Milan Polak (2005) "Dreamscapes"

Guitar virtuoso Milan Polak released Dreamscapes in 2005 via Lion Music. The CD shows a diversity in style ranging from hard rock to flamenco style to jazz and blues. The majority of the disc is uptempo rock in the vein of Steve Vai. While it is obvious that Polak was influenced by other shredders, he makes this recording his own. The best songs include "Panic Room" (a real earworm), "Girlfriends," and "Straight Ahead."

Milan Polak is recommended for fans of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson.

Milan Polak Official Website
Milan Polak Myspace Profile
Buy Dreamscapes on Amazon

Better Than Ezra (2005) "Before The Robots"

Nearly two and a half years have passed since Better Than Ezra released this disc, yet the music still stands as strong today as it did at its release. Only one single cracked any of the charts, and that was the US Adult Top 40 ("A Lifetime" went to #11). However, if you're reading this blog, you know that chart success does not necessarily equate to a band's quality. BTE doesn't rock out like other albums we feature here, but there is certainly a chemistry within the band on the recording and a musical talent that cannot be denied. The group wears its influences on its sleeve throughout this record, hearkening back to Lou Reed and David Essex on "A Southern Thang," as hints of U2 are sprinkled throughout "Overcome." The first track on the album, "Burned," is one of the best, and sounds more like BTE than any other song on the disc. It may not be as "Good" as their 1995 smash, but Better Than Ezra put together a quality recording on Before The Robots.

Better Than Ezra is recommended for fans of Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms, Third Eye Blind.

Better Than Ezra Official Website
Better Than Ezra Myspace Profile
Buy Before The Robots on Amazon

King Karma (2005) "King Karma"

Bluesy melodic hard rock...you could use that description when speaking of King Karma's self-titled debut, but it would leave so much out. You could compare them to Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, and a little bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but you'd still be missing some key ingredients. King Karma has a 1970s sound in the 21st century, yet they don't sound dated at all. There are hard rock tracks (the disc-opener "Breathe"), songs filled with blues riffs ("Mama's Pride"), and ballads ("I'm Listening"). Whatever you are looking for in a rock band, King Karma probably has you covered at one point or another.

Band members: Shaun Williamson (vocals), Markus Wolfe (guitars), Todd Ronning (bass), Rick Fedyk (drums)

King Karma is recommended for fans of 1970s hard rock.

King Karma Official Website
King Karma Myspace Profile
Buy King Karma on Amazon

Concert Review - Melodic Rock Fest (Oct 6 2007)

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of melodicrock.com, site owner Andrew McNeice decided to throw a birthday bash in South Bend, Indiana, inviting his readers and some very special friends on October 6, 2007.

The show kicked off at 2 p.m. with the "Melodic Rock All-Stars," featuring members of Eden's Curse, AdrianGale, Talon and other bands. They had just met each other approximately one hour before going on stage, and although there were a few miscues they did a very good job of opening the show, rocking through classics from Sammy Hagar, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and others. My favorite number was their inclusion of "We All Die Young," a song from the movie Rock Star.

Next up was Goodbye Thrill, a new artist on the Kivel Records label. A bit harder than the first group, but no less entertaining. While I generally dislike cover versions, they performed an old Journey song (I think it was "Don't Stop Believing," but I didn't write it down so correct me if I'm wrong), and they really put a new spin on it that I enjoyed. I was not familiar with their original material, but it was a good performance for a band I didn't know. (Official site)

The Martie Peters Group was third up, and did not disappoint. Again, I was not familiar with their music prior to the show, and couldn't tell you what they played, but they won me over. The lead singer reminded me of Cheap Trick's frontman, though the music was quite different. (Official site)

7th Heaven performed next, rocking through several original songs with great vocal hooks and guitar riffs. They closed their set with an awesome 27-minute medley of 27 different rock classics, touching Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Poison, and tons of other artists without missing a beat. This band is definitely one to keep an eye on. (Official site)

Kevin Chalfant began at about 6:30 p.m., wowing the crowd with a set of Journey classics, as well as songs from his previous bands The Storm, 707, and Two Fires. The similarities between his voice and Steve Perry's are amazing. Kevin gained a number of new fans with his performance. (Official site)

