Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Winger, Mecca, Savage Grace, Mystic Prophecy, & Heaven's Edge

Index

This album was a bit of a long wait for me. Plenty of anticipation after hearing the first two singles. Musically, the new stuff reminded me in ways of the earlier stuff with some elements from the last few albums. The songs are quite catchy and do have that vintage Winger feel to them. I also noticed the change in the logo going back to that original logo from the first couple of albums which I thought was fitting. The songs at times do have a slight progressive feel in ways, but in my opinion, the songs are fairly accessible and a bit more mainstream. There are some very good rockers on the album and some excellent more melodic tunes as well. The lighter stuff has a ton of atmosphere and depth which adds a lot to the overall experience of this album. Winger has always been a very good band and this album once again backs that point up. Awesome stuff!

Release Date: May 12, 2023

Nice to see more music from Mecca. This band delivers excellent AOR style music with a very infectious sound. If you are familiar with the band's earlier work which was recently showcased with the '20 Years' album last year, you can expect more of that same quality. Joe Vana is a true talent in the genre and really writes at a high level in both terms of quality and consistency. Songs have good atmosphere and a very rich sound. The listen overall feels very complete with all songs being both very good and pretty uniform. This band delivers music in a great formula doing what they do best. Even though there is a fairly big melodic presence here, there is also a decent inclusion of edge to some of these songs which makes things well rounded. An excellent musical journey by a really talented band. Easy melodic recommend!

Release Date: April 21, 2023

If you gave me a list of bands and asked me which ones would come back, at least for an album, I would have never guessed that Savage Grace would be one of them. From a release standpoint, the band released in the mid 80's and have been relatively quiet for a very long time. I have the music they released back in the day and revisited a bit of it. The new music is definitely Savage Grace. The lone remaining member, Christian Logue is the link to that past and the sound that is heard with the 3 new members on 'Sign Of The Cross'. The band definitely have life and a little more to say. This album sounds pretty retro with that 80's sound and the soaring vocal work, but it's a fun ride and gives the listener a touch of deja vu. Always good to hear more obscure talent from the 80's make a decent comeback. Be sure to give this a listen as well as their earlier stuff!

Release Date: May 5, 2023

Been a while since we reviewed some Mystic Prophecy. This new record is a real banger. I honestly only remembered the name and not much else about them and their sound. One thing is for sure, at this time in their career, Mystic Prophecy can hold their own against just about anyone else. The music has a solid power metal feel to it with the band as a whole bringing a great sound and chemistry. I felt songs were quite memorable right out of the gates. The sound is heavy with a thick wall of guitar and a thundering bottom end. Looking back at the band's discography, they have released around a dozen albums. I have checked out a few of them, mostly earlier in the band's career. I feel the band have really evolved and are delivering their music in a very tight fashion. If you dig it fairly traditional with a power metal sound, this one is really solid!

Release Date: May 19, 2023

Heavens Edge is a band that I always felt got the shaft. Their timing was not good, but man did they deliver. The band's self titled album was released in 1990 and the winds were about to shift in the rock scene. That album has been a go to for me through the years. There were a lot of bands out there and some of them were really not that good. Heavens Edge was a tremendous talent that stood out from the rest. I was excited to hear that the band was going to offer up a new album for Frontiers Records. There was an album released by MTM years ago called 'Some Other Place, Some Other Time', but this is the real sequel in my opinion to that first album. Musically it once again showcases how well they deliver their music. Good rockers and some more melodic stuff as well. Finally, I have a companion album to listen to. Really hoping for much more!

Release Date: May 12, 2023