Moon Dog - Time Is The Fire (LP/CD)

Moon Dog  - Time Is The Fire (LP/CD)

Danish hard rockers Moon Dog finally follows up their debut 7” single with a full album. The single showed much promise, and the album does not disappoint. Opening track “Jaguar” is a cool mix of classic seventies sounding hard rock with a touch of early Styx.  Styx really comes to mind also in the opening choir parts of next track “Beautiful Women”, while the riff part has a heavier vibe, but it changes pace 180 degrees into a soft jazzy vibe which really comes as a surprise. A really quirky and cool track with a ton of different flavors. Singer Fjeder Stavnstrup has a past in hard rockers Hero and he also sings in Glam Gang MooreLizzy, Stuff Upper Lip and previously fronted Queen tribute band Queen of Denmark. “War, The War” continues in a heavier and darker vibe and shows the versatility of the band. “Bitch” takes us on yet another journey. It almost has a hint of old classic melodic quirky rockers City Boy. Here Rikke Holst Johansen handles the lead vocals which gives the album yet another flavor. Cool guitar solo from Fjeder as well. “My Black Soul” starts out like a left over from Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers” with some distorted Hammond from Lars Rahbek, while the chorus has a progressive twist to it. A really cool track, indeed! “Sow A Letter” is another dark and quirky track with some really cool twists and turns, while next track “Escape” is a happier funky melodic rocker that even features a piano solo. I also must say I really like the dynamic, dry and in-your-face mix of the album. Side two of the vinyl finishes with the title track,  another cool and pretty heavy number with a touch of Deep Purple but a bit more soft-progressive, almost a bit Magnum-inspired it sounds like. A killer track to end the album! The CD-version (included with the vinyl) features four more non-vinyl tracks. Really nice looking artwork, great production and mastering and an album I’d highly recommend you to check out!

Country: Denmark

Label: Supersonic CPH

Year: 2025

Janne Stark's Top 13 of 2024

 

1. Thin Lizzy – 1976 – What a GRAND re-issue and respectful and interesting re-remixes. A quality packed gem indeed! 
2. The Watchers – Nyctophilia – Daring to take at least half a step outside of the Black Sabbath void was a solid choice. Still as heavy and solid but with a more personal touch!
3. Worshipper – One Way Trip – Here’s a band that manages to sound original in this day and age. Heavy, chunky, groovy, yet melodic heavy rock!
4. Black Country Communion – V – Back with a vengeance! In my opinion their best album!
5. Judas Priest – Invisible Shield – Another bunch of “oldies” that kick a lot of the newer bands’ butts to kingdom come!
6. Jupiter Cyclops – Age Of Ufonaut – If there’s such a thing as stoner heavy metal, this is it! Killer heavy riffage with a stoner touch.
7. KITSA – Dead By Dawn – If Black Sabbath and King’s X decided to get hitched and get a baby, this may have been it! 
8. Black Debbath – Bortkastet hardrock vol 1 – Can’t help but love these Norwegian heavy rock weirdos! They do know how to riff!
9. Deep Purple - =1 – They may be old but man, they still know how to write solid songs and make them sound great on record. Classic hard rock
10. Alunah – Fever Dream – A band I got into quite recently. Killer female fronted heavy rock!
11. Evergrey – Theories Of Emptiness – Heavy, melancholic, melodic, typical Evergrey, but still different. Their best album in a long time. Killer album!
12. F.K.Ü – The Horror And The Metal – I wouldn’t say I’m a huge thrash metal fan, but I do have a soft spot for F.K.Ü. Their explosive power, tightness, killer songs and tongue in cheek approach just makes me smile and bang! Love it!
13. Lydsyn – Højspænt – Power rock in Danish? Yup, it works! 

Honorable mentions:

The Quill – Wheel Of Confusion

Trapeze – Lost Tapes Vol 2

Green Lung – This Heathen Land

Alicate – Heaven Tonight

Dug Pinnick – Thingamajigger

Freak Kitchen – Everyone Gets Bloody

Moggs Hotel – s/t

Shaggy – Scarecrow (LP/CDr)

