM: Novum
  After 14 years of "silence", last year Procol Harum released their 13th studio album, named as Novum. I am a fan of Procol Harum since my youth, so I coundn't miss this release. I will not say that Novum is a modern masterpiece, because it isn't, but is a very decent, beautiful and melancholic album, exactly as it should be. Here you can read the review I wrote about it, many months ago: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/05/procol-harum-novum-2017.html
In case you are wondering how Procol Harum sound like in Novum, click on the following links:
PROCOL HARUM: Sunday morning
PROCOL HARUM: The only one
                            SOEN: Lykaia
 During 2017, SOEN released their 3rd studio album, Lykaia. Because I had no idea about this band before, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. When I first listend to it I wasn't so much thrilled with it. But after a few listenings, I got used to their style and sound and now I like it much more than before. On February 2017, almost a year ago, I wrote a short review about Lykaia in this blog. Here, you can take a look if you want: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/02/soen-lykaia-2017.html
Here's a couple of YT links for you:
SOEN: Paragon
SOEN: Jinn

Here ends my Top-10 (+5) album list for 2017. I hope you enjoyed these series of posts.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Enjoy the music!

GFreedom's 2017 Top-10 album list (Part.3)

Hello all!
  Here is the 3rd (but not last) part of my Top-10 album list for 2017. In case you are interested to see the other 2 parts, just scroll down a little bit. I will say once more that my list is in alphabetical order.

    NOLAN CLIVE: KING'S RANSOM
  This was an album that I was waiting with great anticipation. Clive Nolan's previous Rock opera/musical (Alchemy), was one of my most beloved albums of the last years; so when I learned that King's Ransom will be continuing the story - in a way - I couldn't wait! When I visited Clive's home in London on March 2017, he played 2-3 songs for me, and my anticipation for the official release became even bigger, because all songs I heard were wonderful.
  So, I pre-ordered the cd's, and what I received was a very beautiful CD-box, including 4 CD's, 1 DVD and many booklets. A very impressive and expensice production without a doubt. Anyway, the point is that King's Ransom is a wonderful album, which I listened to again and again, and I don't think I will get bored of it.
In case you are interested, click on the following link to read the - rather detailed - review I wrote about it a few months ago. http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=KING%27S+RANSOM
Here's a small sample: CLIVE NOLAN: Harm's Way (trailer)

          THRESHOLD: LEGENDS OF THE SHIRES 

  Legends of the Shires is the 11th studio album of the English Prog-Metal band Threshold, and I dare say one of their best ones. Prog-Metal was never my cup of tea, so I try not to write reviews about albums that belong in this sub-genre. But that doen't change the fact that Threshold released a really wonderful album, which I enjoy a lot; And when I saw them on stage performing songs from it, I liked it even more! The album is filled with great guitar riffs, "catchy" melodies and very interesting compositions in general. The performance of the musicians is superb, having as "maestro" the leading guitar riffs of Karl Groom. The album includes a couple of "hit" songs, like for example Small Dark Lines and/or State of Independence, together with couple of  "epics" (over 10 minute long songs). (The 10-minute-long Lost in Translation is one of the best songs of the album). Well, what else can you ask for?
  In my opinion, Legends of the Shires is equally good (if not better) with some legendary albums the band released in the past, like Critical Mass or Subsurface for example.
Just click on the following YT links for a couple of samples:
THRESHOLD: Small Dark lines (Official Video)
THRESHOLD: Lost in Translation

          TIME COLLAPSE: NIGHT TO DAY

  My Top-10 album list will be concluded with the excellent debut album of the Greek band Time Collapse, Night to Day. Another very big surprise to me, cause I had no idea about them, 'till I found them on Prog Archives. Their sound is heavy, massive, with a "psychedelic" essence and clear influences from bands like Tool and/or Porcupine Tree for example.
  On May 2017 I wrote a review for this album, so in case you are interested you can read it here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=time+collapse
By clicking on the following links you can listen to a couple of songs from the album:
TIME COLLAPSE: Messiah Complex Pt.1
 TIME COLLAPSE: Time Bound/Time Collapse

At this point my Top-10 album list for 2017 is finished. I hope that you found these 3 posts informative and helpful. One more post will follow in the next few days, including the 5 albums that reached up to the final draft but for some reasons didn't made it...
Thank you for reading this...

