Joe Satriani-Not Of This Earth (1986)

"Not Of This Earth" is the debut album by guitarist Joe Satriani, aptly dubbed one of the greatest guitar heroes of the late 20th century. In his early years, Satriani combined teaching guitar with performing as a professional musician. Great guitarists like Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Steve Vai, and Alex Skolnick were among his students, many of whom went on to achieve fame. Although always associated with heavy metal and classic hard rock, Satriani has experimented with other styles such as jazz rock, blues, and progressive rock. On "Not Of This Earth", the New York native showcases his stylistic diversity with a work brimming with ethereal atmospheres, serpentine rhythms, and a devastating rhythm section with a clear funk undercurrent. This atmospheric funk rock is present in tracks like "The Snake", while the captivating "Hordes Of Locutus" displays his hard rock prowess. Other tracks like the relaxed "Rubina" and "New Day" also showcase Satriani's remarkable sensitivity on the six strings. The rest of the album maintains a high level of technical and virtuosic instrumental skill; songs like the rocking "The Enigmatic" and the virtuosic "The Headless Horseman" ultimately create an essential and highly recommended work for electric guitar enthusiasts.

Max Webster-Mutiny Up My Sleeve (1978)

With their third album, "Mutiny Up My Sleeve", Max Webster cemented their status as a key figure in the Canadian progressive hard rock scene. Although always somewhat overshadowed by more mainstream Canadian bands like Saga and Rush, Max Webster forged a strong reputation in their home country and even crossed borders, finding success in the North American and Japanese markets. "Mutiny Up My Sleeve" was the band's most reflective work to date, with clear progressive influences. Here, the band, led by Kim Mitchell, presented a less intriguing sound compared to their first two releases, while simultaneously crafting more mature and rewarding compositions. Songs like the rhythmic "The Party", the melancholic "Water Me Down", the stirring "Astonish Me", and the progressive "Beyond The Moon" propelled an album that would make a significant impact on the charts and definitively solidify the career of this formidable Canadian band.

Blues Creation-Demon & Eleven Children (1971)

Another interesting project to emerge from Japan was Blues Creation, a band led by guitarist Kazuo Takeda, who secured the valuable collaboration of Cream producer Felix Pappalardi. This band followed the typical evolution of the British blues-rock sound of the late 1960s. Besides Takeda, Blues Creation consisted of vocalist Hirami Ohsawa, bassist Masashi Saeki, and drummer Masayuki Higuchi. Much of the band's power stemmed from the guitarist's virtuosity; he came to be revered as a major influence on the development of Japanese rock and enjoyed a long career as a session musician in both Japan and the United States. In 1971, under the Denon label, a subsidiary of Columbia Nippon at the time, they released their second album, "Demon & Eleven Children", showcasing a powerful, heavy hard rock sound with hints of psychedelia, heavy rock, and blues. They had previously released a self-titled debut album composed entirely of rock covers. Not as eccentric as their compatriots Flower Travellin' Band and less heavy prog than Murasaki, Blues Creation focused on heavy sounds very close to what their British contemporaries like Black Sabbath or the American band Blue Cheer were doing at the time. This second album features incendiary hard rock tracks like the opening and powerful "Atomic Bombs Away", psychedelic boogie-rock cuts like "Mississippi Mountain Blues", progressive blues like "Sorrow", and the guitar tour de force of "Demon & Eleven Children".

Cactus-Cactus (1970)

The debut album by the American band Cactus is a true classic of American rock, considered a revered cult record today. While guitarist Jeff Beck was originally chosen to join the band, he was ultimately replaced by Jim McCarty due to a car accident. McCarty, along with the group's founders bassist Tim Bogert, drummer Carmine Appice, and vocalist Rusty Day, recorded this debut album. Comprising six songs written by the band themselves plus two covers, it is an extraordinary sonic document of the best American rock of the early 70s. Thrilling tracks like "Parchman Farm", a frenetic version of Mose Allison's," soul/rock sounds like "My Lady From South of Detroit", heavy blues rock like "You Can't Judge A Book by The Cover", another original cover, this time by Willie Dixon, lysergic hard rock like "Feel So Good", "Let Me Swim", and "Oleo", or portions of great blues like "No Need To Worry", close an album as legendary as the band that created it.

