SAFT (meaning squash, as in the concentrated liquid made from fruit juice and sugar, which is diluted to make a drink, in Norwegian) is a progressive rock band from Bergen, Norway, with their most active period in the early 70's. They were one of the first Norwegian rock bands to sing in Norwegian Nynorsk (which is based on rural, spoken Norwegian, and is one of four official languages in Norway). The core of the band is the two brothers THUE, Ove and Trygve, who are the only members to be part of both of the band's incarnations, both of which set benchmarks in Norwegian rock. Initially the band's music was rooted in typical early 70's heavy prog and pop rock.
British heavy metal legends Saxon release a brilliant cover album with the appropriate name Inspirations. Eleven brand new tracks that deliver superb rock classics that influenced Biff Byford & his band. From the melodic paperback writer from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix Stone Free, Saxon show their love and appreciation with their tribute, which are sometimes rough but always loyal to the original song. Constant focus was on the idea of the old school in which they worked with Marshall Cabs, Marshall Amps and a real drums. The whole thing was produced by Biff Byford with Jacky Lehmann, who accompanied and mixed the recordings.
Italy’s finest export SWINGROWERS are back with their fourth album Hybrid. Swingrowers are an accomplished four-piece band from Palermo, Sicily. Made up of Loredana Grimaudo (singer, songwriter), Roberto Costa aka Pisk (DJ, producer), Alessio Costagliola (guitarist, composer), and Ciro Pusateri (saxophonist, composer). The band fuse a multitude of genres from Jazz to hip-hop, electronica to gypsy-swing, and have seen (or heard!) their sound has steadily evolved since their debut into unique electro swing and vintage-inspired pop. They are noted for their irreverent style, which blends the freshness of dance music, with the warm influences of swing from the 20s to 50s.
Much to the delight of melodic rock fans around the globe, W.E.T. has announced the release of their fourth album, “Retransmission”. Core members Jeff Scott Soto, Erik Mårtensson, and Robert Såll deliver another astounding album that will surely be a contender for Melodic Rock Album of the Year 2021. W.E.T truly epitomizes what melodic rock has become in the new decade. The key element at the foundation of W.E.T has always been to create a modern melodic hard rock sound that will drive the genre into the future. Combining powerhouse rhythms and top notch production, the music is equally classic and contemporary. “Retransmission” is nothing else than an absolute milestone, which is well in keeping with the tradition established by the three amazing records that have preceded this one.
The sixth album of German Hard-Rock heroes, gathered by Alexander Beyrott, back with the original line-up with David Readman on vocals, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen! Voodoo Circle are back with their sixth album "Locked & Loaded" and, like on their second album "Broken Heart Syndrome", they present themselves with the most convincing line-up in the band's history. For this release, band boss, guitarist and main songwriter Alex Beyrodt gathered singer David Readman (Pink Cream 69), bass player Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner) and drummer Markus Kullman (Glenn Hughes, among others), all of them excellent instrumentalists. The band celebrates a vigorous, deeply melodic hybrid of hard rock and melodic metal, equipped with specific quotes and some bluesy elements, with cleverly interspersed cross-references to some of their own role models.
"Although now Rossini is remembered for his operatic production, his career had begun as a composer of chamber music. In 1804 the 12-year-old Gioachino was invited to spend the summer in the villa of his friend Agostino Triossi in Conventello. This rich landowner, who was an amateur double-bass player, was in the habit of organising concerts and musical gatherings: Rossini composed many instrumental pieces for him. The Sei Sonate a Quattro for two violins, cello and double-bass were composed for one of these occasions. As Rossini himself related, “They are six horrible sonatas, composed by me during a holiday near Ravenna, in the house of my friend and patron Agostino Triossi, at a more than childish age, when I had not even had a single accompaniment lesson, and the whole thing was composed and copied in three days and performed dreadfully by Triossi, double-bass, Morini (his cousin) first violin, his brother, cello, and the second violin was me, who, to own the truth, was the least dreadful.” But we must not be misled by such a negative opinion; these sonatas, though elementary from a formal point of view, are genuine and quite inspired: the contrast between the brilliant passages and the lyrical/sentimental ones already reveals what a skilful opera composer Rossini was to become.