_{A regular feature highlighting some of the best album releases each month. I don’t do album “reviews” – this is simply a personal recommendation to check out an album - just a few words about the albums that appeal to me and about the artists releasing them. These will also be albums from which I’ll have been playing tracks on the Friday NI Rocks Shows recently. This month it includes albums from Silver Horses, New Horizon, Atlantis Drive, Xeneris, Shotgun Mistress, Maverick, Black Dog Moon, Sunbomb and Robert Jon & The Wreck.}

 

_{SILVER HORSES – “Electric Omega” – Bad Reputation 7^th June}

_{Italian band Silver Horses released their third album, “Electric Omega” through Bad Reputation Records on 7^th June. The band features Tygers of Pan Tang frontman Jacopo Jack Meille on vocals. The track “Looking So Good” featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 21^st June, followed by “Black Hawk Dawn” on 5^th July.}

 

_{The band’s first album in 2012 featured Tony Martin on vocals and he contributed to a few tracks on the second album “Tick” in 2017; alongside Meille. The other members of the band are Gianluca Galli on guitars and keyboard, Andrea Castelli on bass and Matteo Bona Bonini on drums.}

 

_{Website - https://www.silverhorses.net/}

 

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_{NEW HORIZON – “Conquerors” – Frontiers 14^th June}

_{New Horizon is a band formed by Swedish guitarist Jona Tee in 2020. The band’s first album in 2022 featured singer Erik Grönwall (now ex H.E.A.T. and ex Skid Row). The second album, “Conquerors”, which was released by Frontiers on 14^th June features singer Nils Molin from Amaranthe and Dynazty.}

 

_{The track “Daimyo” featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show in March and “Shadow Warrior” on 14^th June.}

 

_{Jona Tee plays guitar, bass and keyboards on the album with Georg Härnsten Egg playing the drums. Amaranthe singer Elize Ryd provides lead vocals on the track “Before The Dawn” and there are guest guitar solo slots from Love Magnusson, Daniel Johansson and Laucha Fugueroa.}

 

_{Website - https://newhorizon.se/}

 

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_{ATLANTIS DRIVE – “Atlantis Drive” – Pride & Joy 14^th June}

_{Atlantis Drive was formed by German guitarist Markus Pfeiffer and it features Mark Boals on vocals. The band’s self-titled debut album was released by Pride & Joy Music on 14^th June. The track “When Back When” was featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 17^th May, followed by “Medusa Smile” on 14^th June.}

 

_{Pfeiffer plays guitar and bass on the album, with Jorris Guilbaud on keyboards and Markus Kullman on drums.}

 

_{Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/atlantisdrivemusic}

 

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_{XENERIS – “Eternal Rising” – Frontiers 14^th June}

_{Italian symphonic metal band Xeneris released their debut album “Eternal Rising” through Frontiers Music on 14^th June. The track “Barbarossa” was featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 24^th May.}

 

_{Xeneris are Maryan on vocals, Federico Paolini on guitar, Roberto Donati on bass and Stefano Livieri on drums.}

 

_{Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Xeneris}

 

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_{SHOTGUN MISTRESS – “Kings of the Revolution” 14^th June}

_{“Kings of the Revolution” is the second album from Australian band Shotgun Mistress and it was released independently on 14^th June. The lead-off single “Jude Judas” was featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show in January and the album title track was included on the Show on 21^st June.}

 

_{The band formed in 2018 and released their self-titled debut album through Crusader Records in 2021. The line-up features Glenn Patrick on vocals, Matt Wilcock on guitar, ‘Diamond’ Dave Lee on drums and Ben Curnow on bass. The track “Mary Jane” features guest vocals from Rusty Brown of Electric Mary.}

 

_{Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/shotgunmistress}

 

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_{MAVERICK – “Silver Tongue” – Metalapolis 21^st June}

_{Local band Maverick released their fifth album “Silver Tongue”, through Metalapolis Records on 21^st June. The album includes a cover of “We All Die Young” which we first featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show back in September and then again in February (on the A-Z Show and Friday Show). More recent singles include “Sweet Surrender” (March), “Bloody Mary” (April) and “Time” (May), whilst the tracks Daywalker” (21^st June) and “Cheyenne (5^th July) have featured on the Show since.}

 

_{The band released their debut EP “Talk’s Cheap” back in 2013, followed by their debut album “Quid Pro Quo” the following year. They then signed with Metalapolis Records for the release of their second album “Big Red” in 2016 and have remained with them since.}

 

_{The current line-up features David Balfour on vocals, Ryan Balfour and Ric Cardwell on guitars, Richie Diver on bass and Mike Ross on drums.}

 

_{Singer David Balfour was a guest on the Show back in 2016 when “Big Red” was released - https://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2785-ni-rocks-interview-with-david-balfour-from-maverick}

 

_{Website - https://www.maverickofficial.co.uk/}

 

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_{BLACK DOG MOON – “Black Dog Moon” -  28^th June}

_{Local band Black Dog Moon released their self-titled debut album on 28^th June. We started featuring tracks as far back as January 2023 and so far we’ve played 5 of the 9 tracks on the album. “Stand” (3 times), “Mr Trauma” (4 times), “Black Dog Moon” (3 times), “The Free Wind” and “River Maiden” have all featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show.}

 

_{The current Black Dog Moon line-up features Conal Montgomery on vocals, Daniel Martin and Dylan Kelly on guitar, Nicky Brown on bass and Stevie Glackin on drums. Initial recordings featured guitarist Robert Lyons as well as Marty Galbraith on drums.}

 

_{Conal was a guest on the Friday NI Rocks Show back in 2019 when he released his solo album “Happy Being Free” - https://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/3702-ni-rocks-interview-with-conal-montgomery}

 

_{Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090149589998}

 

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_{SUNBOMB – “Light Up The Sky” - Frontiers 28^th June}

_{Sunbomb is a collaboration between singer Michael Sweet from Stryper and guitarist Tracii Guns from L.A. Guns. They released their second album, “Light Up The Sky”, through Frontiers Music on 28^th June. The partnership started back in 2019 and their debut album, “Evil and Divine” was released in 2021.}

 

_{Three tracks from the new album have featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show so far – “Unbreakable” in April, “Steel Hearts” on 24^th May and “Light Up The Skies” on 28^th June.}

 

_{The album also features Adam Hamilton on drums and Mitch Davis on bass.}

 

_{Both Tracii and Michael were guests on the Friday NI Rocks Show in 2015 - https://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2196-ni-rocks-interview-with-tracii-guns / https://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2282-ni-rocks-interview-with-michael-sweet-from-stryper}

 

_{Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SunbombMetal}

 

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_{ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – “Red Moon Rising” – Journeyman Records 28^th June}

_{Robert Jon & The Wreck are a blues / southern rock band from California that has now released nine albums since forming in 2011. The latest of those is “Red Moon Rising” which was released through Journeyman Records on 28^th June.}

 

_{The track “Hold On” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show in October, followed by “Red Moon Rising” in February, “Trouble” on 31^st May and “Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man” on 5^th July.}

 

_{Robert Jon & The Wreck are Robert Jon Burrison on lead vocals and guitar, Andrew Espantman on drums, Henry James Schneekluth on lead guitar, Warren Murrel on bass and Jake Abernathie on keyboards.}

 

_{Website - https://robertjonandthewreck.com/}