Magic Power: All Star Tribute to Triumph (Round Hill records)

 

 

Tributes most of the time is a clever way for the remaining record companies to milk the love of the fans ,for bands not active any more,adding some of the most curious names in the metal genre usually who sing from Sinatra to SLAYER with the same ease and apathy for the final result. In our youtube  days where this kind of collaboration especially after the Covid lockdown made it familiar to a wider audience, tribute album seem to fade as a tactic. But here we have a  tribute album for one of the best Canadian hard rock bands and definitely along with Pat Travers and Frank Marino among the most underrated. So is this tribute worth listening and investing in? I'm saying yes from the start. Despite who sings what, the songs stand the time and the different kind,style, range of vocalists who all , i must admit try the best to present a decent result It is the quality of TRIUMPHs songwriting that helps the singers and musicians to just give a more contemporary, metal sometimes feeling in these classic tunes.

The opener brief intro of “24 Hours A Day” which appropriately segues into “Rock And Roll Machine”. Both  sung by Sebastian Bach, who gives a more metalic edge to the song accompanied by another underrated guitar player, Bumblefoot who knows how to fill in for Rik Emmett's enormous shoes.“In Magic Power” who find another familiar face in AOR,melodic rock covers, although in his day job he is more thrashy, Mr is l. Joey Belladonna from ANTHRAX who makes a captivating high note performance. Other participants include Starship‘s Mickey Thomas singing the rocking “Spellbound”. with Phil X on guitars and backing vocals .
Dee Snider is convincing handling  the lead vocals for “Lay It On The Line” while Paul Gilbert gets his own interpretation of the guitar parts. Next in line is Lawrence Govan ( STYX), with “Somebody’s Out There”,with REO SPEEDWAGON’s Dave Amato covers the lead guitar parts in a more pop oriented song that fits them both as a glove. 

“Never Surrender” one of my personal favorites ,has Deen Castronovo’s (JOURNEY) vocal delivery,  Tony Franklin’s funky bass, Brooks Wackerman on drums, and Justin Derrico’s on guitar getting the pop rock feeling of the 80s in the best sense.A climaxing groove song that culminates on the chorus.
 Jeff Keith (TESLA) another unusual choice is singing “Hold On” with a more down to earth approach.CHICAGO 's Jason Scheff takes his turn on “Just One Night”, a mid tempo 80s ballad, delivered straight for the MTV audience. I “I Live For The Weekend” with Slash is t Nita Strauss, and Phil X on rhythm guitars. has Dorothy and Tyler Connolly on the vocals in a ZZ TOP ed version of one of my favorite TRIUMPH songs, less anthemic, more guitar driven, it's all a matter of choice and perception. 

Then we hit one of the most unexpected arrangements of the beloved “Fight The Good Fight” featuring  Nancy Wilson (HEART) on lead vocals. It has a moody feeling, a laid back 70s comfortness, that suits their rendition of the song."Follow your heart" with Jack Blades on vocals and Reb Beach on guitars., is a perfect tribute in the glory AOR 80s days, anthemic and heavier than the original, still missing the original's crushing vocal harmonies. Allied Forces” with Phil X, is ok, we could live without it, and didn't regret listening to it.

 ENVY OF NONE's take on “Blinding Light Show” is among the real attempts to cover an 80s band by some modern musicians and the result is an interesting, modern, seductive,hazy, different and interesting point of view to a classic melodic hard rock  tune. The end of the album includes a bonus track ,  “Fight The Good Fight” , featuring  Dino Jelusick on lead vocals in a more rockier, heavier and in my opinion, more attractive to  ears, version of the song that Wislon covered earlier. 

Overall, this tribute is a collective proof of the immensity, the musicality and the everlasting power of TRIUMPH songs, through different performers and arrangements,even heavier, showing the artistic value and the nature of the songs and the bands caliber. a tribute fit to the legendary status of the band ,that finally gets the recognition it deserves among its peers

 

7

 Bryan Adams- 'Roll with the punches"

The hair might turn grey, the beer belly starts to smile at the mirror but you still like to listen to something more rockier than the MOR/80s nostalgia songs of your local radio station.BA has the answer to your problems. Another album that is more rocking than his previous works, with a couple of catchy, mellow but addictive ballads and Adams has the winning combination. It might not be as rebellious or edgy as he used to be ,but he knows how to pen a good tune . 

