RUSHONROCK.COM|CLASSIC ROCK * METAL * THRASH * PROG * GLAM * SLEAZE – IF IT ROCKS IT RUSHONROCKS!

Experience is the name of the game this week as a veritable slew of rock veterans go head to head with new – and not so new – releases.

Rush (pictured) repackage live gems from the past six years while Slade repackage everything they’ve ever done again to cash in on the pre-Christmas market.

Steve Morse delivers an outside contender for album of the year and Devin Townsend serves up the second record in his series of four DTP releases. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a bumper week for hot rock releases with supergroup Chickenfoot, featuring Joe Satriani (pictured), taking their bow and star-studded three-piece Man Raze hoping it’s third time lucky for the re-release of long-awaited debut Surreal.

Elsewhere we’ve got our hands on two 70s prog/scuzz throwbacks in the shape of new albums by The Atomic Bitchwax and Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound. Both could provide the perfect soundtrack to a lazy, hazy summer and don’t be put off by the ridiculous band names. And flying the flag for British talent this week we bring you the new album by ska/punk heroes Mouthwash and a taste of bitter thrash metal in the shape of Scar My Eyes’ brutal EP. Read the rest of this entry »

Watching Iron Maiden’s Flight 666 this week was enlightening on so many fronts but one aspect of a fantastic film, in particular, made me think.

Here we are, the founders of rock and heavy metal, the home to great British bands like Maiden, Leppard, Whitesnake and still the one place where every act in the world wants to play and break.

But over here in dear old Blighty have we forgotten what it takes to really rock? The evidence as presented on Flight 666 suggests the disturbing answer is yes. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quite amazing the kind of folk who chance upon this fledgling music site without, on the face of, meaning to. And let’s face it, who would really mean to…

Of course there are the regulars – the rock fans, the metal heads, my wife, people who wonder what on earth I’m on and people who can’t wait for me to sign off. But thanks to the revealing tool that is Search Engine Terms it’s possible to identify exactly how rushonrock reels in its army (or should that be small crowd) of readers from every walk of life imaginable. Read the rest of this entry »

Rush – Time Stand Still (Peart/Lifeson/Lee) b/w Force Ten (Peart/Dubois/Lifeson/Lee) 1987

As good as anything released in a vintage year for rock this lead single from the forthcoming record Hold Your Fire was about as commercial as you’ll ever get from the Canadian prog masters.

Short, surprisingly sweet and with a chorus you could almost describe as singalong this was the trio’s answer to the MTV generation even if it, and the remainder of the album it called home, was never fully embraced by Rush traditionalists. Read the rest of this entry »

Just imagine The Answer (pictured), Metallica, Justin Hawkins and Hot Leg, Thin Lizzy, Rush and Testament all in one place, all in one week?

No, we’re not talking about the festival to end all festivals but one of the UK’s fastest-growing rock and metal websites featuring the bands you love by the bucketload. Yes, we’re confidently predicting this could be the biggest week yet for rushonrock and its army of loyal readers but if you’re new to this then welcome along for the ride. Read the rest of this entry »

This week sees some true heavyweight new releases jostle for favour with the rock buying public – none more so than the second album from rushonrock faves The Answer.

But you’ll have to wait until Monday for the full lowdown on Everyday Demons as we check out the vinyl version in all its gatefold glory.

In the meantime veteran craftsmen Rush and Thin Lizzy go head to head with new boys (to the UK, anyway) Shinedown and their mix of radio-friendly anthems and heavier metal classics.

It’s been a relatively slow start to 2009 but this week is when things really hot up. And Rock Solid is firing on all cylinders… Read the rest of this entry »

With their edgy new record out next month we’ve tracked down The Answer’s favourite band for an exclusive rushonrock chat this week.

Yes, Therapy? main man Andy Cairns will be checking in and chewing the fat ahead of the release of Crooked Timber. But that’s not all folks… Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year! But will it be?

After what turned out to be an explosive 2008 – with blistering new releases from the titans of rock and metal it’s difficult to imagine how the next 12 months can top the year that’s gone before.

This time last year we were looking forward to fresh albums from Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Metallica and AC/DC. Then Axl Rose decided to jump on the bandwagon and ensure that 2008 equalled 1987 as a landmark year in rock.

