“New Dawn” is the second album from Canadian band Stranded and it was released on 19th July by Escape Music, some 20 years after the first album. Only vocalist Troy Reid remains from the initial album and the driving force behind this release would seem to be multi-instrumentalist Lewis Nitikman. The album is probably about as AOR/melodic as I would tend to listen to, but it is definitely a great example of that genre. The track “Not Enough Sorry” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 5th July.
“Boneyard” is the new album from singer Reuben Archer and it was released by Toxic Arrow Records on the 12th July. Archer is best known for fronting the band Stampede in the early 80’s and again following their reformation in 2009. He has also released two great albums as Reuben Archer and Personal Sin between 2013 and 2017. On this new album he has teamed up with a group of musicians called The Brand. I featured the track “Love Is Blind” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 19th July.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends "Boneyard" by REUBEN ARCHER WITH THE BRAND
“Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas” is the new, rather eloquently titled, album from Italian band Hollow Haze and their first since reforming after a short-lived disbanding. It was released by Frontiers Music on 12th July and the album title reflects tracks that focus on life and adventures. The tracks themselves blend melodic, heavy and symphonic influences. The single “Oblivion” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show in April and “Destinations” on 28th June.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends "Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas" by HOLLOW HAZE
“Enigma Fire” is the second album from German symphonic metal band Visionatica and it was released on 12th July by Frontiers Music. The female fronted band formed in Bavaria in 2013 and released their debut album in 2016 before signing with Frontiers. I played the first single from the album, “The Pharoah”, on the Friday NI Rocks Show back in April and the second single “Fear” on the NI Rocks A-Z Show on 16th July.