Applemagazine From 22 January 2016

Graham Bonnet is a hard rock legend with the pedigree to back that statement up. His stints with Rainbow, MSG, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists of his generation. This new studio album offers 11 new songs (plus bonus track for Japanese Edition) where Bonnet lays down his inimitable vocals over a selection of tunes full of great hooks and melodies. Includes a bonus disc featuring re-recorded versions of all the best songs he has sung in his career.

Phantom 5 is the new band featuring singer Claus Lessmann (Bonfire) with guitarists Michael Voss (Casanova, Mad Max), Robby Boebel (Frontline, Evidence One), drummer Axel Kruse (Jaded Heart) and bassist Francis Buchholz (Scorpions, Michael Schencker). Truly a German Hard Rock super group. Highly recommended for all fans of European Melodic Hard Rock!

French pianist Sebastien Paindestre – last heard on the French/American quartet Atlantico's En Rouge (La Fabrica'son, 2016) – leads his own trio in a mostly-original program. The liner notes credit a Fender Rhodes technician, and the opener "Scottish Folk Song" (by Walt Weiskopf) shows why. After introducing the tune on acoustic piano with double bassist Jean-Claude Oleksiak and drummer Antoine Paganotti (with the pastoral sound promised by the title) the Rhodes makes a dramatic entry with a distorted, highly electronic sound. It's very distinctive, almost like a synthesizer rather than a piano, and it brings out an aggressive side to Paindestre's soloing. The instrument performs a similar function on the third track, "Gaza-Paris-Jerusalem (For Peace)." There it is used both as a solo voice and as the voice of conflict during a brief unsettled section. The Beatles tune "Mother Nature's Son" gets a memorable jazz treatment next. The Rhodes is used to play the head, this time with a more conventional celeste-like bell sound. Bassist Oleksiak also gets a nice solo showcase.

Following up on the refreshing impact of 2013’s much acclaimed debut album “The Inheritance” (“Album of the month” by Germany’s Rock Hard magazine and position # 97 in the official German sales charts) and 2014’s complimentary “The New Tomorrow” EP, “The Northern Sanctuary” is yet another mesmerizingly dense conceptual album, enhanced by breathtakingly powerful artwork courtesy of Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák. Once more lyrically supported by Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom), WITHERSCAPE continue the storyline launched with the debut album. Limited edition Mediabook 2CD including the album's full dynamic mix and ROM part with instrumental as bonus disc.