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Anglo-French guitarist, singer-songwriter, Laura Cox first came to the public’s attention via YouTube, accumulating over one million views. She backed that up with three excellent studio albums: ‘Hard Blues Shot’ (2017), ‘Burning Bright’ (2019) and ‘Head Above Water’ (2023). Cox now returns with album number four, ‘Trouble Coming’.

It’s a strange thing to write that a band formed forty years ago have just released, in essence, their third album, but in Roulette’s case, it’s true! Why the wait, you may ask?

‘Weirdo’ is the eleventh release from Finnish Rock band The Rasmus, coming some three years after previous release ‘Rise’. The line-up has remained steady for the last few albums with ever-presents Lauri Ylönen on vocals and Eero Heinonen on bass, with Emilia “Emppu” Suhonen on guitar and Aki Hakala on drums.

The theme of the album is all about an eighties movie called ‘The Switch’, which concerns a band touring the US that get mixed up with mobsters, and in the end they have to “swap guitars for deadly weapons and end up in the ultimate fight for survival.” It’s a crackerjack premise and a really novel idea, but in the end it has to be about the quality of the music.

It’s been over three years since Bryan Adams last studio record – 2022’s ‘So Happy It Hurts’ – but he’s remained busy with two years of touring plus the two three-disc Royal Albert Hall live albums in 2023 and 2024.

It’s amazing when you think how FM’s career has unfolded; surfacing in the mid-eighties and spending ten years as the undoubted darlings of the UK Melodic Rock scene before splitting up in 1995, then re-surfacing twelve years later to perform what was originally intended as a one-off reunion show at 2007’s Firefest festival. The overwhelming reaction ensured that the decision to reunite would be made permanent, but who would have thought that they would have subsequently cont

We all have our ultimate heroes; Alice Cooper is mine, has been since the seventies, in all his incarnations, all eras… even the so-called blackout period. I was more than excited to be offered this review, but my excitement was tinged with anxiety and apprehension. With The Alice Cooper Band back together for the first time in fifty years it was a dream, but could it become a nightmare?

‘Some Kind Of Feeling’ is the sixth studio album by guitarist, singer and songwriter Orianthi. When it comes to her curriculum vitae, there are very few that can match that of the Australian, Orianthi Penny Panagaris. The ultra-talented musician was hired by the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, for his London performances before his untimely death, and has also performed with Alice Cooper, Dave Stewart, Steve Vai and Richie Sambora (RSO), to name but a few.

Powerhill hail from Switzerland and create self- proclaimed Farm Metal! These Hard Rockers don’t take themselves too seriously and are proud flag waving Gen X’ers who are lovers of the eighties Rock scene – which is abundantly clear in their music. Before you ask what is “Farm Metal”, it is more of a term coined by the band for their tongue-in-cheek approach to their music rather than a definable sound.

Welsh quintet Those Damn Crows have been causing quite a buzz on the Rock scene. This Modern Rock band is the antithesis of the New Wave Of Classic Rock that has gained popularity in recent times, offering something different and more contemporary whilst retaining a sense of melody.

If you like your favourite bands to develop and evolve, to write about real life experiences, tour often and hard and produce a blend of Blues, Southern Rock with incredible talent, then stop right now. This is exactly where you need to be.

Move aside pretenders! The king of Punk-Rock is back and kicking arse as he reclaims his throne! The legend that is Billy Idol returns with his first full-length album in over a decade, and it’s sublime! It’s reminiscing Billy, it’s rebellious Billy, it’s “I don’t give a shit” Billy, it’s “Billy Fucking Idol”, and I love him for it!

Helloween are a German Power Metal band, and if you need any more intro than that you are definitely reading the wrong magazine. Often credited as the fathers of European Melodic Power Metal, they are one of those bands that has ebbed and flowed quality wise, but always seem to come back stronger, as on their 2021 self titled album, one of their best since forming in 1984.

I’d lost touch a bit with Haren Scarem during the last decade, listening to releases but not having the time to fully digest them (a future joy to come). I decided to rectify that by reviewing their new sixteenth studio release, a decision helped by also covering their recent cracking London show; I am so glad I did. Ihave many favourite songs across their discography, but none come close to matching the amazing self-titled debut and sophomore stunner ‘Mood Swings’, but I’ll

What do you get if you take the shock and awe of Alice Cooper, the Goth-infused melancholy of bands like HIM or My Dying Bride, the classic Rock and Metal riffs of the seventies and eighties, and a stirring affinity for timeless melodies á la Def Leppard in their prime? The answer to that particularly vexing conundrum is Sweden’s Ghost, arguably the hottest property in any delineation of Melodic Rock right now.

Star Circus’s sophomore album, ‘From The Wreckage’, cements the UK hard rockers’ reputation as one of the most inventive and emotionally resonant acts on the current scene. Led by Dave Winkler, the band delivers a collection that’s both a love letter to classic Hard Rock and a bold step into new musical territory, blending AOR sheen and nineties American Power Pop influences reminiscent of San Francisco’s cult heroes Jellyfish.

Yes, part of this album talks about the way not so many people buy The Darkness albums any more, and it feels like since they returned in 2012 with the wonderfully named ‘Hot Cakes’, their albums have been sadly overlooked but fantastic quality.

Sign Of The Wolf is the brainchild of Fireworks Editor Bruce Mee, who along with Fredrik Folkare (Eclipse, Nordic Union) set out to write an album in the style of the seminal classic Dio-fronted albums of the mid-seventies and early-eighties.

Full of great songs and skits, blistering riffs and melodies, it’s fair to say that Lapland’s foremost Metal group have released an absolute monster with their latest album!

Gotthard are certainly a band that divide opinions these days, since vocalist Nic Maeder joined the band in 2014, but I have always had a soft spot for them.