Classic Swedish hard rockers Shaggy released an outstanding album already back in 1975 and then fell off the earth, to return in 2012 with the equally outstanding album “Destination Nowhere”. This album was then followed by Fighting Angels And Demons”, which was actually a double album, divided into two releases. The first one was stellar, so now that part 2, entitled “Scarecrow”, has been released, my expectations are quite high. The album kicks off with the highly hit-oriented “Hero”. We’re not talking buttery, wimpy pop-hit, but more the type of hits delivered by bands like Uriah Heep and Deep Purple, hits with dignity and backbone. Next up is “Boogie Man”, which continues in the same vein and it’s not often I get to label a track “progressive boogie”, but that’s just what this is! Great Hammond playing from original member Tom Ryan and fat guitars from his original colleague Fidde Rognås and his son Hannes. ”Gorgeous Children” continues in the vein of classic Uriah Heep with a nice proggy touch, but without getting complicated. Singer Ulrich Carlsson from M.ILL.ION has sung with the band since the reunion and his vocals fit the band perfectly. The remaining two newcomers (since the reunion, that is) are bass player Robert Ottosson and drummer Stafan Husar who both perform their musical duties to perfection. Shaggy truly feels like a tightly knit unity. To return to the album – “Laughing Boy Crying” has a cool, almost folkish touch and made me think of Irish rockers Horslips, which is great in my book. The title track continues in the same folk-influenced vein, while next track “Mystery Man” is in a slightly softer vein. I really like the variety. ”Thunder And Lightning”takes us back to the fields of classic Uriah Heep, but with guitar harmonies which is something you never hear with Heep (since Mick Box is the bands only guitarist, so no wonder). I do however have to say I think this is even better than the stuff Uriah Heep have produced lately, and I really love Heep!! The CDr version (only released in 100 copies) has two bonus tracks, starting with “Rainbow’s End Pt 1” (it’s actually also featured on the vinyl as a bonus track). Stylewise if fits well with the rest of the material. A quite melodik straight ahead number. The final bonus track, “Hello Goodbye” (on the CDr only) is a more mainstream, slightly poppy thing, ironically with a touch of Cheap Trick and The Beatles. All in all a really great record from a band that has never disappointed me. Highly recommended! The CDr and LP are only released in 100 hand-numbered copies! Get it while you can!

Janne Stark

Year: 2020

Label: Self-released

Country: Sweden

Shaggy – Fighting Angels And Demons (LP/digital)

If you have read my review of Swedish hard rockers Shaggy’s pompy/proggy return album “Destination Nowhere”, you noticed I said I was expecting a hard/heavy rock album, but instead they went proggy/pompy. Well, THIS album is actually what I would have expected. Opening track “Black Hearted Angel” kicks off in a full-throttle Heep/Purple vein with power and conviction. It has some cool twists and turns in the solo section which really makes it stand out. “Bouldless Love” brings me back to Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers” but with a touch of Black Sabbath! Damn, this is REALLY great stuff!! Fat and heavy mix, killer vocals by Ulrich Carlsson (ex-M.ill.ion). The line-up again features original members Fidde Rognås on guitar and Tom Ryan on keyboards, introducing Stefan Husar on drums, Robert Ottosson on bass and, I presume, Fidde’s son Hannes Rognås on guitar. “No Soldier Of God” continues in the heavy vein, with a touch of prog. “A Thousand Miles” started with a quirkt loop-thing and continues in a vein more akin to the previous album, until the bridge kicks in with a ton of bricks weighing it down. A really cool and quirky song, indeed! “Dark Symphony” starts off with some really dark and heavy Sabbathy semi-tones and could have been something from “Seventh Star”. Heavy and dark, but not completely doomy. Love it! “Runner In The Dark” really reminds me of Uriah Heep, like a mix of “Salisbury” era Heep and the latter day albums. The album finishes with “Self Destruction” kicking off with a mean and brutal guitar riff, distorted Hammond organ and a kick-ass drive! One of the best tracks on an album filled with killer stuff! This rocks, big time!!

Janne Stark

Year: 2019

Label: GMR Music

Country: Sweden

Link: www.shaggytherockband.com

Shaggy – Destination Nowhere (CD)

Anybody remember the Swedish 70s band Shaggy? They were formed in in 1972 and released one LP in 1976 entitled “Lesson For Beginners”, one hell of a record it was. Classic Uriah Heep style hard rock. It’s now a rare item and it has never been officially re-issued on CD. But, suddenly, out of nowhere, a new album appeared in 2015! According to the liner notes it was a result of six years of recording. The songs were written in the late 70s and the album is also a tribute to original bass player Jan Destner, who passed away the year before the release. The line-up features original members Fidde Rognås on guitar and Thomas Ryan on keyboard. The vocals are handled by former M.ill.ion singer Ulrich Carlsson. Listening to the album, it doesn’t sound dated at all. Opener “All Around” is a mid-league melodic hard rocker, while the title track is a really good slightly heavier installment. “Magic Horses” continues on the heavy path, but with a more semi-soft progressive touch, which made me think of German band Anyone’s Daughter. “Lady Of The Hill” continues on the same path and I must say I really like this! It’s definitely a bit different from the debut album, why it’s a bit surprising that the songs were written in the same era. Thing is, different can be good, and it IS good for this album. It’s a really nice development into a slightly more eclectic vein with a more progressive and pomp-oriented genre. Just listen to a masterpiece like “Poem”. Heavy, proggy and melodic with killer vocals and playing. The rest of the album continues on the same path and I must say I was positively surprised! I was expecting… well, I’m not really sure what I expected, but I thought it would be more hard/heavy rock. Highly recommended!

Janne Stark

Year: 2015

Label: Self-released

Country: Sweden

-->

Link: www.shaggytherockband.com