The half-term report continues…
Queensryche
American Soldier (Rhino/Atco)
“This is a remarkably apt and current record… attempting to define the soldier’s experience of modern conflict. This is a brave album to have made, and it’s a credit to [Queensryche] that they’ve done it this well.”
(Jon Hotten)
Hear tracks here: http://www.myspace.com/queensryche

Crippled Black Phoenix
200 Tons Of Bad Luck (Invada)
“You could spend all day trying to describe this music, trying to convince your friends – whether they’re metalheads, dad-rockers, indie-fringers or something else entirely – why they should listen to it. If you ask CBP themselves, they’d probably tell you indifferently: it is what it is – take it or leave it. If you have any sense you’ll do the former.”
(Catherine Yates)
Hear tracks here: http://www.myspace.com/crippledblackphoenix

Dollhouse
Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival (Bad Reputation)
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival never once sacrifices honest passion for the clichéd gonzo velocity that infects so many pretenders who self-consciously set out to kick the post-MC5 jams, and its all the better for it; thrilling, in fact.”
(Ian Fortnam)
Get a free track here: http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/track-of-the-day-dollhouse/ (After clicking on the link, choose ‘free download’.)

The Pretenders
Best/Break Up The Concrete (Rhino)
“Packaged together with a best of collection… it’s testament to how good much of Break Up The Concrete is that it doesn’t totally pale into insignificance when cast alongside pop greats such as Brass In Pocket and Talk Of The Town.” (Johnny Dee)
Watch the video for Boots Of Chinese Plastic here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQnf4qRRu_U

Ian Hunter
Man Overboard (New West)
“Do you remember The Album? Not what passes for albums these days – a couple of good songs and a whole load of filler – but a collection of tracks bound together by theme, pace, sound and consistency; a set of songs that work individually but together take the listener on a more satisfying journey? Ian Hunter does.” (Scott Rowley)
Hear songs here: http://www.myspace.com/ianhunterband

New Device
Takin’ Over (Powerage)
“London’s New Device aim to regenerate the enduring rock ‘n’ roll kick of the Crue, Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses… Takin’ Over offers genuine hope that (they) can revamp an old vehicle.” (Malcolm Dome)
Watch the video for Takin’ Over here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQRB3UUumUk

Ooh La La
Ooh La La (Bad Reputation)
“Ooh La La owe a debt to The Faces… The Black Crowes and AC/DC. Thanks to those influences they’ve managed to stuff their debut album full of big-chorus-filled, ragged slabs of rock‘n’roll. These songs stay with you long after the CD has finished playing.”
(Siân Llewellyn)
Download a free track from here: http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/track-of-the-day-ooh-la-la/ (after clicking on the link, choose ‘Free download’)

Pretty Wild
All the Way (Swedmetal)
“Every song sounds like something that ought to be playing while you bang the prom queen or wrap a Corvette around a tree. Or both.”
(Sleazegrinder)
Hear them here: http://www.myspace.com/prettywildrocks

Aynsley Lister
Equilibrium (Manhattan)
“Four previous solo albums have established that this British bandleader is precocious, good-looking and in possession of both pipes and chops. But he’s never sounded like this. Lister is going places and this album is his ticket.”
(Henry Yates)
Visit his site here: http://www.aynsleylister.co.uk/

Constancia
Lost And Gone (Frontiers)
“In pooling their admiration for pomp-rock acts such as Styx and City Boy with lighter yet equally tune-inclined fare,, Constancia have spawned a new genre they like to call ‘melogressive metal’. Class like this doesn’t come along too often.”
(Dave Ling)
Hear them here: http://www.myspace.com/constanciamusic