Retro Rock

Bad Baron – Ace of Hearts Review

Bad Baron – Ace of Hearts Review

Bad Baron pay tribute to the B and C list artists who littered 80s movie soundtracks with vapid rock anthems and forgettable saccharine power ballads. It was a strange and wonderous time for those of us who lived through it. While artists like Peter Cetera, Phil Collins and Kenny Loggins found renewed popularity on the silver screen, countless unknown artists tested their metal on the soundtracks to the endless VHS atrocities that littered the local mini mart’s back corner. What attracted Finnish masochists Bad Baron to the bottom of the barrel in one of music’s most terrible eras? Who knows?” Baron of the 80s Wastelands.

Psychic Hit – Solutio Review

Psychic Hit – Solutio Review

“Summer is generally the time my musical tastes lighten up. It’s just not in my genetic makeup to blast funeral doom while sweating through a heatwave and running through the sprinkler. Summer is for barbeques and the party music that accompanies such (now, finally) socially non-distanced activities. Here that party music is generally throwback stuff, and that’s where Psychic Hit comes in. Their debut album Solutio is firmly rooted in 70s hard rock and metal, and these days even the most jaded of patio guests can get behind that stuff as long as it’s good.” So, so, Solutio.

The Alligator Wine – Demons of the Mind Review

The Alligator Wine – Demons of the Mind Review

“Picture a scene of domestic bliss lockdown homelife, as Mrs. Carcharodon enters to the kitchen, where yours truly is playing with the shark pup, and, after a lengthy pause, asks: “Is this one of your promos? It’s actually pretty good—sort of reminds me of Nick Cave in one of his alter egos like Grinderman.” An astute observation and one that got me wondering, what are the limits or boundaries to what we do and do not review here on this ol’ metal review site.” Power metal, and only power metal.

Freedom Hawk – Beast Remains Review

Freedom Hawk – Beast Remains Review

“Finding myself with a little free time on my hands this past week, I decided to snag an extra promo from the sump and try my luck with some unknown acts. I got lucky enough with Last Days of Eden, so I doubled down and went back for more, grabbing a promo from Virginia’s Freedom Hawk, and wouldn’t you know it, I’m on a bit of a roll here..” Freedom rock.

Brimstone Coven – Black Magic Review

Brimstone Coven – Black Magic Review

“Oh, Ghost… what have you brought upon us? Since the masked Swedes hit paydirt with their patented brand of Scooby-Doobie Doom™ via Opus Eponymous back in 2010, there’s been an influx of retro-rockin’ stoner doom bands looking to drive their own Mystery Machines™ over well-navigated roads. Granted, for each one that wows us, there are several more that we wish would just go away. Those meddling little brats! I would have gotten away with it if not for them.

Joy – Under the Spell of Joy Review

Joy – Under the Spell of Joy Review

Joy takes “retro” seriously. I’m sure most of our readers are familiar with the morass of “retro” groups that exclusively write music with a deaf ear to everything recorded after a particular golden time in the history of heavy metal, but this San Diego power trio set back the clock to a time pre-dating the genre entirely, recalling when Black Sabbath was a blues band and “heavy metal” existed only as a Steppenwolf lyric.” Set the machine for 1 B.S.D. (before Steel Druhm).