2020 : Melodic rock and hard-rock albums of the second half of the year

As I do now regularly, here is a list of melodic rock albums during a week at the rate of three per day, released in the second part of 2020 that could all have been reviewed but lacking time and the multitude of releases in this style (I certainly left anothers) would require lengthening the days. So we find artists like 'Imperium' or 'Rob Moratti' or the last solo album from the singer of the super-group 'Sons Of Apollo'.

And as this second half of 2020 was the occasion of many albums in this style, I give you the last reviews made on myprogmusic:

Tokyo Motor Fist - Lions
Lionheart - The Reality of Miracles
Arctic Rain - The One
Lionville - Magic Is Alive
Ramos - My Many Sides
Tony Mitchell - Church of a Restless Soul
Dreams of Avalon - Beyond the Dream
Perfect Plan - Time for a Miracle
Landfall - The Turning Point
Brother Firetribe - Feel the Burn
Lasworld - Over The Edge
Trishula - Time Waits For No Man
Pride of Lions - Lion Heart
Stardust - Highway to Heartbreak

Black Paisley - Rambler (12-11-2020)

The last album to date on this list is that of the Swedes of the Swedes of 'Black Plaisley' who after 'Late Bloomer' in 2017 and 'Perennials' in 2018 release their third studio recording 'Rambler'. Although rather short, the 8 tracks are all as pleasant to listen to each other and will cheer you up all day with simple but completely addictive melodies that immediately make you want to move to the rhythm of the music, the ballad being not forgotten with the melodic jewel 'Falling'.

Line Up / Musicians :
Stefan Blomqvist (Chant, Guitare), Franco Santunione (Guitare), Jan Emanuelsson (Basse), Robert Karaszi (Batterie, Percussions)

https://www.facebook.com/blackpaisleys/

Sebastien - Integrity (12-11-2020)

'Sebastien' is a Czech band which already has a dozen years of existence and 'Integrity' is already their 4th album, the last, 'Act of Creation', dating from 2018 and which was sung in English while their last baby is sung in Czech. Given the quality of the compositions, they find it difficult to make themselves known internationally but they could largely compete with some major melodic metal formations because this last opus is filled with remarkable compositions and accessible at the first listening, the lines melodic being often very addictive.

The album starts with 'Tornádo' in an overflowing energy with a first chorus which never leaves you, then, 'AntiProrok', slightly slower, remains nonetheless as powerful and catchy and the single 'Nechtěná', which follows, is a real hit that any melodic metal group of the 80s/90s would have liked to compose and one cannot remain indifferent to listening to the chorus which gives an irresistible desire to move to the rhythm of the music. The suite continues in the same atmosphere with melodic jewels that are 'Bičem proti lásce' and its catchy and powerful rhythm, 'Touhy', 'Labyrint' or even 'Vstávej' and when the atmosphere is slower, 'Věřím' Delivers a heavy tempo to make a whole audience headbang to which we can add the two ballads 'Jdi dál' and 'Zatmění' which have nothing to envy to the best of the genre.

In summary, the Czechs of 'Sebastien' continue, after the very good 'Act of Creation' to offer us addictive hymns and this new baby 'Integrity' is to be recommended to an audience loving a melodic metal that is consumed without moderation thanks to very accessible melodic lines...

Line Up / Musicians :
George Rain (Chant, Guitare), Petri Kallio (Basse), Pavel "Dvorkys" Dvora (Claviers), Lucas R. (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/sebastienband/

Palace - Rock and Roll Radio (12-04-2020)

After participating in Angelica's album who released her album in early November (see in this album list), 'Michael Palace' who has a solid reputation in the melodic rock scene is already in its 3rd album with his project 'Palace' after 'Master Of The Universe' in 2016 and 'Binary Music' in 2018 and this last baby is still filled with heady melodies and, as its name suggests, 'Rock and Roll Radio', we are getting closer to the compositions that we could hear on the airwaves of the first free radio in France in the 80s which opened the doors to other styles of music than what we used to hear. The names of 'Toto', 'Journey', 'Asia', 'Foreigner' or even 'Survivor' come to mind when listening to the 12 titles and if you liked the two previous offerings of the Swede, you will be also won over by 'Rock and Roll Radio'.

