Access Control with Mark St. John
Lit Soul Front-Man: ROB CHEVELLE
BallBuster MusicBallBuster Music
I'm a Swedish guitarist, writer, and record collector. I've recorded a bunch of albums/C.D.s with bands like OVERDRIVE, LOCOMOTIVE BREATH, BALLS, MOUNTAIN OF POWER, ZELLO, PLANET ALLIANCE, plus made guest appearances on stuff by NARNIA, AUDIOVISION, CHRIS CATENA, FAITH, BLINDED COLONY, THALAMUS, M.O.B., TOWER OF STONE, VII GATES, etc. I'm currently involved in the following bands/projects: GRAND DESIGN, MOUNTAIN OF POWER, OVERDRIVE, ZOOM CLUB, and CONSTANCIA. I've been writing for magazines like FUZZ, Backstage, Kool Kat News, Hard Roxx, Sweden Rock Magazine, etc. I still write for metalcentral.net, BallBusterMusic.com and metalcovenant.com, plus I'm the author of the three volumes of "The Encyclopedia of Swedish Hard Rock And Heavy Metal"! I have a lovely wife, two crazy cats and two beautiful daughters.
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Subscribe >Greece’s most prolific rocker is at it again! Stavros delivers album after album with various projects and bands. Super Vintage hears him rock out in riff-rock land. “Guardians Of Tradition” is his sixth album with Super Vintage. The album kicks off with the groovy sleazy blues rocker “Southern Ride”, which leaves off to the Blackfoot-sounding […]
Magic Music – Year: 2021 Country: Sweden Swedish blues rock guitarist Jan Gerfast has been around for quite a few years. He released his first album, “Rollin’ With The Blues,” in 1992, and this is his 9th album (counting the “Electric Power Blues” compilation on Grooveyard Records). The new CD starts lazy with the track […]
Already in the opening track, “Together We Run,” I start looking through the promo material to see if Journey has changed the lead singer. Arnel doesn’t really sound like he used to! A bit raspier, a bit scarred, which I’ve never heard before. To be honest, I have no complaints about it at all! It […]
Swedish quartet Cirkus Prütz (named after something as unusual as the bass player! Well, there’s gotta be a first, nudge nudge wink wink) now releases their second album, and already the opening numbers make you happy. Highly addictive boogie rock with the diesel tank filled to the brim. The band is fronted by The Quill […]
Last Chance is the new US-based hard rock band featuring singer Frankie Rage, guitarist Dave Baron, bass player Rob Phillips, and drummer Jordan Cannata.“Light The Fire” kicks off the album in an 80-oozing sleaze-oriented vein, with an almost punky vibe to it, a bit like MC5 meets early Skid Row (the US band that is). […]
King’s X has been one of my absolute favorite bands ever since I first heard “Gretchen Goes To Nebraska.” I shall, however, admit that there are a few albums I still haven’t fully taken to heart, “Welcome Home Mr. Bulbus” and “Manic Moonlight,” but I haven’t written them off. There have happened way more on […]
I’ve always had a soft spot for Australian hard rock ever since I heard Stevie Wright’s “Evie” back in 1974. Soon enough, AC/DC popped up, and on it went with bands like Rabbitt, Taste, and later on excellent bands like Tracer, Electric Mary, Wolfmother, and Twenty Two Hundred. Add a heavy Roller to this lot. […]
One of Greece’s most brutal working men is, without a doubt, Stavos Papadopulos. Guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, singer, producer, recording engineer, mastering engineer, and songwriter. His name is found in bands like Universal Hippies, Hard Driver, Freerock Saints, and Super Vintage och Revolution Highway. King Mountain is another one, and it rests on the sacred grounds […]
Greece has presented some good stuff now and then, unfortunately not that often. However, there have been many good things in the last 6-7 years, with a friendly 70s vibe coming out with bands like Universal Hippies, King Mountain, Hard Driver, Freerock Saints, and Super Vintage. One guy has a finger in each pies, guitarist, […]
Not sure why Argentina, of all countries, seems to have fertile soil for retro/stoner rock, but here you’ll find excellent bands like Mephistopheles and Sahara and also Fulanno. Hash Negro En Las Misas Fúnebres was originally released in 2016, but then only in digital format. Now, Helter Skelter (sub-label of Swedish Regain Records) has finally […]
Stygian Fair from Umeå made their debut in 2017 with the EP ”Into The Coven,” and the year after, they released the debut album “Panta Rei”, followed by “Nadir” in 2019. Now they have produced their third album “Equilibrium”. I shall admit I have missed out on the band’s previous releases, but after having digested […]
Swedish band Perpetual Etude boasts former bands like Dionysus, Treasure Land, Air Raid, Nation, Stormwind, etc. Musically Perpetual Etude is not that far from them (except maybe Air Raid). Opening track “I’ve Got The Power” immediately kicks off with a Strat that sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen, but keeping in mind what Mr. Malmsteen has released […]
If you’re a fan of the Tony Martin era Black Sabbath, here’s a band you definitely shouldn’t miss out on! Swedish quartet The Sonic Overlords (who do their name justice) is fronted by singer Marcus Zachrisson Rubin with Morgan Zocek (Sideburn) on guitar, Daniel Ramirez on bass, and Per Soläng (Corroded) behind the drums. The […]
