“Sentience” is the latest EP to be released by English band Skarlett Riot and follows on from “We Are The Brave” which I posted a recommendation for in February 2015. “Sentience” is released on 2nd May. There are a lot of young rock bands out there; all doing their own style of rock music, and all with their own predominantly younger (than me) fan base. There are a lot of those younger bands that I find trouble connecting with musically, but there are a lot of others that I really like. Skarlett Riot and their brand of rock definitely fall into that second category and I’ve been a fan since first hearing them. Should they ever make their way over to Belfast you’ll find me at the gig – possibly standing off to the side or at the back, but definitely enjoying the experience!
NWOBHM legends Diamond Head recently released their first album since 2007. The self-titled album was released through Dissonance Productions on 22nd April. Guitarist Brian Tatler was my guest on the Friday NI Rocks Show on the same day - http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2575-ni-rocks-interview-with-brian-tatler-of-diamond-head.html - and we chatted about the new album and played three tracks from it. Diamond Head play a number of gigs and festivals before returning to Belfast in September to play a gig in Voodoo. There are also gigs in Dublin and Limerick.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends "Diamond Head" by DIAMOND HEAD
“Like a Phoenix” is the debut album from Epic and it was released on 22nd April via Escape Music. It doesn’t take a lot of listening to the album to realise what an awesome voice lead singer Tanya Rizkala has. There is an unmistakable 80’s classic rock vibe to the album and the quality of her vocals is a big reason for that, and also for the strength of the album itself. I played the track “All I Need” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 1st April and the title track is included on the Show broadcast on 29th April.
The Defiants released their self-titled debut album through Frontiers Music on 15th April. The driving force behind The Defiants are three current or former members of Danger Danger, including singer Paul Laine who had replaced Ted Poley in the band from 1993 – 2004. The three were only together in Danger Danger for a short period, but they have come together now to release an album that will appeal to anyone who has a taste for that classic melodic hard rock sound. The track "Love And Bullets" is included on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 29th April.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends "The Defiants" by THE DEFIANTS