You, my reader, are going to pick an album for me to review each month. It is really simple…first, I will give you 5 albums to choose from and second, you will tell me which one of those you would like to see reviewed on the site. See…simple! Now, if you want to cast more than one vote, comment on the Twitter and Facebook post and you could get up to 3 votes on your favorite pick.
There are no longer rules for my selections, maybe themes. I’m just picking albums in my collection and this time they are all from European Bands that never really made it in the States. What are the 5 albums you ask? I have them right here…
Gotthard – ‘Lipservice‘ (2005)
The Poodles – ‘Metal Will Stand Tall’(2006)
Jorn – ‘Worldchanger ‘(2001)
Reach – ‘The Promise of Life’ (2021)
Passion – ‘Passion’ (2020)
Let me know which one you would like to see and sometime in March, I will post a review of the album that gets the most votes. You have one week to decide and from there I will start listening to the album and do a review.
February is over so it is time for our monthly round-up of what 2 Loud 2 Old Music got their hands on this month and it was another banner month. It all started with a trip to the antique mart called Sleepy Poets. My daughter loves that place and I don’t mind because there are records and I found a couple good ones. One was the only early Stryper album I was missing and the other was one of my mother’s favorite bands Air Supply so I had to buy it. I miss her a lot so it will be something in my collection that when I am really, really missing her I can pull out and play.
Then the following week, my daughter wanted to hit more antique shops as she loves to find old vintage clothes at not a too ridiculous of a price. The first place we hit in Mathews said it was an antique place, but really it was a record store and now I have another great place to go buy albums!! Yeah me!! I found some great vinyl, CDs, singles and cassettes…they had it all. First are the albums, which are an early pressing of Mariah Carey’s debut on vinyl and a Billy Idol 12″ Single of Mony Mony.
2020 was probably the strangest year yet. With the Covid virus running rampant, many new releases were either postponed until late in the year or we never saw the release at all. There were a flurry of albums at the beginning of the year, then basically nothing for a few months until we got to the Fall and now there are too many to get through. But there were some great releases and I am sure I missed a number of great albums and if you look around the web, there will be tons of Top Album lists you can get a pretty good idea of what you should check out in case you missed any of these.
This list will be my favorite “Rock” albums of the year. All other types of music will be for another post tomorrow. I am going to leave this one to my favorite genre. It is a broad genre, but these are the albums that I consider to be ROCK!!
Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!! These are not the most popular or trendy albums. You won’t find the cool trendy bands, because they are usually here today gone tomorrow. These are the albums that I connected with during the year and I kept coming back to again and again. And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2020:
#10 – Storm Force – Age of Fear:
Thanks to some fellow bloggers in the name of LeBrain and SuperDekes, I was introduced to this Canadian band that unapologetically brought us a classic 80’s rock album full of songs that rocked you out and songs that were actually relevant to the events going on in the world which is amazing considering this song came out prior to the Covid shutdowns. I believe these guys can see the future and with music like this, I can see their future being very bright. You need to hear the songs “Breathe”, “Because of You” and “Dirty Vegas because once you do, you will be caught in the Storm!!
Passion’s debut album brings another great melodic rock album from the label Frontiers Records. The self-titled album came out back on January 24th, 2020 so I am a little late to the party. Better late than never I always say…okay, not really. I am sure you have some questions, so let’s get to those.
Question #1: Who are they?
Answer #1: The band is a four piece with the following members…
Lion Ravarez – Vocals Chance Vanderlain – Guitar Weston James – Bass Bobby Laker – Drums
Lion Ravarez is actually Daniel Rossall, former singer of the band Night by Night. His love for the 80’s music inspired the band and created something special.
Question #2: Why is this one worth listening to over all the label’s other releases or any other releases period?
Answer #2: Simple…it takes you back to the 80’s hard rock you grew up loving (well, grew up with if you are my age).
Question #3: What do they sound like?
Answer #3: Think Dokken, Slaughter and Danger Danger all rolled in to one. A voice that can mirror Ted Poley (“Trespass on Love”), Don Dokken (“Lost in the Dark”) and even go all Mark Slaughter on you (“She Bites Hard”). It is the best of everything you love about the 80’s from rockers to ballads what more could you want.
Question #4: What are the best songs on the album?
Answer #4: It would be too easy to say everyone of them, so I will give you some that really standout. I have mentioned a few above in Question #3…
“Too Bad for Baby” sounds like Damn Yankees (and I think I read somewhere Rossall contributed to Revolution Saints with Jack Blades…if so…coincident…I think not)
“Back” has this confidence and strut to it and a vibe that fits almost any 80’s band
“We Do What We Want” – the Danger Danger vibe is strong with this one as did I mention that Lion sounds a lot like Ted…oh yeah, I did, so it must be true!!
I hope that answered all your questions. The album is a blast from the past and brings back the fun in rock that is surely missing nowadays. I needed that lift right now with something that reminded me of old times, but still grounded enough that it sounded fresh to me. Passion is a total blast. They are a little of a parody of the genre and that is okay because I know they are for real. I will give it a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars.
Finally…a good week of releases…at least for me. There are at least 4 I am wanting to try out before I slam down some buckaroos. Thank goodness for streaming. There is a ton of Rock this week and a little pop and christian music as well. Hopefully something to pique your interest. Let me know what you want to hear this week or if I missed anything. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Listening!! Oh, I almost forgot…my choices are highlighted in Blue!
Revolution Saints – Rise – (Frontiers Records): What I thought was going to be a one time supergroup from Frontiers now has flourished to its third album…that is right numero three-o. Jack Blades, Doug Aldrich and Deen Castronovo. With Deen handling most of the lead vocals, there is a whole Journey vibe but heavier. The songs are catchy and have some great guitar work and it is just great rock & roll. I hope this one is as good as the last two and if so, you have a great trio of records from this trio. Give it a listen.
Jorn – Heavy Rock Radio II: Executing the Classics – (Frontiers Records): Another Frontiers release and this one is Jorn. I have been a fan for quite some time, however, the covers albums are growing kind of old…NEW MATERIAL MR. JORN WOULD BE NICE!!!! However, I will give it a listen and see what he brings to these tracks. If you like someone who sounds a lot like David Coverdale but just a bit more dramatic, you will like Jorn. If you don’t like this…his early albums kick major ass!!
Gotthard – ‘Lipservice‘ (2005)
The Poodles – ‘Metal Will Stand Tall’ (2006)
Jorn – ‘Worldchanger ‘(2001)
Reach – ‘The Promise of Life’ (2021)
Passion – ‘Passion’ (2020)
Thanks to some fellow bloggers in the name of 
2 Loud 2 Old Music 