Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-RSC, Blue Oyster Cult, Michael Grant & The Assassins, Lionville, and Arctic Rain

Index

For those familiar with the band Red'scool, this is basically the same band with an American frontman. Musically, the band plays an old school hard rock style that would fit well in the 80's scene. The makeup of this band currently is Russian, European, and American. That chemistry has has brought us a pretty solid album. I had gone back and checked out some of the band's older music and came away with two conclusions after going through this new album. First, the band has gotten progressively better vocally with the current singer Chris Hodges, really taking the music to a new level. Second, I like the couple of re-records the band did on this record which had appeared on other records. Good songs are good songs and maybe this is the time to get them noticed by a wider audience. The album as a whole is excellent and geared to hard rock fans!

Release Date: June 21, 2019

Another great live package from this classic band. This one celebrates the band's 45th anniversary with a great performance in London in 2017. This is the third live album this year and one might ask why? How about a set with a performance of the band's first album along with a few other tracks! The three live albums have put out a decent amount of material. You will always get the fan favorites like 'Godzilla' and '(Don't Fear) The Reaper'. Once again, there is a CD/DVD package and a separate Blu-ray set which is what I ordered. I haven't received that as of the writing of this review, but look forward to it as the audio only was a lot of fun for a long time fan of the band. This live album will hold us over until the band's new studio album shows up later this year. A tight performance as one would expect. Another fun live release!

Release Date: August 7, 2020

For fans unaware of who Michael Grant is, go back to a band called Endeverafter and you may become more familiar. That was a great hard rock band doing great things when it wasn't as cool to be a traditional hard rock band. Sure, things have gotten much better and thanks to Frontiers Records, Grant is back to offer up more of what he is good at. 'Always The Villain' is a really good hard rock record that has flashes of traditional hard rock, but I felt also had some more modern influences as well. It is what I usually refer to as a crossover record. It's a good bet that this album will appeal to modern fans as well as more old school audiences. The songs on this record have a pretty even feel for the most part. The only real slow down is the album closer 'Secrets'. It's great to see more music from Grant and we definitely hope he does well!

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Album number 4 is upon us and what some great music it is. Each track overflows with melody and a richness that fans have come to expect from this AOR great. If you have been following this band at all you will recognize the consistency they display. Not only within the songs on the album but from album to album. When you hear they are going to release a new album, you pretty much know what you are going to get. It's a great formula that has yielded dividends through the years. I've always believed that this particular genre is at it's best when it lets the songs just flow instead of trying to reinvent things. This is what makes this album great once again. There are some songs that have a bit more of an uptempo feel while others are very melodic with some good depth. This band is a master of their craft. Another essential outing for AOR fans!

Release Date: August 7, 2020

Frontiers Records has been the go to label for melodic hard rock for quite some time now. Many good bands get signed to this label and that is great for us the fans. Arctic Rain is one of those recent signings and they have now released a great record that reminds me of H.E.A.T mixed with Eclipse or maybe a touch of Whitesnake from the late 80's. The band plays a fairly flashy traditional hard rock style with a great amount of melody in it. The songs are exceptional on this record. The chemistry is evident between musicians and the contribution is offered by all. Great guitar playing, soaring vocal work. You get the idea. The elements that make a good hard rock record are here and in abundance. When one thinks of the Frontiers label, this is the kind of band that comes to mind. A great collection of songs and some stellar musicianship!

Release Date: August 7, 2020