Line Up / Musicians :
Michael Palace (Chant, Guitare, Basse, Claviers, Batterie, Harmonica, Saxophone), Oscar Bromvall (Guitare), Jordan Cox (Chœurs)

https://www.facebook.com/palacesweden/

Unruly Child - Our Glass Home (12-04-2020)

The Americans of 'Unruly Child' continue to release albums and are now an old melodic rock band because they will celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2021 and after 'Can’t Go Home' in 2017 and 'Big Blue World' in 2019, it is the turn of 'Our Glass Home' to see the light of day at the end of 2020 which brings their discographies to 10 studio recordings. Therefore, lovers of melodic hard-rock, you can go there with your eyes closed, this new opus still contains beautiful melodies and we can note the two magnificent acoustic covers of 'To Be Your Everything' and ' Let's Talk About Love 'at the end of the album.

Line Up / Musicians :
Bruce Gowdy (Chant, Guitare, Claviers), Marcie Michelle Free (Chant), Guy Allison (Claviers, Percussions), Tony Franklin (Basse), Jay Schellen (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/unrulychildband/

Magic Dance - Remnants (12-04-2020)

New Yorker 'Jon Siejka' is starting to make a name for himself in the melodic rock world although he has started his project 'Magic Dance' in 2013 by turning first to the syntwave movement which highlighted 80s pop with sounds of the synthesizers of the time. Little by little, the sound became more rock and his last album 'Remnants', even if the keyboards are omnipresent, puts more emphasis on the electric guitar and takes us on for 11 melodic AOR tracks that we immediately appropriate.

Line Up / Musicians :
Jonathan Siejka (Chant, Guitare, Claviers) + Invités : Kevin Krug (Basse), Gabor Domjan (Basse), Luke Anderson (Basse), Emanuelle Moretti (Basse), Kevin Mcadams (Batterie, Percussions), Gdaliy (Saxophone), Tim Mackey (Guitare), Ziv Shalev (Guitare)

https://www.facebook.com/magicdancemusic/

SOLE SYNDICATE - Last Days of Eden (11-20-2020)

And one more, 'SOLE SYNDICATE' is a formation which still comes to us from Sweden and which delivers to us its 2nd studio recording 'Last Days of Eden'. In a muscular hard-rock, they offer us 10 varied compositions ranging from mid-tempos with heavy rhythmic to powerful and catchy titles while passing by the quieter AOR, the melodic lines being always very accessible.

Line Up / Musicians :
Jonas Månsson (Chant), Dennis Heltorp (Guitare), Niklas Strandanäs (Guitare), David Gustafsson (Basse), Henrik Zetterlund (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/solesyndicatemusic/

Heartwind - Strangers (11-20-2020)

We continue with the Swede of 'Heartwind' who released their 2nd studio recording with 'Strangers', 2018 having seen the release of 'Higher and higher' which was well received at the time. The magic of Swedish melodic hard-rock still works with this new opus, certainly short but which all compositions, whether energetic or calmer, offer us unstoppable and memorable melodies, and this, from the first listen.

Line Up / Musicians :
Stefan Nykvist (Chant), Nina Soderquist (Chant), Goren Engvall (Guitare), Mikael Rosengren (Claviers), Peter Svensson (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/Heartwindtheband/

Stan Bush - Dare To Dream (11-20-2020)

After 'Change the World' in 2017, the American 'Stan Bush' returns with a new album 'Dare To Dream'. The sexagenarian continues to distill us a good melodic rock that takes us back to the 80s with compositions whose melodic lines remind us of the major formations and the light atmosphere of that time : for all lovers of catchy AOR : to consume without moderation.

Line Up / Musicians :
Stan Bush (Chant, Guitare), Holger Fath (Guitare, Basse, Claviers), Craign Yamek

https://www.facebook.com/stanbushmusic/

Cristiano Filippini's Flames Of Heaven - The Force Within (11-20-2020)

'Cristiano Filipini's Flames Of Heaven' is a new project by Italian 'Cristiano Filipini' which is classified in power metal but the melodic lines being so close to a hard rock from the 80s, I added it to this selection. 'The Force Within' therefore alternates between different styles in a balanced way with epic and symphonic metal and melodic hard-rock, three magnificent power ballads that can be added to the best of the genre to complete the set and still showing this talent that the Italians have to deliver addictive melodies.

