RUSHONROCK.COM

Shy – Broken Heart (Harris/Kelly) b/w Give It All You’ve Got (live) (Harris/Kelly) 1990

This cracking tune has all the hallmarks of a hair metal band hailing from the Sunset Strip. And had the production been better on Broken Heart this could and should have been the big hit the hard rocking  Birmingham boys deserved.

Sadly the band had a number of run-ins with producer Roy Thomas Baker during the making of their 1989 album Misspent Youth. As a result Broken Heart and the bulk of that record’s better tracks lacked the polish to take the Brummies to the next level. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh from storming Give It A Name 2009, hot US band In This Moment are heading to Japan and expect sales of new album The Dream to soar.

With lead singer Maria Brink showing her softer side and melodic twists mixed with the band’s early metalcore there has never been a better time to catch up with one of this year’s buzz bands.

They’ll be back to play Download in the summer but rushonrock put drummer Jeff Fabb and guitar god Blake Bunzell on the spot before they headed out of Britain. Read the rest of this entry »

Call me Plus None. Or even Fan Solo.

I’ve become the bloke who listens to Heart’s Alone just to get me in the mood for gigging. And I just can’t get Roger Daltry’s Waiting For A Friend out of my head.

Welcome to the decidedly depressing new world of concert-going sans mates. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s back! Rushonrock‘s most popular feature returns as we turn back the clock to find out what our fave bands were doing then – and whether they can still do it now.

Now: 2008 Saudades de Rock (Frontiers) may well win the prize for most annoying title of the year but it marks the return of Extreme as a major musical force.

Last month we lauded Gary, Nuno and the gang for giving us a record well worth listening too and it’s getting better with age. So we’re still not convinced about the opening two tracks Star and Comfortably Dumb but as soon as Mr Cherone goes all Paul Rodgers on us with the luscious Learn To Love we’re well and truly won over.

So there’s no More Than Words but how could any band reprise such a special song – and why would they try? Extreme have moved on as a team of musicians confident in their ability and focused on moving forward. Saudades… is often flawed but it constantly poses questions and in 2008 that’s a must.

rushonrock rated: 7/10 Extreme Makeover

And Then: 1990 Pornograffiti (A&M) had the stamp of hair metal producer Michael Wagener written all over it and the man who polished Dokken and White Lion did the same for Extreme.

Famed for its funk metal sound, this diverse and era defining record was crammed with instant classics from the chart busting ballads More Than Words and Hole Hearted to the edgier Get The Funk Out.

With Nuno Bettencourt cranking up the quality as riffmeister supreme there were enough metal solos to keep the traditionalists on board and Gary Cherone’s blues rock pipes appealed to a wider audience.

The band’s second album is hard to fault and it’s little wonder Pornografitti went top 10 Stateside. But just as Bettencourt and Cherone’s versatility made this record such a find it only served to turn off future converts in later years. If you only ever buy one Extreme album then this has to be it and you won’t waste a penny by taking the plunge.

rushonrock rated: 9/10 Porno Rules