I can’t say that the raft of new material lined up for 2009 excites me quite as much even if yet another Rush record is mooted for late this year and there’s a suggestion Ozzy Osbourne is ready to unleash a double disc of metal fury sometime in the autumn. And if Ozzy doesn’t come up with the goods then Dio-era Sabbath will in the shape of a new Heaven And Hell release.

Of course there’s the prospect of new records from The Answer, McQueen, Therapy? and Scott Weiland and maybe the younger breed will pick up where their senior peers left off.

But if 2008 was all about big bands producing big records then this may be the year of the big live show. We’re already booked in to watch Metallica and Nickelback in Newcastle and AC/DC in Glasgow. Throw in Download and the Leeds Festival, the possibility of Kiss, the Crue and even Aerosmith returning to these shores and we could be sat here in 12 months’ time trying out new digital hearing aids and visiting the physio for sore necks at least once a week.

Of course the world of rock is never predictable. And while we’ll get the great records, the sweaty gigs and the hot gossip we’ll also get the unforeseen splits, the untried collaborations, the unexpected triumphs and the odd tragedy. It might be a year of controversy, critical acclaim, missed opportunities and massive successes but one thing’s for sure - in the world of rock and metal it definitely won’t be boring.

And of course sometime next September rushonrock will hope to celebrate its first anniversary after hitting the net in 2008 and trying to find a niche for a national rock audience based in the North East. Rest assured we’ll be working our collective arses off to bring you the best in news, reviews and interviews with rocktastic blogs and new features to boot.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in 2008 and welcome to any newbies who might switch on to what we’re doing in 2009. You’re welcome along for the ride but hold on tight. It could get messy.

It’s back! The nostalgic arm of rushonrock marries the best of today’s new releases with our favourite albums of yesteryear and this time we dip into the domain of the live album. As a genre the live record is a hit and miss affair but some bands know how to hit the mark – again and again and again…

Now: 2008 Snakes And Arrows Live (Atlantic) is the end-game to Rush’s latest release and world tour which saw Geddy, Neal and Alex take a truly remarkable record across the world. Stopping off in Newcastle en route, and with roasted chickens in tow, the prog rock maestros thrilled hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe with faultless performances night in, night out.

What you get on Snakes And Arrows Live is the band’s Rotterdam show recorded in all its glory and on two CDs there’s enough room to pack in 27 new standards and old classics. Whether The Main Monkey Business floats your boat (and it is rushonrock’s fave new Rush song bar none) or you prefer a Tom Sawyer backed trip down memory lane you’ll find more highlights here than in David Coverdale’s hair circa 1987.

Check out the 2008 version of Subdivisions and you could be excused for thinking you’ve been missing something all these years. Listen to Mission and you might even get down off your high horse and accept Hold Your Fire was a brilliant record after all (we’ve always suspected as much).

It takes a lot for a live album to make us sit up and take notice, let alone play more than once. But Snakes And Arrows Live is the kind of record that has you coming back for more – like that little rock chick you used to know from the Mayfair with the smudged eyeliner and quirky skirts…

rushonrock rated: 9/10 Rush Out And Buy This Now!

…And Then 1989: A Show Of Hands (PolyGram) is the often overlooked live Rush record which, like a good red wine, simply improves with age.

In this day and age of 5.1 sound and high definition it’s difficult to draw a direct comparison between the band’s live records of today and their legacy from the past. Our battered rushonrock copy comes on two slabs of vinyl within a gatefold sleeve so straight away some of Rush’s trademark production quality is lost.

On the flipside there’s a certain atmosphere about this record and the fact that it brings together performances from five cities on both sides of The Pond shouldn’t detract from the listening experience. Rather than settle on one show and take the risk that certain songs could be substandard, a more sensible approach means fans get to hear the best versions of the best songs from the Hold Your Fire tour.

And there are plenty. Again there’s only half as many to choose from as you get with Snakes And Arrows Live but there’s only so much quality you can squeeze onto 20-year-old vinyl. Again you can’t look much further than Subdivisions (recorded in Birmingham, UK) for an obvious highlight but we just love Time Stand Still. It remains a statement of its time for a new generation of Rush fans and sounds suitably awesome belted out live.

Wrapping up the B-side of the second record with Red Sector A and Closer To The Heart brings a brilliant set list to the perfect conclusion. Rush in 2008 might be peerless as production kings but for a raw and more rounded view of the band you simply must buy this record (on vinyl, if you can).

rushonrock rated: 9/10 A Show Of Strength