Melodic Rock Index: November 2018

State of Salazar - "Hold On Tonight" (Lyric Video)

From the album SUPERHERO.

FM - "Killed By Love" (Live Music Video)

From the album "The Italian Job".

Hot on the heels of their 10th studio album, ‘Atomic Generation’, the UK’s melodic rock finest FM started their tour cycle with a stunning appearance in front of the Frontiers Rock Festival crowd in Milan, Italy in April 2018.

FM offered up a set which included fan favourites and classic cuts taken from their first two albums, ‘Indiscreet’ and ’Tough It Out’, alongside cuts from recent releases ‘Heroes And Villains’ and the aforementioned ‘Atomic Generation’, plus surprise song choices such as the 1987 single ‘Let Love Be The Leader’ thrown into the mix.

The band’s performance was simply faultless and mind-blowing. The rhythm section of Pete Jupp and Merv Goldsworthy didn’t miss a beat, while Jem Davis produced rich sonic tapestries with his keyboards, Jim Kirkpatrick was absolutely amazing on guitar, and Mr. Steve Overland offered a breathtaking performance, showing the world why he is one of the truly legendary voices in rock.

“Knowing we were recording and filming the show, there was a lot more pressure than normal for this performance. But that aside, we knew the Italian fans and the fans who had travelled from around the world would not let us down. As you will see from the footage, it was a marvellous evening and they did indeed deliver us the energy we needed. We were blown away by the audience reaction. Fantastic crew and venue added to the overall energy. This is also the only live album that features some of the newer material from ‘Metropolis', ‘Rockville', 'Heroes & Villains' and 'Atomic Generation'. It is a good representation of where the band is today,” says bassist and founding member Merv Goldsworthy.

‘The Italian Job’ documents this show. An absolute gem of an album, it is unmissable not only for FM followers, but all fans of the melodic rock genre.

TRACKLISTING

1 Intro

2 Black Magic

3 I Belong To The Night

4 Life Is A Highway

5 Let Love Be The Leader

6 Someday (You’ll Come Running)

7 Killed By Love

8 Metropolis

9 Over You

10 Closer To Heaven

11 Does It Feel Like Love

12 Story Of My Life

13 Love Lies Dying

14 Bad Luck

15 Tough It Out

16 That Girl

17 Other Side Of Midnight

Steve Overland – vocals & guitar

Merv Goldsworthy – bass

Pete Jupp – drums

Jem Davis – keyboards

Jim Kirkpatrick – guitar

Toby Hitchcock - "Promise Me" (Official Music Video)

Powerhouse American vocalist Toby Hitchcock is back with a brand new solo album, “Reckoning”. The album was written and produced in collaboration with Swedish producer Daniel Flores (Find Me, The Murder Of My Sweet).

Toby first came to the attention of melodic rock fans when former Survivor founding member Jim Peterik hand-picked him to be the lead singer for Pride Of Lions, the band that would mark Jim's return to the rock scene.

With Pride of Lions, Toby has sung on five studio albums which are considered true classics among the melodic rock/AOR faithful. Often compared to Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), and Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Hitchcock’s voice has the depth, feeling and the feel of each of them, while still keeping his own identity and trademark.

When Pride of Lions took a small hiatus in 2011, Toby took the opportunity to hook up with Swedish songwriter/producer Erik Martensson (Eclipse, W.E.T., Ammunition) for his first solo album, “Mercury’s Down.” The album was a display of the talent of the two young guns, with Toby showing an unbelievable set of pipes on some heavier material, specially penned for him by Martensson.

In 2017, work on a new solo album started with Toby once again looking to Sweden for another exciting collaboration. Swedish producer Daniel Flores (Find Me, The Murder Of My Sweet) crafted a superb set of songs that are an absolute AOR gem of an album.

Toby Hitchcock says, "[b]eing able to record my second solo album was a big step for me. I didn’t want to be a “one hit wonder” type of artist. So I’m very thankful for the opportunity to record a sophomore album. Working on my own solo record is really a great way for me to be creative on my own, so it’s very satisfying, and I love the feeling. Both of my solo projects were produced by different artists. So they feel completely different. This is a great thing for music lovers, as it brings a different vibe. This allows me to really explore my vocals and just have a great time doing it. Both albums have been amazing to work on and I couldn’t be happier."

“Reckoning” is a must hear release for all melodic rock/AOR fans out there. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Jerome Mazza - Immortal Lyric Video

Jerome Mazza – Outlaw Son

Release Date: 23 November 2018

Catalogue No: ESM325

Bar Code: 5 031281 00325 6

Track list: Neverland 4:03 / Immortal 3:58 / The Dark Side 3:10 / Streets On Fire 5:03 / The Last Goodbye 4:38 / Undercover Love 4:08 / Song For The People 3:37 / Save The Best Til Last 3:38 / Crossfire 4:12 / Calm Before The Storm 4:00 / Outlaw Son 3:44 / Unfinished Business 3:19

Jerome Mazza – Lead & Background vocals

Tommy Denander – Guitars / Keyboards

Steve Overland – Backing vocals

Brian Anthony – Bass

Chris Metzger – Drums / percussion

Produced by Khalil Turk & Tommy Denander

Mixed and Mastered by Brian J Anthony

Executive Producer: Khalil Turk for Escape Music Ltd.

Jerome Mazza is a singer / songwriter born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania.

At the age of 8 he taught himself how to play the guitar and sing after being influenced by guitarist and singer Mark Farner (Grand Funk).

Playing guitar and singing through his teenage years Jerome joined his first band at age 19 and toured the east coast in various rock and pop bands. He started writing songs at age 25 and was very influenced by progressive rock band Kansas.

In 1990 Jerome became the vocalist for Christian metal band Angelica. To this day the album “Walking in Faith” by Angelica remains their most respected release.

Moving on to 2015 Jerome recorded a solo album and then joined forces with Torben Enevoldsen for the band “Pinnacle Point”. It was at this point that Khalil from Escape Music approached Jerome when he discovered him on YouTube singing for the band “Pinnacle Point”. Khalil invited Jerome to sing duet with Steve Walsh on the song “Born In Fire” on the new Steve Walsh CD “Black Butterfly” (Nov 2017 ESM311). Jerome’s performance was so outstanding that Khalil asked him to be a guest to sing additional songs on the Steve Walsh “Black Butterfly” album. It was an easy decision for Jerome to make and the result was explosive!

It became obvious that Jerome should record a new solo album and here it is in all its glory! This is a masterpiece of melodic rock featuring Jerome’s incredible vocal range. With backing from musicians that were also featured on the Steve Walsh “Black Butterfly” album, this will be one of the most talked about releases of the year!