Mark Diggins, Author at The Rockpit

ALBUM REVIEW: Archange – Flashback

13 August 2017 Mark Diggins

When you hear the first notes of opener ‘Walk All Over You’ you feel like you might be getting a melodic take on vintage AC/DC, but when the vocals kick in you get that Klaus […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Paisley – Late Bloomer

12 August 2017 Mark Diggins

From the opening strains of ‘Run, Run, Run’ you sort of know what to expect from Black Paisley – what you aren’t prepared for though is the quality of their take on vintage Hard Rock. […]

Official Statement – Ginger Wildheart’s forthcoming shows have been postponed

11 August 2017 Mark Diggins

It is with regret that due to serious ongoing issues with Ginger Wildheart’s mental health, we will be unable to fulfil any scheduled live appearances in the very near future. Ginger is currently hospitalised and […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Peter Kovary & The Royal Rebels – Halfway Till Morning

10 August 2017 Mark Diggins

It’s not too often we hear from Hungary, indeed my only real exposure to Hungarian music was the Folk music an old drunken Hungarian sailor used to sing in the biker pub I frequented as […]

The Radio Sun – Unstoppable cover art & release date

9 August 2017 Mark Diggins

Australian melodic hard rock band The Radio Sun will release their fourth full length album ‘Unstoppable’ on October 20th 2017. Vocalist Jase Old and guitarist Stevie Janevski have written a bunch of new catchy, well […]

ALBUM REVIEW – AOR – The Heart of L.A.

7 August 2017 Mark Diggins

I honestly don’t know how Frédéric Slama manages to keep putting out these AOR releases with such frequency and such consistent quality. Every time I look up there seems to be something new to review […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Rock Alliance – Rock Alliance

5 August 2017 Mark Diggins

Interesting release this one, a project set up by Canadian bassist Stewart Sutherland and with a press release suggesting the album might be for “fans of Journey, Boston, Aerosmith, Motley Crüe and Skid Row”. In truth […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Damn Freaks – Damn Freaks

4 August 2017 Mark Diggins

I really enjoyed the last Tygers of Pan Tang album so it was always going to be interesting to hear current Tyger’s vocalist Iacopo Meille’s other band. To bring you up to date here’s an […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Janet Gardner – Janet Gardner

2 August 2017 Mark Diggins

Bands from the 80’s these days tend to be written off out of hand by those pompous souls that thought Nirvana’s self obsessed misery dwelling really came out of the darkness and ‘spoke to us’. […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Shaman’s Harvest – Red Hands Black Deeds

1 August 2017 Mark Diggins

Dark, visceral, layered, vintage, organic, analogue, authentic and political. Shaman’s Harvest have always been a band to embrace music rather than merely regurgitate sounds in the hope of gaining nods of approval. They’re also a […]

INTERVIEW: Glenn Hughes – Classic Deep Purple Live

1 August 2017 Mark Diggins

‘The Voice of Rock’ is back in Australia for the second time in a year. After the amazing success earlier this year of ‘The Music of Cream’ which saw Glenn as special guest he’s now […]

Dan Reed Network confirmed as special guests on extreme’s December 2017 UK Tour

31 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Dan Reed Network are pleased to confirm they will be special guest on EXTREME’s December 2017 UK tour. The O2 Pre-sale starts Wednesday, 2 August at 9am, followed by a Live Nation Pre-sale on Thursday […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Moritz – About Time Too

31 July 2017 Mark Diggins

It’s interesting that the very next album I get for review after Cats in Space’s excellent ‘Scarecrow’ which features both Greg Hart and Andy Stewart from the original line up of Moritz is from that […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Status Quo – The Last Night of the Electrics

30 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Whatever you think of the music of Status Quo and whatever part it plays in your musical upbringing it’s hard to deny that they are a British institution, maybe not up there with roast dinners, […]

EUROPE Announce “Walk The Earth” Album, out October 20, 2017

30 July 2017 Mark Diggins

EUROPE are pleased to announce the release of a new studio album, Walk The Earth, out October 20, 2017. If EUROPE‘s 2015 album, War Of Kings, was the album that made the rock world realize […]

Full line up revealed for WinterStorm Festival in Troon, Scotland…

30 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Heavy Pettin’, The Quireboys, Syteria, and Rock Goddess added to 2017 line Up The organisers of WinterStorm 2017 in Troon, Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland have unveiled the remainder of the line up for […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Heart Saints – Alive

29 July 2017 Mark Diggins

First of all let’s get the peeves out of the way – this 13 track debut album is in reality just 10 tracks long and contains just 8 originals (‘intro’; ‘outro’ and ‘interlude’ you can […]

COLDSPELL – New album – A New World Arise released September 2017

29 July 2017 Mark Diggins

With three albums released so far the wait is over. Coldspell are ready to strike again with the brand new album titled “A New World Arise”. This is stunning recording that features 12 new songs […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Cats in Space – Scarecrow

28 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Whilst most bands that channel the Rock sounds of the 70’s take the easy option and the well-worn path of aping Sabbath or Zeppelin in all their muscular glory, there are some out there whose […]

The Magpie Salute gear up for debut U.S. tour kicking off July 26 in Indianapolis

26 July 2017 Mark Diggins

“The younger Robinson brother/ex Black Crowes man has struck gold with the Magpie Salute, and their proverbial star continues to grow with this bluesy rock’n’roll belter [‘Omission’]. Fuelled by rugged, hearty guitars, and stellar vocals […]

Rat Pak Records set to release Lynch Mob “The Brotherhood”

26 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Produced by Chris “The Wizard” Collier (Lynch Mob; Flotsam And Jetsam; Prong; KXM), “The Brotherhood” features eleven brand new hard rock tracks from Lynch Mob. This album will surely resonate with long time fans of […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Barb Wire Dolls – Rub My Mind

26 July 2017 Mark Diggins

Following up last year’s widely acclaimed ‘Desperate’ album so soon just shows the grit and determination of Barb Wire Dolls, it perhaps also shows that despite how good that album was it didn’t quite set […]

Blood Sweat & Beers – The Concert – National Tour

25 July 2017 Mark Diggins

After two years of hitting the road and, sweating it out with fans at regional shows around the country, Blood Sweat and Beers – The Concert is heading to the major cities on a national […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Inger Lorre – Live at the Viper Room

24 July 2017 Mark Diggins

There was a time at the end of the eighties and start of the nineties when, even before the rise of Grunge and the tumult of record label greed that stopped 80’s rock in its […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Mr Big – Defying Gravity

22 July 2017 Mark Diggins

I must admit that back in the day I never really got into Mr Big even though there were tracks like ‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind’ that were just sparks of real genius. The fact that […]