 

So as rock fans get older and musicians too, Adams adapts and creates rockin tunes for the elderly and far more reaching than bands with half his age. Enjoy a proper album from a great songwriter and question yourself how many times in the recent years you have listened to songs like 'Roll with the punches" The album has everything in your face rockers "Roll with the punches' and "be the reason", or more melodic ones like "Make up your mind" ,mid tempo/countrified rockers like the catchy "How's That Workin' for Ya", enjoyable mellow mid tempo, uplifting songs like "Life Is Beautiful" with pop aesthetics. 

 

He knows to be sentimental and surprises us in the Dylanesque "Love is stronger than hate" with the harmonica at the opening bars giving the tone, an old school ballad about war, loss and camaraderie. You have the expectable ballad in "Two Arms to Hold You", corny as it can be and that's what we like in Adams; he always delivers what we love him for. You have to admire his ability to pen catch pop rock tunes like "A little more understanding", or the uptempo/uplifting "Never let you go" harder than most of the so called rock artists of the Spotify generation without speeding up a notch, or use distortion, cause in his core he is an adult rocker, he is Canadian after all.

 

So all you middle age rockers (myself included)who are tired of the young brats who can't use a riff to put out a decent FM rock tune, Bryan is back,so let's celebrate life of Brian/Brayn, the Canadian prophet has raised the bar high for the rest of his contemporaries.It might not be the summer of 69, but it is still a pretty good summer for another successful MOR rock release

7,5

Song of the week- Richie Sambora - "Born to Rock" (lyric video) 

7.600 προβολές  29 Αυγ 2025
Watch the lyric video for "Born to Rock".  Listen everywhere here: https://lnk.to/borntorock

Richie Sambora on the Web:
http://richiesambora.com
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   / therealsambora

 Αλ Πατσίνο "Sonny Boy: A Memoir"

Στο "Sonny boy" ο Αλ Πατσίνο διηγείται τη ζωή του, για την ακρίβεια
τα σημαντικότερα γεγονότα της, που τον διαμόρφωσαν και τον
σημάδεψαν για πάντα. Ο Πατσίνο θυμάται πρόσωπα και τόπους,
εκδηλώσεις και οικογενειακές συζητήσεις, φίλους και
συμπρωταγωνιστές. Άλλους τους θυμάται με τρυφερότητα και θρηνεί την
απώλειά τους, κι άλλους θα προτιμούσε να μην τους είχε γνωρίσει
ποτέ. Ο Πατσίνο μιλά για όσα του έκαναν και για στιγμές που τον
έκριναν, μα ταυτόχρονα κρίνει ο ίδιος τον εαυτό του, κι αξιολογεί
αποφάσεις και πράξεις του.

Το Μπρονξ της δεκαετίας του πενήντα, το Χόλιγουντ της δεκαετίας του
εβδομήντα, η μετάβαση από το ένα στο άλλο, οι συνεντεύξεις κι οι
τελετές βράβευσης, η Lady Gaga και ο Ρόμπερτ ντε Νίρο, ο Φράνσις
Φορντ Κόπολα και ο Μάικλ Μαν, παρουσιάζονται από τον Πατσίνο σε
αυτό το βιβλίο, ως φίλοι και συνάδελφοι, όχι ως διάσημοι ηθοποιοί
και κινηματογραφιστές. Κι ο ίδιος ο Πατσίνο εδώ παρουσιάζεται
ολοκληρωμένα, ως άνθρωπος με τα προτερήματα και τα ελαττώματά
του, τα ταλέντα του, τα χόμπι του και τους φόβους του. Κι είναι αυτό
που αποτελεί το καλύτερο χαρακτηριστικό αυτού του έργου.

Ο κινηματογράφος και το θέατρο ιδωμένος από τα παρασκήνια,
θρυλικά και λιγότερο γνωστά φιλμ παρουσιασμένα από ένα απo τα
γνωστότερα μέλη του καστ (κι ας ήταν τότε αφανές). Τραυματικές
εμπειρίες και φιλικές ή ερωτικές σχέσεις, με γνωστά ονόματα αλλά και
ανθρώπους σημαντικούς για λίγους. 

Μια ανασκόπηση στη ζωή ενός από τους γνωστότερους ηθοποιούς του κινηματογράφου, που μας επιτρέπει να δούμε καλύτερα, ποιος είναι ο Αλ Πατσίνο.

Μαρία Θωμαίς Μπασμπαγιάννη

 

DROPKICK MURPHYS - "For the people"

The Bostonians are in the streets again with another album full of rebellious anthems. As usual, being rebellious in the secure US lets you scream against all the inequalities in the world and the DM adding some Irish flavor creates an explosive amalgam. Highly enjoyable for college boys, leftists, AntiFa and others living on the dole and with their family support , middle class revolutionaries, is an agitating album for a dying Western society that hates itself more than its own enemies. But besides politics and aesthetics, DMs are what we all know a band to start a party and forget to end it. Fueled with whiskey and beer, Celtic passion and punk street attitude they offer  moments of rock n roll swagger and if you're into their previous work, they won't let you down, so prepare for your next protest in your suburban house and listen to DM.

