A taste of some of the best new AOR and Melodic Rock releases! PART ONE

Who woulda thunk it?  Me, the Power Pop, New Wave, Punk and Synth Pop fanatic, falling head over heals for the recent wave of AOR and Melodic Rock releases!!

I have know idea why I've fallen into this style of music that I purposely stayed away from during it's heyday some 25 years ago, but I love the new music that is being made.  I'm a sucker for a good melody, whether it's The Jam, Neil Diamond, Badfinger, Glen Campbell, Buzzcocks, Michael Jackson, Journey or whoever strikes my fancy at the moment. But lately, I've been exposed to a lot of cool stuff on the Frontiers label and beyond and I'm totally digging it!

So, here's a quick look (and listen) at some of my recommended faves: 

STEEL PANTHER/Feel The Steel

Yes, they are a parody of the hair bands from the '80s, but they are great at what they do.

SPIN GALLERY/Embrace

More Yes and Prog-influenced than other bands here, Spin Gallery have great tunes and vocal harmonies galore.

HARDLINE/Leaving The End Open

Though Neil Schon is long gone, Hardline are back with a modern melodic rock masterpiece. No posing here, just great tunes...

ON THE RISE/Dream Zone

Straight-forward melodic rock with emphasis on guitars and melodies but great use of keyboards as well.

FOREIGNER/Can't Slow Down

OK, so Lou Gramm is out and Kelly Hanson has taken over as lead vocalist, but I'll be damned if this isn't one of the band's finest albums!  Great from start to finish and plenty of top-notch material to add to their already impressive catalog!

You're welcome!
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

Frontiers Records to release AURAS' debut album, New Generation, on April 6th, 2010

January 2010 – Hailing from Brazil, Auras is one of the most exciting new acts to hit the AOR-rock scene in the past few years and with the release of their debut album New Generation they are ready to prove the world that acts such as Journey, The Storm, Toto and Survivor have found a credible heir from South America!

Auras was formed in the beginning of 2007 by singer Gui Oliver and guitarist Ferpa Lacerda. Tired of playing in cover bands and feeling they were musically mature enough, both musicians decided to write some new music.

The first song coming out of this collaboration Hungry Hearts was sent out to several producers and musicians around the world, gathering some very warm response. Gui and Ferpa therefore kept on writing more material until their songs landed on Frontiers Records desk who some immediately some concrete interest, making Auras the first band from South America to sign with the label.

New Generation is the result of years of hard work and faith in our music, explains Gui Oliver. It sounds corny, but it’s really a dream that came true especially for a Brazilian band where this kind of music is not very popular. We really have to thank Frontiers for their trust and support.

Being a real band, not just a studio project, Auras had their live debut supporting their idols Jeff Scott Soto and Jimi Jamison in Curitiba, Auras hometown. Hearing the band play, Jamison mentioned that Auras songs took him back to the eighties and reminded him of the great bands of that period.

Artists like Toto, Journey and Survivor, tells Gui, are known worldwide and in Brazil it’s not different: their classic hits are still on the radio. Their music touched me in different ways. It was not only the beautiful and amazing melodies, but their songs also had great lyrics. Ferpa also grew up in a very musical family and this kind of music was always part of his life.  Definitely melodic rock and AOR in Brazil is not for the masses but we have a faithful and loyal audience. We received lots of emails of people saying how proud they were of us about the album.

During the recording process the great jazz drummer Edu Sallum, who had already played with Rafael Moreira (Pink, Christina Aguilera, Rockstar INXS, Paul Stanley), joined the band, and the local studio musicians Matheus Brandon and Hemerson Vieira helped to complete New Generation. The album was finally mixed and mastered to sonic perfection by Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Sunstorm, Place Vendome, Khymera etc.).

Love, dreams, faith and hope are what Auras music is all about.

Weblinks:

www.myspace.com/auraaor

www.frontiers.it 

www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords