Vindicata – Beneath The Surface (CD)

This was not really what I expected to hear from the Grooveyard, I must admit! Vindicata, fronted by the raspy and fiery power pack Mary Magill leans more towards modern detuned riff-oriented hard rock (think Sevendust, Alter Bridge etc.) than the 70s influenced bluesy stuff we’re used to hearing from the guitar label of guitar labels. However, I must say I do not mind at all. This is some heavy shit! The band was previously called Half The World and released two CDs, now really rare and hard to find. The band changed their name to Vindicata and “Beneath The Surface” is a compilation of these two albums, but with a couple of changes. The band has also added the talent of Chris Poland (Ohm, OHMphrey, Megadeth etc). He has added some outstanding solos on almost all the tracks!  Even though the albums were written and originally recorded a few years apart and they were released some years ago, this does feel like a very homogenous and fresh album! You definitely can’t tell it’s a not a "new" album (I was actually halfway through the album before I was like – Where the hell have I heard this before??). Guess the band was a bit ahead of its time. Great band! Looking forward to hearing some new material!

Janne Stark

Label: Grooveyard Records

Year: 2018

Country: USA

Link: www.facebook.com/vindicataband

-->

Days Of Jupiter – New Awakening (CD)

I really loved Days Of Jupiter’s 2012 debut “Secrets Brought To Life”, while the follow-up “Only Ashes Remain” didn’t impress as much, however, this one I was looking forward to. The band plays modern melodic hard rock/metal, and as long as the riffs, songs and vocals are there, I’m all for it. I really like bands like Alter Bridge, Sevendust and Shinedown, so no prejudice from me. The album starts with the melodic and heavy riffing “We Will Never Die” which actually does remind me a bit of Shinedown. “I Am Stone” is a bit different in its style and approach, a bit busier and not predictable at all. A killer track with really cool twists and turns. This one really gets the band back into the ball game! “Wasted Years” kicks major butt! Damn, those crushing riffs combined with Janne Hilli’s awesome melodic vocals! They definitely give their Swedish main competitors’ Corroded a run for their money! “You Can’t Erase Me” is a cool, powerful ballad. “Awakening” starts off sounding a bit similar to Sevendust with a crushing staccato riff and bulldozer drums, but the boys take it to a place of their own. Awesome track! The next track has one of those annoying spelling mistakes I bet they went “duuuuh” when they saw. The sleeve says, “If I Wear God”, while the booklet correctly states “If I Were God” – whatever, the track speaks for itself. I just have to mention “Insane”, which is another well-aimed kick in the groin! Love it! Highly recommended!

Janne Stark

Year: 2017

Label: Metalville

Country: Sweden

CLARK LANE – "The Inner Circle" (Pro-CDR)

I’ve been following Swedish modern rockers Clark Lane for quite some time, and now they have finally released their debut album. The name is, if you may wonder, made up of the combination of Clark Kent and Louis Lane. If you’re into bands like Corroded, Alter Bridge and Shinedown this one’s definitely for you. Heavy riffing mixed with nice melodies with intelligent pop overtones at times. However, they are not by far as predictable as Nickelback, and way better in my opinion. They are also not as musically buttery as, for instance, Takida, and they definitely have more substance in their songs. Clark Lane also has a great guitar player, which many of the modern sounding bands lack. Songs like “Voices” and “Departure” also show the unique quirky touch this band has, and that I love. It’s not your standard strumming chord patterns, but harmonies that set them apart from the mainstream, but are not too quirky to scare away the non-musician listener. It’s a fine line, but these guys know their balancing act well. There’s also a really nice variety in the songs, from powerful balladry to up-tempo rockers, and lots in-between. One of my favourites is the heavy, riff-oriented and quirky, but still very melodic “Backdoor”, but there are honestly several favourites on this album! Highly recommended.

Janne Stark

Year: 2015

Country: Sweden

Label: self-released

Link: www.clarklane.se

PAVIC - Is War The Answer? (CD)

Wow, this was quite the surprise! Italian melodic rockers really decided to give their music a new spin on the new album “Is War The Answer?”. They drafted new and excellent singer Joe Calabro, brought in renowned producer Rick Beato (Shinedown) to mix the album and changed their musical delivery accordingly. “Modern” is in some people’s ears a dirty word but, but good music is good music whether it’s modern or retro, methinks. The new Pavic delivery is definitely modern. If you’re into bands like Alter Bridge, Nickelback and Shinedown, you should definitely check this album out. The album also features the power ballad "Song For The Rain", which is in the same category as Nickelback’s “Photograph”, and which, with the right backing could be a huge hit. The band also does an unexpected cover of Duran Duran's "Notorious". Great sounding band, great vocals and Marco Pavic is an excellent guitar player! Congrats!

Janne Stark

Label: New Venture Music

Country: Italy

Year: 2014

Link: www.pavictheband.com

BLACKRAIN – Into The Black (CD)

It all started under the name Just A Quick Stop, at the time as a duo featuring guitarist Ronny Blylod (Destynation) and singer Daniel Söderberg. They released a pretty promising CD. The band was reinforced by bass player John Vigebo and drummer Henrik Söderqvist and they now became – Blackrain. I first saw the band at the Rock Out Wild festival in 2011, and was truly blown away by the band’s live performance. Into The Black is an outstanding debut, I must say! If you’re into melodic hard rock with a touch of King’s X meets Alter Bridge, but with classic hard rock elements in the mix, this is a must. Heavy, groovy and melodic with singer Söderberg really taking it to the next level. The sound is very organic, in your face, honest and may as well have been recorded live in the studio with some additional overdubs added afterwards. It’s by no means over-produced and even though I really like it, I think it’s here it shows it’s a self-produced production. The song material is really great with lots of cool groovy riffs and nice hooks. The band sounds tight and they really deliver on all levels. It’s very even album with no low points, and no extreme highs either. This is however not a bad thing. I much rather have an even, strong album, that one with 2-3 killer tracks and the rest below average. This is an album you can fully enjoy start to finish. Well done! Already looking forward to the next one!
Janne Stark
Year: 2011
Label: JAQS
Country: Sweden
Link: www.myspace.com/blackrainsweden <http://www.myspace.com/blackrainsweden>