Harem Scarem sadly missed Headbangers Ball

 

 

ALBUM REVIEW: HAREM SCAREM - Chasing Euphoria - Frontiers Music s.r.l.

This album is a catchy, groove-filled, joyously fun romp through pre-Grunge AOR metal. Harem Scarem's Chasing Euphoria (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) instantly jumped onto my 2025 Top Ten list within moments of hitting "play".
The title track, "Chasing Euphoria" stabbed an ear worm into my skull. I cannot stop bouncing to it. The rest of the album - the press kit called the genre "Melodic Hard Rock," which must be their way of avoiding "Hair Metal" or "Glam Metal" - doesn't matter, this just makes me happy.
Released about a month ago as of this writing, I find myself playing it again and again despite not needing to do a review.  If I like it this much, I gotta share it.
Initially formed in 1987 in Canada the biography in the press kit shares a journey from local grinders working twelve years to get signed and then enjoy a mid-range career with international fans, a temporary name and genre change before settling into this tight bundle of awesome.
I am quite sure a good Google would fill in all the gaps I left in that run-on sentence.
"Better The Devil You Know," "Slow Burn," and "Gotta Keep Your Head Up" tumble all over each other with all the catchy, bouncy fun you found slathered all over MTV at the time these guys started. Definitely before Grunge.
"World On Fire" is the obligatory power ballad this genre makes almost mandatory. It's not bad for all that. (I am on record as a non-fan of power ballads.)
"In A Bad Way" is slower, but more AOR rock than power ballad. "Reliving History" follows and brings the fun back with it. "A Falling Knife" rounds out these eight tracks with a solid rocker.
Honestly, the first half of this album is epic. The second half is very good. The whole thing is worth the price of admission. (The power ballad got the "9" below, your mileage may vary.)
I would love to see a packed venue with these guys. The show would register on seismographs far away.


Buy the album here: https://soundcloud.com/haremscarem/sets/chasing-euphoria-5

9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Harem Scarem, Frontiers Music s.r.l., Melodic Hard Rock, Hair Metal, Glam Metal, AOR, Canada, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Swedish Rockers Degreed Bring Back The 80s with Terrier Energy

 

ALBUM REVIEW: DEGREED - The Leftovers Volume I (EP) - Frontiers Music s.r.l.

I can't wait for Volume II. Seriously. Cannot wait because Volume I rocks.
Wait.
I should end with that. Lemme tell you about Degreed's The Leftovers Volume I (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) first.
Celebrating their fifteenth year these  Swedish metal monsters feel genetically engineered to spike my amygdala with joy juice. "If It Wasn't For Me" opens with a Bon Jovi-esque apology to a lover because "This could be perfect/If it wasn't for me. . . If it wasn't for me/You wouldn't be crying." Instead of a schmaltzy power ballad we get a rocker - straight-up eighties-style MTV Headbangers Ball glossy guitar solos and strong, clear vocals.
Daniel Johansson's tortilla chip-crunchy guitars open "Good Enough," destined to be some affirmation junky's new favorite song.  I mean, how many times can "I'm good enough" pound through your skull before you'll believe it? The relentlessly upbeat and frantically paced "Love Your Enemy" follows and ends with a literal smash. The guitar solo's a bit short, but welcome, nonetheless.
Keeping up the pace "Wildchild" pleads "Can't you hear me screaming? I'm not a bad guy. I'm a Wildchild" and more self-defensive lines with reckless abandon. This particular guitar solo kicks hard while doing things I didn't quite expect.  The second one (yes two guitar solos in one song!) is a bit more standard, but still squeezes out more amygdala joy juice.
"Get Up!" live has got to make any venue pulsate with the energy of a thousand feral cats. As good as the verses are and the singing in general, "Get Up!" repeated at this beat would be impossible for a corpse to ignore. (Another great little Johansson solo accent only ups the awesome.)
Given the straight Hair Metal vibe of the first five tracks, I suppose a power ballad was to be expected.  "Hard To Be Human," at least hits the "power" side of power ballad and keeps the schmaltz level to a minimum.
The digital (and review) version of this is only six tracks. It also happens to be available now. At the time of this writing, you'll need to wait until July 18, 2025 to buy the physical version and get nine tunes. I can only hope they're as punchy and fun as these six.


Buy the album here: https://ffm.to/degreedleftoversi
9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Degreed, Frontiers Music s.r.l., Daniel Johnsson, Bon Jovi, Hair Metal, Power Ballad, Headbangers Ball, MTV, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

Holler Brings New Classic Rock To Life

 ALBUM REVIEW: HOLLER - Next In Line - Scarlett Records

This is the second time I'm writing this review. The first one was a very long trip to the realization that even though I really like this album I have this little quibble that Terence Holler's vocals don't quite match the music. Kind of like a poster where cyan got printed half a millimeter off register. It's still enjoyable as hell, but there's just ~something~.
That said, let's get to the goodness Holler delivers with Next In Line (Scarlett Records). The single best feature for me is how much karaoke bait is in here. From "A Miracle" on, I wanna sing along with everything.
Sounding somewhere between Survivor, Journey, Def Leppard, and Boston, Holler brings eighties synth-rock to a new decade.
"Stormy"'s lyrics trend a bit complex, but "Chandelier" will lead to some questionable choices with "One Two Three Drink" repeated at least 6 times in rapid-shot-challenge-succession and "I wanna swing from a chandelier" daring frat bros to do some truly stupid stuff. The song ends very abruptly. Every time I think it cut off for a phone call.
"The Ocean," a slower-paced power ballad comparing a loved one to the ocean follows the rambling enjoyable "Don't Fool Me" (try not to look too hard at the lyrics). Great poetry this ain't, as "24Seven" and others demonstrate. It is great top-down scream-along tunage for all the genre-standard love song lyrics.
Denis Chimenti and Luca Fuligni's guitars do a spectacular job keeping this firmly rooted in hard rock territory. "Crystal Eyes" kicks up the pace with a riff that elevates the heart rate as Holler has "got to get away from your Crystal Eyes." Based on the pace, that's a pell mell all-out sprint.
As I wind up this second stab I finally figured out my disconnect. Holler's voice has a rasp, and this Yacht Rock tour de force calls for a smoother delivery. Probably a bit of distortion on the bass or guitar could have solved it.
I don't know. What I do know is Holler provides us with almost and hour of pure fun that probably kills live.
Holler don't break new ground, they're not trying to. They deliver music that surpasses anything Top 40 has spewed at us in thirty years and would fit anywhere on the radio dial from Classic Rock to the Soft Rock station in your office cube farm, to New Rock, and any place else you'll find Yes, Asia, Kansas, and all those other forty-plus-year old acts with the glossy-looking logos.
Y'know what? Don't pay attention to my personal quibbles. Get Next In Line and check it out for yourself. You won't have any complaints (your job is not critic; mine is.)


Stream/Buy the album here: https://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/next-in-line

9 / 10
LARRY ROGERS

Larry Rogers, Ghost Cult Magazine, Holler, Scarlett Records, Terence Holler, Denis Chimenti, Luca Fuligni, Yes, Asia, Kansas, Survivor, Journey, Def Leppard, Classic Rock, Yacht Rock, Yugoboy Productions, Yugoboy's Stereo

DramaScram and Urakka - Bookends of a night of Metal, Montage 5/10

I may add more pix as I process, but I've got a Babayaga show to do next.