I'll be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to Jeff Scott Soto's set. I'm not familiar with his solo material, and wasn't sure what to expect after the Journey fallout earlier this year. However, if I ever have a chance to see him again I will. He rocked out with songs from his solo discs that were much harder than I expected, a great cover of Journey's "Separate Ways," "New Position" from the Soul SirkUS project, and "Stand Up And Shout" from the Rock Star movie. Joe Lynn Turner came out and sang a few songs with him also, which was a real treat to have two of the most underrated voices in rock share the stage. JSS kept the crowd energized throughout his set and was a great opener for the headlining act... (Official site)

...Scrap Metal. Comprised of Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, Mark Slaughter, and Kelly Keagy, Scrap Metal is the definition of "super group." Each song was performed by the original lead singer (Mark sang all the Slaughter songs; Kelly sang the Night Ranger tunes; etc.). Every song was well known by every audience member, and the special guests that appeared with Scrap Metal were spectacular: Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik (Survivor), Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, Kevin Chalfant, and Jack Blades (Night Ranger). (Myspace)

Mr. McNeice of melodicrock.com, you did good.

CRASHDÏET (2005) "Rest In Sleaze"

Rest In Sleaze is the 2005 debut album for Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET. The band is immensely popular among active members of "sleaze metal" forums, but they have a much wider appeal. When I first got this CD, I thought they sounded a lot like Dr. Feelgood-era Mötley Crüe. The disc is slickly produced, and there are hooks galore. The more I listened to it, the more it grew on me, and it is now one of my favorite albums (alongside such classics as Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction, Led Zeppelin IV, and Mötley Crüe Dr. Feelgood).

The album gives everything you would want from a hard rock band, from scorching guitar solos to a singer who has vocal range comparable to Mark Slaughter. The best songs on the disc are "Riot In Everyone," "Breakin' The Chainz" (my personal favorite), and the power ballad "It's A Miracle." CRASHDÏET even produced videos for these songs and "Knokk 'Em Down" (see below).

Band members: Dave Lepard (vocals/guitar)*, Martin Sweet (guitar), Peter London (bass), Eric Young (drums)

* In early 2006, Lepard took his own life. After much deliberation and consulting with Lepard's family, the band decided to continue on and added H. Olliver Twisted as vocalist. A new CD, The Unattractive Revolution, was released on October 3, 2007. Watch for a review in the near future right here at "Music You Missed."

CRASHDÏET is recommended for fans of Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Guns N' Roses.

CRASHDÏET Official Website
CRASHDÏET Myspace Profile
Buy CRASHDÏET Rest in Sleaze on Amazon

CRASHDÏET "Knokk 'Em Down"


CRASHDÏET "Riot In Everyone"


CRASHDÏET "Breakin' The Chainz"


CRASHDÏET "It's A Miracle"

Welcome to my blog

Here you will find brief reviews of rock albums, new and old, that you may have missed. The radio scene in the United States is dismal, with very few stations playing music by a variety of new rock bands. Sure, they'll pick up the new Linkin Park or Kid Rock, and there's nothing wrong with that. But they will completely ignore Pink Cream 69, Airbourne, and Goodbye Thrill. Even worse, programmers are turning their backs on classic artists who helped radio succeed years ago, like Ted Nugent and Night Ranger.

This blog is a small attempt to correct that, but I want to encourage you to take it a step further. If you discover a band that you like via this blog, start bugging your local radio stations to play that band! E-mail them, call them, write them letters! With the advent of the internet, you don't even have to restrict your mission to local stations. Tell these program directors that you are fed up with the lack of variety on rock radio today, and you demand them to change!

You will not find links to MP3 downloads here. There are plenty of blogs out there that do that, but give you no info about the artist. I'm going to tell you about the artist, give you links to their official website, Myspace profile, and Amazon product page. With these tools you can go to their official site to get more information about them, sample their music at Myspace, and support them by purchasing the CD if you like it.

I have a list of artists that I want to feature on this blog, but I will of course accept suggestions. Feel free to leave a comment and I will add your favorite unheard CDs to my list to hear. If you are in a band and would like me to review your disc, you can e-mail me with your info, and I'll send you my address so you can ship out a press kit and promo CD for me to hear.

While you patiently await my first review, I would like to encourage you to listen to a great radio station from the Cincinnati area. It is called ClassX and is located on the dial at 88.9 FM. But you can also listen to it on the internet via Shoutcast. Click here to listen or click here to find out more about the station, including a list of recently played songs.