Line Up / Musicians :
Cristiano Filippini (Guitare, Claviers), Michele Vioni (Guitare), Marco Pastorino (Chant, Choeurs), Giorgio Terenziani (Basse), Paolo Caridi (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/cristianofilippinisflamesofheaven/

Shadow Tribe - Reality Unveiled (11-13-2020)

After 'Imperium' and their magnificent 'Heaven or Hell', it is still from Finland that this new project 'Shadow Tribe' comes to us, created by singer 'Kimmo Perämäk' and bassist 'Marko Pukkila' with a first studio recording 'Reality Unveiled' which offers us 10 varied compositions with forays into different styles ranging from melodic hard-rock to heavy metal through AOR.

Line Up / Musicians :
Kimmo Perämäki (Chant), Simo Pirttimaa (Guitare), Marko Pukkila (Basse), Petri Heinonen (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/shadowtribeband/

Lazarus Dream - Alive (11-13-2020)

'Lazarus Dream' is yet another new project led by singer 'Carsten Lizard Schulz' and multi-instrumentalist 'Markus Pfeffer' and their first album 'Alive' comes out at this end of 2020. Thanks to 13 busy tracks, it's 70 minutes of good melodic rock and hard-rock that offer to us the Germans with compositions which are immediately tamed and which can recall certain melodic lines from the 70s/80s.

Line Up / Musicians :
Carsten Lizard-Schulz (Chant), Markus Pfeffer (Guitare, Basse, Claviers), Markus Kullmann (Batterie), Thomas Rieder (Percussions), Thomas Nitschke (Hammond), Sabrina Roth (Flûte)

https://www.facebook.com/lazarusdream/

Jayce Landberg - The Forbidden World (11-13-2020)

It has been 10 years since Swedish 'Jayce Landberg' released an album ('Good Sleppless Night' from 2010) and it's done with 'The Forbidden World' which contains 9 compositions in a neo-classical melodic rock style with beautiful guitar solos. For the occasion, he called on the singer 'Göran Edman' who officiates with, among others, the progressive rock group 'Karmakanic' but also in the rock melodic band of 'Cry Of Dawn'), drummer 'James Humphrey' and invited Swedish singer 'Erika Norberg'.

Line Up / Musicians :
Jayce Landberg (Guitare, Basse, Claviers), Göran Edman (Chant), James Humphrey (Batterie) + Invité : Erika Norberg (Chant)

https://www.facebook.com/jaycelandberg

Jeff Scott Soto - Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) (11-06-2020)

We no longer present 'Jeff Scott Soto' who has an impressive career with his last 'job' to date as a singer in the 'Sons Of Apollo' which brings together best of progressive metal talents but what we know less well is that solo career which is also well filled and this last opus 'Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)' which is already the 7th solo album offers us high classy compositions of melodic hard-rock.

Line Up / Musicians :
Jeff Scott Soto (Chant), Alessandro Del Vecchio (Basse, Claviers, Guitare, Choeurs), Fabrizio Sgattoni (Guitare), Edu Cominato (Batterie) + Invité : August Zadra (Guitare, Choeurs)

https://www.facebook.com/JeffScottSoto

Angelica - All I Am (11-06-2020)

After 'Thrive', the female singer of 'The Murder of My Sweet' 'Angelica Rylin' releases her second solo album under the name 'Angelica' and called on melodic rock stars for this new baby, first of all, keyboardist and drummer 'Daniel Flores' ('The Murder of My Sweet', 'First Signal') and 'Michael Palace' ('Palace' which has just released a new album present in this list and also 'First Signal'). Without revolutionizing melodic rock, it offers us 11 tracks that should reach a large audience loving a quiet melodic rock made of beautiful and very accessible melodies...

Line Up / Musicians :
Angelica Rylin (Chant), Michael Palace (Guitare, Basse), Pedro Cecar Camargo (Guitare), Daniel Flores (Claviers, Choeurs, Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/angelica.rylin/

Imperium - Heaven or Hell (10-30-2020)

And as often in this style, it is in the Nordic countries with, in this case Finland, that the formation 'Imperium' originates and, the least we can say is, that after 'Beyond the Stars' in 2018 which was of great quality, this new opus is filled with small melodic jewels to consume without moderation.

