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It’s that time of the week again when we sort the rock wheat from the metal chaff and give you the definitive verdict on what to spend your cash on tomorrow morning.

And after a couple of weeks of pretty meaty metal there’s melodic rock aplenty in the shape of Giant (pictured), Stage Dolls, Foreigner, Brian Howe and Rick Springfield.

It’s enough to make grown men weep and young ladies swoon. Or at least most of it is. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, February 27 2010

To the majority of music fans the world over Europe will forever be referred to as ‘that band who sang the Final Countdown’. To those of us who have followed their career closely for more than 25 years they are so much more than that but there’s something strangely satisfying about being part of this secret society.

Let’s face it, if the cat got out of the bag then these guys would be back in arenas and no longer within touching distance of the people who really care. For longstanding fans of the band, watching them roll back the years in more initimate venues is a genuine treat. At their peak Europe were distant cover stars, Top Of The Pops studio guests and a global phenomenon out of reach and out of this world. These days you can feel the emotion. Read the rest of this entry »

Europe – Halfway To Heaven (Tempest/Vallance) b/w Yesterday’s News (Tempest/Marcello/Michaeli/Haugland/Leven), Got Your Mind In The Gutter (Tempest/Hill/Marcello) & Superstitious (Tempest)

1992 4 Cut Picture Disc

The last of three tracks culled from the underrated Prisoners In Paradise record, Halfway To Heaven peaked at 42 in the UK singles charts and paired Joey Tempest with Jim Vallance as a songwriting team.

Tempest spent four days in Vancouver working with hitmaker Vallance but the alliance never enjoyed the success it surely deserved. This is a classy tune oozing sentimentality and it more than matches the band’s best late 80s output. Read the rest of this entry »

This week our resident blogger Self Made Man takes us back to a time when bands rolled out at least one album a year and the quality was rarely affected by the quantity.

Yes the years 1980-82 helped shape the character and mind of a young man from Newcastle – a creative period which still influences his tastes to this day. Click on the Self Made Man page link above to read more.

SHY frontman Tony Mills has revealed the band’s new album is taking shape after completing work on the first two tracks.

The TNT singer is currently promoting one of the best albums of his career in the shape of hard rock classic A Point Of Destiny – by new supergroup State Of Rock.

And Mills (pictured here with Don Dokken) has just been sent a new batch of TNT tracks to work on in between projects at home and abroad.

But SHY remain close to the Brummie’s heart and he admitted: “Getting this album finished is on the list and it will get done. These are the best songs Steve Harris (guitars) has ever written. Read the rest of this entry »

Airbourne’s brand spanking new album is just 10 days away and we can tell you that No Guts, No Glory is another raw as hell rock and roll masterpiece.

But that’s for another day.

As we build up to the Aussie band’s second record and their UK headline tour, axe slinger Roadsy reveals all in the latest look at what make’s rock’s stars tick. Read the rest of this entry »

@ Newcastle o2 Academy, February 25 2010

To so many North East rock fans Machine Head were, until last night, a damn fine support band made for whipping arena-size crowds into a frenzy prior to the main event.

They’ve already proved the perfect fit for Slipknot, Metallica and their ilk but this was their chance to own the stage – in their own right. And 350-plus shows into the never-ending Blackening tour it was never going to be anything else than a monumental night of no-holds-barred metal. Read the rest of this entry »

Geordie good time rock and rollers Fables Last Stand have postponed their scheduled tour to Finland until the summer after opting to pack in as many domestic dates as possible ahead of the release of their debut album.

The four-piece were due to tackle Scandinavia this month after talks with one of the region’s most active promoters. But the band will head across the North Sea in May after offers of various high profile support slots across the UK came flooding in. “It’ll be warmer in May,” joked singer Roachie. “But it’s probably warmer in Finland than it is here right now.” Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time there was an upcoming band called Lostprophets and they were desperate to get their music and their messages heard.

A nice bunch of lads from Wales, their debut album A Fake Sound Of Progress nudged into the top 50 of the UK album charts on the back of a load of gigs and some heartfelt support from regional newspapers up and down the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at rushonrock we love a bit of sprawling, innovative, instrumental metal and it appears red sparowes are about to deliver manna from heaven. They’re even delivering it on vinyl.

On April 5, the US semi-supergroup (boasting members of Isis and Made Out Of babies among others) release the superbly titled The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer.

And we reckon it’s one of those albums you just have to own on a slab of 12-inch plastic – the band agrees and a vinyl edition will be issued alongside the traditional CD. Read the rest of this entry »