            

GFreedom's 2017 Top-10 album list (Part.2)

Hello all!
Here I will continue the presentation of my Top-10 album list for 2017. If you are interested of reading Part 1, just scroll down a bit, or click here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/12/gfreedoms-2017-top-10-album-list-part1.html
Let's continue:
                        DRIFTING SUN: TWILIGHT

  On September 2017, Drifting Sun released their new album, named as Twilight; which is the band's 3rd studio album after a very long break. (The band released 2 more studio albums during the '90's). I have all 3 of their - "modern period" - albums, and I believe that Twilight is the best of them without a doubt. Upon its release, I wrote a - rather long - review here, so in case you are interested, just click here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/09/drifting-sun-twilight-2017-review.html
For those who aren't familiar with the band, Twilight is a very good start...
Here's a couple of songs from the album:
DRIFTING SUN: Twilight
DRIFTING SUN: Wings of hope

GANDALF'S FIST: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A UNIVERSAL WANDERER

  A Day in the Life... is not a new album. It is the re-issue of the official album that was released in 2013. But it is not the same album. Many things changed, songs removed and others were added; that's why I considered it to be a new release. Take a look at the review I wrote about it, and you will understand what I'm talking about: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/11/gandalfs-fist-day-in-life-of-universal.html
Gandalf's Fist with every new release are showing great signs of improvement and that's something really great!
Click on the following links to check a couple of songs from the album:
GANDALF'S FIST: The Battle for Tannhauser Gate
GANDALF'S FIST: Stoaway to the Mushroom Planet

        MACHINES DREAM: BLACK SCIENCE
  Machines Dream is a Canadian band that I discovered recently. Black Science is their third studio release, that followed Immunity (2014) and Machines Dream (2013). I was pleasantly surprised by their style and sound, and I listened to the album many many times! I still do actually...
Here's a review I wrote about it a few months ago (At the time I wrote the review, the band had 3 studio and 1 live albums): http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/08/machines-dream-black-science-2017.html
Here's the song Heavy Water from that album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw656baIV2o

        MOSTLY AUTUMN: SIGHT OF DAY
  Mostly Autumn is a high quality English Folk/Prog Rock band, which I like a lot! I have in my music collection 7 of their albums and I listen to them very frequently. Sight of Day is their new work, which I believe is a very good one! Upon the album's release I wrote a review, which you can check here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=mostly+autumn
Here you can listen to a couple of songs if you want:
MOSTLY AUTUMN: Sight of Day 
MOSTLY AUTUMN: The Man Without a Name 

GFreedom's 2017 Top-10 album list (Part.1)

  Since we are on the last day of 2017, I thought that it would be a good idea to begin writing my annual Top - 10 album list. This year, my list will be divided into 3 or 4 parts, and at the end there will be an extra one, including the 5 albums that didn't make it to the list, but they reached the final draft.
 Since January, I have listened carefully to 68 albums, and based on those I prepared my list. I am sure that there are many more good albums out there, but as I said, my list is based on the ones I was able to listen.
 Also, have in mind that my list is in alphabetical order, and on each entry I will include a couple of YouTube links, so you can have an idea immediately.
I hope you will enjoy it!

BIG BIG TRAIN: Grimspound

  Grimspound was the 10th studio album of the English band Big Big Train and it was released on the 28th of April 2017. In my opinion it is not as good as their albums English Electric Pt.1 & Pt.2, but it is a very good work. Here you can read the review I wrote for Grimspound a few months ago: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=big+big+train
Here's a couple of songs from this album:
BIG BIG TRAIN: Brave Captain
BIG BIG TRAIN: Meadowland

CELLAR NOISE: Alight
 This was one of the biggest surprises of 2017 for me. Alight is the debut album of the Milan-based band Cellar Noise, who I had the opportunity to meet when I had them as guests in my radio show Prog n Roll. It is a wonderful album, filled with great melodies and very interesting compositions, which you can listen from the first till the last song without having to skip not even one song. This is a band that definitely deserves more attention! Here's the review I wrote for this album almost 6 months ago:  http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/06/cellar-noise-alight-2017.html
Here you can have an idea about them:
CELLAR NOISE: Underground Ride  
CELLAR NOISE: Temple 

CHRYSILIA: Et in Arcadia Ego
The debut album of the Greek Folk/Power Metal band Chrysilia was another huge surprise for me, for many reasons. I discovered the album almost 2 months after its release, and I can't stop listening to it since then. Almost 2 weeks ago, I wrote a rather detailed review for this album, which you can find here if you are interested: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2017/12/chrysilia-et-in-arcadia-ego-2017-my.html
You can check some of their songs here:
  CHRYSILIA: The Menalon Trail
CHRYSILIA: King of a Stellar War 

Here ends the 1st part of my annual top-10 album list. 
More parts will follow in a few days.
I hope you will find it interesting and usefull...
Happy New Year Ladies and Gentlemen! 
Thank you!