This is not the Swedish heavy metal band; this is the original Air Raid, the 1980s US pomp rock band fronted by Arthur Offen and Rick Hinkle on guitar. Yes, they are back! Air Raid only made one self-titled album back in 1981, but boy, what an album. After some silent years, Arthur came back […]
Phil Vincent has several releases on his conscience. In 2019-2020 alone, he has released many albums with Tragik, Legion, and D’Ercole, and here comes his ninth (!) solo album. His solo album is pure melodic hard rock/ AOR. His solo album is pure melodic hard rock/ AOR; His other bands and projects lean in different […]
Greek singer/guitarist/producer/mastering engineer Stavros Papadopoulos is one of the most active persons I know! He releases a never-ending stream of albums by bands like Universal Hippies, King Mountain, Free rock Saints, Super Vintage, Shadowplay Project, and solo artist. The common thread for all of Stavros’ bands and projects in the 70s. The riffs, the sound, […]
The first riff of the opening track,” Damned,” makes your sense of a smell of diesel. Straight ahead, uncomplicated, hard-driving blues-based hard rock ‘n roll. If the season had been right for it, this one would crave on an open cab and a motorway—a very nice start on Swedish hard rockers Black Paisley’s third effort. […]
Gudars Skymning (”Dawning of the Gods” or more like ”Holy Shit!!”) is one of the many high-quality Swedish retro-rock bands. On their seventh album, they have, however, taken a slightly different path. It’s still retro, still fat riffs, and always in Swedish, but “Olycksfågel” (a person with bad luck) is a concept album. The songs, […]
Classic Swedish hard rockers Shaggy released an outstanding album already back in 1975 and then fell off the earth, to return in 2012 with the equally exceptional album “Destination Nowhere.” Fighting Angels And Demons then followed this album”, was a double album, divided into two releases. The first one was stellar, so now that part […]
I’ve been a fan of Kansas since the early seventies, and I’ve followed the bands through their ups and downs. From the progressive and orchestral first Steve Walsh period, via the more easily accessible melodic John Elefante era, the Steve Morse-era, back to the slightly uneven second Steve Walsh period. After Steve Walsh decided to […]
Mr. Quinn is a Swedish hard rock band from the Västerbotten region (up north).” Walking Through The Fire” is the band’s third album, and just like on the predecessors, the group has its feet firmly tucked down in the classic hard rock soil. The band members grew up with bands like Rainbow, Deep Purple, and […]
Sapphire Eyes, based in the south of Sweden, now release their third album. This project started after keyboard player Niclas Olsson put his old band Alyson Avenue on the shelf, and 2011 it became a reality. The year after, the debut album saw the light of day. In 2018 the follow up “Breath of […]
My favorite Swedish melodic proggers are back!!! YES!! The band’s new EP (hopefully just a taste of what’s to come) is a 5-track release in a nice digipack. Opener “Ruler Of The World” throws us straight back to A.C.T in their prime. Poppy, proggy, melodic, rocking, the perfect mix! “Running Out Of Luck” continues in […]
UK three-piece Coldharbour has just released their debut EP, and it’s a pretty nice installment, I must say. Stylewise, they are a bit hard to pinpoint (which I like). There’s a bit of metal, a bit of prog, a bit of post-grunge, a bit of metalcore, a slice of nu-metal and various other bits and […]
If you have read my review of Swedish hard rockers Shaggy’s pompy/proggy return album “Destination Nowhere”, you noticed I said I was expecting a hard/heavy rock album, but instead they went proggy/pompy. Well, THIS album is actually what I would have expected. Opening track “Black Hearted Angel” kicks off in a full-throttle Heep/Purple vein with […]
FINALLY!!!! G’daaaam! I’ve been waiting for this 70s classic to be released on CD since Moses was running around in shorts. Rockicks classic album “Inside” was released on RSO Records back in 1976 and I purchased the LP then. The band delivers a big chunk of southern influenced hard rock with dual guitars all over […]
Angeline formed in 1987 and released a 12” EP in 1990. Their release schedule has however made even Def Leppard look busy. But around 2010 things started happening (and more frequently). “Confessions” was released in 2010 and “Disconnected” in 2011, but unfortunately the label (Avenue of Allies) went bust, and it took until 2018 for […]
Metalville Records (Sweden) Swedish Riot Horse follow their debut “This Is Who We Are” with another slab of southern style retro hard rock. The title track opens the album with an outstanding punchy and powerful Led Zeppelin goes Texas heavy rocker. There are a couple of songs in this vein, but overall this album is […]
The Deep is a prime example that the UK is still bringing kick-ass NWoBHM bands to the table. The 2015 release “premonition” really blew me away, and even though this EP (well, it’s four new tracks and four live tracks, so an EP with bonus tracks), came out already in 2018 it’s still highly current. […]