R&RR Takes on Frontiers Records’ Latest Releases

The rise of grunge in the early ’90s catalyzed the demise of many beloved (and equally bemoaned) glam ‘hairbands’. It was a time of bonehead lyrics, ridiculous guitar solos and even more ridiculous outfits, but it was also a time of big fat hooks, sticky melodies and boatloads of harmonies. The songs were “carefree rock” that, in most cases, were just plain fun to listen to. Like them or not, their popularity at the time cannot be denied.

As most of these million-selling artists were suddenly driven from the Billboard charts and shunned by their record labels, a small label called CMC International stepped up to become the afterlife for hairbands. This allowed a handful of them to continue releasing records through the ’90s, but many groups caved to musical fads; attempting to incorporate grunge and alternative rock at the expense of the sugary melodies and easy-to-understand lyrics that had earned them fans in the first place. By the end of the ’90s “big hair rock” was clearly dead and it seemed to have taken AOR with it.

So here we are, ten years on, and we’re seeing new labels like Italy’s Frontiers Records proudly releasing AOR and glam rock like it was still 1989. This is a real treat for those who miss the days of Slaughter, Poison and Warrant, and there is a niche of 30- and 40-somethings that will gladly shell over their cash to hear some new blood bring life back to this genre. Frontiers Records champions new bands that have taken up the glam baton, as well as “classic” bands that are still alive and kickin’, and for this week’s spotlight we delve into some of Frontiers’ latest releases from Keel, Jaded Heart, Wig Wam and Blanc Faces.
Read the story »

Omega Crom unveil their ripping metal debut – Blood, Steel & Fire – and hit the road in support

Officially unleashing their debut album – Blood, Steel & Fire – on April 5th via Reversed Records, Vancouver’s Omega Crom have already begun their trek across the great and vast land they call home and are promising to hold nothing back as they tour Canada from West to East.

The Vancouver-based metal lords have been an integral part of the underground scene for many years and have managed to build a solid following thanks to their self-created genre of ripping metal: a progressive blend of power metal, aggressive death, shred and thrash. Read the story »

CD Review: Big Star – #1 Record/Radio City (Stax/Concord Records)

In memory of the legendary Alex Chilton who passed away this week we are republishing Scott Homewood’s Big Star double review that originally ran on July 14, 2009. If you are not familiar with Big Star and the work of Alex Chilton I urge you to become familiar with it now. It’s better late than never. ed

What can be written about this bedeviled band that hasn’t been already? Besides maybe Badfinger, Big Star is the most romanticized rock and roll failure ever to release an album. Yet to call them failures doesn’t do the band justice as not only has the band released three of the most controversial and influential albums in rock and roll history but a version of them still performs today and has released an album of new material as recently as last year. That only two of original members still perform under the Big Star name (Singer/songwriter/legend Alex Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens are augmented onstage by two of the semi-defunct alt-pop band The Posies, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow) makes no difference as the replacements found for the departed members mesh perfectly with the surviving members of the band and in retrospect were the perfect choices to revive the band when Chilton got the idea to jumpstart Big Star in the early ’90’s.

Read the story »