Line Up / Musicians :
Mika Brushane (Basse, Claviers, Batterie, Chœurs) + Invités : Erkka Korhonen (Guitare), Markku Kuikka (Chant), Mikey K. Nilsson (Guitare), Paolo Ribaldini (Chant), Robban Ernlund (Chant), Robbie LaBlanc (Chant), Samuli Federley (Guitares), Sini Heinilä (Choeurs), Stefano Lionetti (Guitare), Susanna Eronen (Choeurs), Toni Huovinen (Guitare)

https://www.facebook.com/imperiumproject/

Rob Moratti - Paragon (10-30-2020)

'Rob Moratti' has not finished surprising us because, a little more years after the magnificent 'Renaissance', it is the turn of 'Paragon' to come out with new melodies which can be tamed at first listen and which currently make it a must of the worlwide AOR.

Line Up / Musicians :
Rob Moratti (Chant), Torben Enevoldsen (Guitare, Claviers), Stu Reid (Batterie), Tony Franklin (Basse) + Invités : Ian Crichton (Guitare), Joel Hoekstra (Guitare)

https://www.facebook.com/Rob-Moratti-250044931726256/

Wildness - Ultimate Demise (10-30-2020)

In this list, we have a lot of second album and this is still the case for the Swedes of 'Wildness' who release' Ultimate Demise 'after a very good 'Wildness' in 2017 which rises to the same rank as the best melodic hard-rock band from Scandinavian countries.

Line Up / Musicians :
Erik Modin (Batterie), Erik Forsberg (Chant), Adam Holmström (Guitare), Marcus Sjösund (Basse), Pontus Sköld (Guitare)

https://www.facebook.com/wildnessofficial/

Signal Red - Alien Nation (10-16-2020)

It is still English who pointed the tip of their nose in 2018 with a first opus 'Under The Radar' not available on Spotify and which release at this end of 2020 their second studio recording 'Alen Nation'.

Line Up / Musicians :
Lee Small (Chant), Steve Grocott (Guitare, Claviers) + Invités : Daniel Zaman (Batterie), Steve Newman (Basse, Choeurs)

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012442478151

Atlas - Parallel Love (09-25-2020)

'Parallel Love' is the second album by English melodic rock band 'Atlas' who released their first album 'In Pursuit of Memory' in 2018 and which introduce progressive components here and there.

Line Up / Musicians :
Craig Wells (Chant), Howie Little (Guitare), James Thorley (Claviers), Christian Redfearn (Basse), Ryan Briggs (Batterie, Percussions)

https://www.facebook.com/atlasprojectuk/

Tygers Of Pan Tang - Ambush (09-18-2020)

The British of 'Tygers Of Pan Tang' already have quite a few flying hours since they were already active when 'Def Leppard' was at the height of their career and their first album 'Spellbound' will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2021. 'Ambush' is an album released in 2012 and remastered in 2020.

Line Up / Musicians :
Jacopo Meille (Chant), Dean Robertson (Guitare), Robb Weir (Guitare) , Gavin Gray (Basse), Craig Ellis (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/tygersofpantangofficial

Hell In the Club - Hell of Fame (09-04-2020)

With the album 'Heel of Fame', we are heading to Italy with the 5th album of 'Hell In the Club', a group formed in 2009 and whose last 'See You on the Dark Side' has been released in 2017.

Line Up / Musicians :
Davide « Dave » Moras (Chant), Andréa « Picco » Piccardi (Guitare), Andréa « Andy » Buratto (Basse), Marco Lazzarini (Batterie)

https://www.facebook.com/hellintheclub

Stormburst - Highway to Heaven (08-28-2020)

'Stormbust' is a Swedish band who released their 2nd studio album after 'Raised on Rock' en 2017. They embark us on a time machine that takes us back to the 1970s with direct, energetic and efficient good melodic hard-rock that can be enjoyed without moderation.

Line Up / Musicians :
Lars-Åke Nilsson (Chant), Kent Jansson (Basse), Pelle Hindén (Batterie), Thomas Hansson (Guitare), Peter Östling (Claviers)

https://www.facebook.com/stormburstoriginal/