Unbreakable (2000)

After the long gap between records, there’s no rust as Stratovarius aims to reclaim their position as one of power metal’s elite acts. One thing that’s been the case for their entire career and remains evident on Survive is that the band knows how to write catchy songs. The album is packed to the gills with giant hooks and singalong choruses. Survive is still a very enjoyable power metal album and a welcome return for Stratovarius.

Jade Valerie Villalon (born August 12, 1980), also known by her project and stage name Jade Valerie, is an American and European pop singer, songwriter, and actress. From 1999 to 2007, she was the vocalist and lyricist of Sweetbox, releasing five original albums and a number of compilations. During this time, each major release achieved either a Gold or Platinum status in Japan and Korea, also earning various awards and chart positions around the world.

Though based in multiple musical realms, pianist Alain Mallet's ambitious Mutt Slang projects coalesce into a world that exudes 'exotic' yet ultimately feels familiar, the roots of its various components meeting somewhere deep within. Sharing the musical landscape with young musicians from Palestine, Brazil, Italy, Israel, Japan, Bulgaria, Panama, Ireland, Puerto Rico and the US, the complexity of their backgrounds - musically, ethnically, and otherwise, permeates the session, suffusing Mallet's compositions with an undeniable energy and life. "Mutt Slang is very much the result of this convergence of all the musics I love, of digging to get to their shared soul and rebuild something fresh, in order to discover where I belong and give others a chance to do the same." - Alain Mallet

Humanoid is the seventeenth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released on 26 April 2024. It is the band's first studio album on Napalm Records, with whom Accept had signed with in February 2022, and also marks the first time since 2017's The Rise of Chaos that they had recorded as a five-piece band rather than a six-piece. Humanoid has received positive reviews from critics. Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net gave the album a rating of seven-and-a-half out of ten, writing, "For those who enjoyed the previous five, there is absolutely nothing here that fails to live up to expectations.

One of the more exciting jazz musicians to emerge in the first decade of the 21st century, Baltimore-based pianist Lafayette Gilchrist blends progressive 1960s post-bop experimentation with driving, accessible grooves. TOWARD THE SHINING PATH, Gilchrist’s second album, builds on the strengths of his debut to deliver a thoroughly appealing post-modern jazz ride. Whether exploring loose-limbed stride-funk fusions (“New Jack”), riff-driven jams (“Elephant Dance”), or lush, winding melodies (“Unsolved, Unresolved”), Gilchrist displays deft skill with a melodic line that is always surprising. Fans of contemporary pianists such as Jason Moran and Brad Mehldau would be well advised to check out this sophomore release from an up-and-coming talent.