Month: May 2019

Bexatron – ‘Hey You’ Album Review

Bexatron are an up and coming band currently kicking up a storm around the capitol and judging by what I’m currently listening to and hearing it’s hardly surprising that they’re turning heads. Their debut album Hey You is filled with a mixture of post punk, blues, heavy rock and sleaze and I defy you to listen to this album and not get carried away by the music. What I really like about Hey You is that you can tell that the band have put a lot of hard work into their work and had a bloody good time doing it. Whether it’s an out and out foot stomping rocker like Get Out Of My Tree, the sleazy Hex My Ex or the ballad like Mandy Meldown this album has an infectious beat that will keep you hooked.

Hey You is an album that deserves to be heard and I can guarantee you that as a listener you will hear a different sound every time you play the album, one moment you could be forgiven for thinking you’re listening to and 80’s era Grace Jones the next time the cheeky 90’s noise of Shampoo. I listened to the album for the last few hours now and it is definitely worth splashing out for a copy.
Score – 8/10
Line Up:

Lead Vocals  – BeXXX

Greg Paco Radcliffe  – Guitar/Vocals

Adam Adorjan – Bass/Vocals

Belle Star – Drums

Track Listing

1.    Get Out Of My Tree

2.    Dirty Disco

3.    CoCo (I should)

4.    New York Doll

5.    Subway Freeks

6.    Mandy Meltdown

7.    Take Me Back

8.    I’m Trash

9.    Love And Distortion

10.Hex Your Ex

Crazy Lixx – ‘Forever Wild’ Album Review

Swedish Hard Rock / Hair Metal band Crazy Lixx carries the torch of Rock ‘n’ Roll with pride. Formed in 2002, the band has been enthralling crowds with their unique brand of 80’s Hard Rock. Noted as one of the last standing bands of ‘The New Wave of Swedish Sleaze’, Crazy Lixx are pioneers of Sweden’s rock music scene in their own right. With over a decade of experience and several line-up changes, the band has under their belt five full-length studio albums and one live album including “New Religion” (2010), “Riot Avenue” (2012) and “Sound Of The LIVE Minority”(2016). Crazy Lixx’s most recent and fifth studio album “Ruff Justice” (2017) comprises of 10-tracks, three of which are featured soundtracks for the hit video game “Friday the 13th – The Game”. Rendering the pure nostalgia of 80’s classic horror and action themes, “Ruff Justice” packed with impressive guitar solos, memorable hooks and catchy choruses, big drums and defining riffs became an instant Hair Metal masterpiece.Influenced by Rock giants such as Kiss, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper and Bon Jovi, the band etched their signature style. Bridging a lasting connection with old and new audiences alike, the band continues to produce energetic live performances across Europe. 
Crazy Lixx are back and believe me when I say these guys mean business, I mean it,Forever Wild is the follow up to 2017s Ruff Justice and what a follow up it is. 
 
This is an album that will have the older generation of rockers donning their double denim and ill fitting spandex once again. Forever Wild not only grabs you by the balls it squeezes them until you hit the same high notes that Danny Rexon does on a regular basis. Danny Rexon and Chris Laney have produced an album of anthemic masterpieces.  
When listening to this opus make sure that every window and door in your home is open and the volume of you music system is cranked loud enough to make your ears bleed and annoy the hell out of the neighbours, to be honest they would probably come round hammering on your door to join for  a beer because you’ve introduced them to such high quality music.
I absolutely love this album and have had it playing constantly for the last few hours and it is as close to perfect as an album can be without reaching that lofty pinnacle. I think if I had listened to this album on any other day it would have had the very rare 10/10 score, that said if you’re a fan of the 80-90’s hard rock scene get yourself online or into a record store and buy this beast, you will not regret it.
 I am giving Forever Wild a well deserved….. 
9.5/10
Review by Hollywood Vampyre

Tracklist:

  1. Wicked
  2. Break Out
  3. Silent Thunder
  4. (She’s Wearing) Yesterday’s Face
  5. Eagle
  6. Terminal Velocity
  7. It’s You
  8. Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
  9. Weekend Lover
  10. Never Die (Forever Wild)

Line-up:

Danny Rexon – vocals

Joél Cirera – drums

Jens Sjöholm – bass guitar

Chrisse Olsson – guitar

Jens Lundgren – guitar

Nötorious – ‘Seducer’ EP Review

Nötorious – Seducer
This is the first time that I have heard of Nötorious and I have to say that I am extremely impressed with what I have heard:

The first track off the E.P is ‘Nötorious’ and it is a solid opener and is a good taste of what is to come, the track is well produced and you can certainly hear what bands have inspired them. In my opinion Nötorious sounds a lot like Ratt crossed with the band Cold Sweat and it is very easy on the ears.

‘Friday Night (Get Ready)’ is in the same vein of opener Nötorious, Chris Houdini is an excellent vocalist , there are times when he reminds me of Mark Slaughter especially when he lets loose. The harmonies are superb and Nikki DiCato’s guitar work is sublime and you can definitely hear Yngwie Malmsteen’s influence.
‘Have A Good Time’ keeps up the high quality of the first two tracks, solid guitar backed by a brilliant rhythm section, this is a song that when played live will have the audience joining in with the woa woahs.