 

 

 

From the revolutionary opener, where banks and bankers, the state and the rich people (we didn't expect anything else) are all responsible for all humanities problems and the poor man's fate, call to arms "Who will stand with us", to the more in your face punk rocker "The big man" the riot in the street feeling is here, like been in London in 76, but with a cocktail Molotov in your hand although it is actually a song dedicated to PENNYWISE  guitarist Fletcher Dragge. "Chesterfields and aftershaves" gets more melodic and Celtic, to cool down the bets.In the same vein the collaboration with Mary and the Wallopers at "Bury the bones" in a true anthemic, Irish way, a marching song. The punk rock feeling returns in "Kids games" at a fast pace, in your face protest song CLASH would have approved. The marching pipes keep up at the following "Sooner kill' em first". A more stripped down, SexPistolesque "Fledgling for the lies" ignites the atmosphere with some great  anti establishment/Media control rhetoric. "Streetlights" is their idea of Springsteen being of Irish origin, another mid tempo, marching ode, "that's never enough".

 

13th album and lucky charm for the US/Irish punk rockers , 'School days" is as always didactic, it has Billy Brag in it a cover of the Ewan MacColl song, a mid tempo,punk folk anthem followed by the Irish fueled "Vultures circle high" with the participation of Al Barr. Closing track "One last goodbye" (Tribute to Shane) a touching Irish farewell song to the great singer of Pogues, Shane MacGowan the album closes as an Irish funeral, bittersweet and drunk, full of memories, feelings and tears. 

7

 

                                         Glenn Hughes-"Chosen"

 

GH says this is going to be his last-solo- album and if this is true he closes a prolific career with a real winner. You could easily expect him to rest on his laurels but a man who has played with almost anyone  and has come back from chocolate and coke addiction can still pen tunes like "Heal" a magnificent mid tempo grandiose rocker. He pays his respect to his 70s roots with the Zeppelinesque "In the golden". What is the most astonishing reality, especially if you haven't caught him live on stage lately is how bright and strong his voice,soulful and with a great alteration between high and low octaves, is a true delight to listen to. Opener "Voice in my head" is a true tour de force, groovy,heavy and with a solid,bit funky performance from Hughes who makes his terms non negotiable from the start, funk, hard rock and soulful vocals is the name of his game and you have to respect it and accept it."My alibi" keeps the structure of the punchy hard rock song with the groove but has a dark bass groove that Hughes delivers with the passion of a 20years old man although he is already 74."Chosen" is another mesmerizing hard rocker, epic and up tempo with some nice 90s alternative feeling.

Been a close friend to Tony Iommi makes the "THe lost parade" an excellent example of how BLACK SABBATH would sound if Hughes has decided to be their singer, with some great organ and the dominating bass lines, a muscular song that winks at the early 70s and the Birmingham bkcaleys. "Hot damn thing" is another 70s inspired ,funky rock tune, groovy and addictive and although you know he has the same title under his belt many times, its among the specialties of the house. "Black cat moan" gets deeper to the funk rock territory making guys like Lenny Kravitz to want to drop their instruments and leave us in question what would happen if Richie Kotxzen and Glen Hughes decided to collaborate, a song that scream to be played onstage, groovy, funky and heavy as only Hughes know to make them. "Come and go" is the ballad you were expecting with Hughes ,expressing his inner soul man, in a golden honeydripper ballad. The 10 tracks on "Chosen" are mostly heavy due much to drummer  Ash Sheehan  (of The Twang, Laurence Jones, Ginger Wildheart) as to Hughes’s aggressive bass playing but also due to the influence of his musical partner in the last years, Swedish guitarist, Soren Andersen. 

 

At 74 he still manages to drive songs like "Into the fade" a ballsy hard rocker with some alternative edges, a mid 90s aroma that makes the song stand out,as the closing track of an inspired album. It might be his 15ht solo album and possibly his last one but its definitely an album with no fillers, full of ambition, passion and Hugh in excellent form. For those who are still wondering how the 70s sounds, here is your answer ,updated and delivered in full force.

7,5

Song of the week-Lita Ford performs “Close My Eyes Forever” the day after Ozzy Osbourne’s death

 

Lita Ford performs “Close My Eyes Forever” the day after Ozzy Osbourne’s death

 From KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, July 23 2025 | Presented by https://hotmetalmag.com
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