Arduini/Balich – Dawn of Ages (2017) – Review

RockmusicRaider Review - Arduini / Balich - Dawn of Ages -Album Cover

In the beginning, I was skeptical. Six tracks of original content only and three re-heated ideas? And of old, much-rehashed base material to boot? Well, hell’s bells, not sure about that one.

That is how the RockmusicRaider offices started on Arduini/Balich‘s debut record Dawn of Ages

The project saw its first flickering light of consciousness in 2013 when Victor Arduini wrapped up the experience with Freedoms Reign. He then recruited Butch Balich and the drummer Chris Judge from his former venue. A serious lack of creativity in the name ingenuity department notwithstanding, the band members are relatively well known. 

Arduini [...] Click to raid more!

Newsflash: Witchwood released a Handful of Stars!

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RockmusicRaider Newsflash - Witchwood - Handful of Stars - Album Cover

What? A transverse flute embedded in a Stoner Rock piece? Now, this really stopped me cold in my tracks. So, would this be Ian Anderson and his gang active in progressive retro-rock? Not likely.

But perhaps they should, given that they were one of the pioneers of anything prog back then. But it is indeed not them playing, but the Italian band Witchwood. And they just unleashed their newest and second release A Handful of Stars

The band sports a somewhat blatant mix of Jethro Tull meets Uriah Heep that nevertheless points straight to the ’70s. A time, when not only rock was born, but the directions were set for [...] Click to raid more!

Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards (1972) – Review

RockmusicRaider Review - Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards - Album Cover

If you are looking to pick up some Uriah Heep records, there is no way around their 1972 piece Demons and Wizards. This one is probably one of the best, if not THE best album they made at that time. Or ever since for that matter, alongside The Magician’s Birthday, released surprisingly that same year.

And let’s not forget: The ’70s were the most productive set of years in the history of the band. On three occasions – 1971, 1972, and 1977 – Uriah Heep produced two albums. For each one of those years. And this is only for the studio albums, not counting the live [...] Click to raid more!

RockmusicRaider’s Intermittent Best of… – Tome II

It for sure feels like a gazillion months since I first wrote the Tome I Best of earlier in 2015. But we are only a few months down the road and already a new one is due.

Eventful was the time: From flamers attacking us with comments displaying a level of stupidity I never thought possible, to full-blown hacker attacks on the site, one total breakdown of the site with subsequent reloading and salvaging the server contents. This last one was quite heavy, barely avoiding losing months of writing.

Wondrous things were happening, too!

For example, Anneke van Giersbergen almost jumped onto the hood of [...] Click to raid more!