I only heard the opening chords of ‘Seducer’ to know that this was going to be one of, if not my favourite track off this E.P, it flows beautifully and had me playing air drums, I was useless but had a lot of fun trying. There are times when I felt like Nikki was channeling Sonic Temple era The Cult.

‘Tonight (Gonna Get It)’ closes the E.P and I hate to be repetitive but you can certainly hear the influences throughout the track, Chris utilises his voice to the fullest on this track and truly let rip and if I didn’t know better I would have thought that I was listening to Firehouses CJ Snare.
To conclude ‘Seducer’ is a well produced E.P that will take anyone who liked bands such as Poison, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonfire and L.A Guns reminiscing the good old days of spandex and heavy makeup and that was just the men. 

This is a release that flows smoothly and is a great CD to play before a gig or a night out at a rock bar, some people believe that this genre is outdated and had it’s heyday 30 years ago however Nötorious have proven that this style of music is as good now as it was so many years ago. 

This could have been a 10/10 E.P however I was unable to give it that score because I have heard it all done before, Nötorious missed a great chance to stamp their own sound on the scene, they’ve relied heavily on their influences and it shows. I do look forward to hearing further releases from this band and I hope that they have a long and successful career.
SCORE – 9/10 – review by Hollywood Vampyre
Check out their YouTube page for all their songs from this EP –  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQK1tnXzBf9OugOA2FRwz1g
and on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/3tWDNG6WIlioWYh01xHWJ1?si=CsQ2ZniTTsma8ItLAs7WSQ
Tracklisting – 
Nötorious 
Friday Night (Get Ready)
Have A Good Time 
Tonight (Gonna Get It)
Seducer


The band consists of:
Chris Hoüdini – lead vocals
Nikki DiCato – guitar/backing vocals
Andy Sweet – bass/backing vocals
Freddy Kixx – drums

Hollowstar – ‘S/T’ Album Review

Hollowstar – S/T
I’ve been looking forward to receiving this album for a while now. I’ve seen some clips of them appearing at a friends venue ‘dahn sarf’, The Rock Den in Hatfield. Check it out, its great.
Anyway after the clips were posted I stumped up for one of the many bundles on offer, I was (am) that confident in their ability to deliver the goods. Hollowstar cite the likes of Black Stone Cherry, Thunder and Slash as influences. They formed in 2014 in the metal hotbed town of St.Ives in Cambridgeshire. Not so much of a hot bed, more like a warming plate. 2017 saw them release their debit EP ‘Some Things Matter’. They have built a burgeoning following due to this EP and some serious graft and getting support slots with the likes of Stone Broken, Toseland, Dan Reed Network and Graham Bonnet, and many more!
Straight out of the box Hollowstar are onto something rather special. ‘Take it All’ is built around a stonking, and spine tingling riff and you’re hoping for it to punch you right between the eyes and ears, and does so by the bucketload.  It’s a big, fat sound that belies its cost I suspect. ‘Let You Down’ is a bit less powerful, bit still provides ‘oomph’ and bang for your buck. ‘Invincible’ sees the twin guitar attack of Haines and Collett in full swing, and it delivers. ‘Think Of Me’ falls into an Alter Bridge / Bad Company groove, if Paul Rodgers fronted AB! ‘Money’ is about the guitar sound more than the vocals and is very Red Sun Rising. ‘All I Gotta Say’ is getting on for its birthday, and was an excellent choice for whetting the appetite for this album. Its got a cracking chorus, and has riffs as thunderous as Thor’s Led Zep tribute band, Hammer Of The Gods!
‘Good Man Gone’ is more classic rock old school brigade, and shows their love of 70s rock when Coverdale was king, Blackmore had hair, and Keith Moon lost his no claims driving his Rolls into a swimming pool. ‘Overrated’ is built on a riff that many have used before, and Hollowstar make it work here, especially as it builds to a high-octane guitar solo. ‘Down By The Water’ is a ‘big’ song and shows off Joe Bonson’s vocals. Its quickly onto the last track ‘Sinner’, a full on track that is a perfect way to finish off the album.
I’m guessing these guys don’t have a shit load of money, so its full testament to whoever produced this, as it sounds as if its had someone like Martin Birch at the helm. Its not a long album for album sake, the lads have gone for quality over quantity. Hollowstar are one of the best new(ish) UK bands I’ve heard in quite some time. It may not be long before newer bands are citing Hollowstar as their influences.
There are a lot of wannabees currently out there, all trying to be another Rival Sons, or Led Zep, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. These guys have the potential to be the real deal.  It’s an impressive debut.  As Diamond Dave would put it, these guys have ‘Car-asma’
Catch these guys live in May, when these songs will really come to life. And before the venues sell out!
Score 27 out of 33 1/3   (8/10 for purists!)
Tracklisting
Take It All
Let You Down
Invincible
Think Of Me
Money
All I Gotta Say
Good Man Gone
Overrated
Down By The Water
Sinner
Hollowstar are
Joe Bonson – Vocals / Bass
Phil Haines – Guitar / Backing Vocals
Tom Collett – Guitar
Jack Bonson – Drums