Budgie-If I Were Brittania I´d Waive The Rules (1976)

During their early period, the Welsh band Budgie recorded their most classic albums, a time when they showcased their heavy rock and blues rock side infused with progressive elements. In this vein, they released magnificent works such as "Budgie" (1971), "Squawk" (1972), "Never Turn Your Back on a Friend" (1973), and "In For The Kill" (1974). A year later, with "Bandolier", the Cardiff-based group began their transition towards a more predictable, solid hard rock sound, while still maintaining progressive structures but lacking the creativity of their earlier work. With their next album, "If I Were Britannia I'd Waive The Rules", the band definitively abandoned those complex compositions in favor of a more eclectic style that evolved into the generic hard rock they had begun exploring with its predecessor. Even so, there are some very enjoyable tracks here, such as the heavy blues "Anne Neggen", the rocking "If I Were Britannia,'d Waive the Rules", the blues-rock "Quacktor and Bureaucats", the melodic "Heaven Knows Our Name", and the vintage "Black Velvet Stallion", the latter being the best vestige of their glorious past. However, the album also reveals a certain lack of ideas, as seen in the uninspired "Sky High Percentage", a failed blues-rock track with mediocre instrumentation, and the mid-tempo, mainstream-influenced "You're Opening Doors". Despite the positive aspects of the vast majority of the tracks included here, the final result of the album shows a certain disconnect from their classic albums.

Elf-Live At The Bank 1972 (1972)

Elf was a blues and heavy rock band formed in the late 1960s that remained active until the mid-1970s when several of its founding members were recruited by Ritchie Blackmore to join his new project after he left his beloved Deep Purple. These members were singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, drummer Gary Driscoll, bassist Craig Gruber, and keyboardist Doug Thaler, who, along with guitarist David Feinstein, had released three noteworthy hard blues rock albums by 1975. In 1972, while touring in support of their self-titled debut album, Elf, they performed at a festival in Cortland, New York. This performance was available for many years as a bootleg titled "Live at The Bank, Cortland 1972", and was officially released in 2011, just a year after Ronnie James Dio's death, by the singer's family. With more than acceptable sound quality, this live recording is a historical document showcasing the band's enormous live potential, led by the diminutive singer. Packed with covers, delivered in the group's signature blues and hard rock style, it features a string of classics such as Jethro Tull's "Cross-Eyed Mary" and "Aqualung", Rod Stewart's "An Old Raincoat Will Never Let You Down", Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", Humble Pie's "Four Day Creep", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", and a culminating version of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".

Ted Nugent-Ted Nugent (1975)

In 1975, Ted Nugent began his solo career after disbanding his previous psychedelic rock band, The Amboy Dukes. This debut would become one of the most outstanding in the history of American rock, featuring a stellar lineup of musicians led by singer Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. On this first album, Ted Nugent delivers an energetic record of pure rock and roll, with Southern influences and hints of blues, achieving a work that is both perfect and superb. From the opening track, "Strangehold", a spectacular piece of experimentation with a tense and hypnotic atmosphere, the album unfolds with a relentless succession of songs that offer no respite. This is followed by the effective and visceral "Stormtroopin' ", the mid-tempo "Hey Baby," a track that provides a counterpoint to the frenetic rhythm, the psychedelic "Just What The Doctor Ordered", and the defiant "Sneakeskin Cowboys", the latter of which concludes the first side of the original vinyl. Side two begins with the frenetic "Motor City Madhouse", followed by the melodic "Where Have You Been All My Life" and "You Make Me Feel Right At Home", before ending with the powerful and potent "Queen of the Forest", thus concluding one of the best American hard rock albums, Ted Nugent's magnum opus, and a true gem of rock music.

Smith/Kotzen-Smith/Kotzen (2021)

In 2021, two of the greatest guitarists of the latter part of the last century, Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and Ritchie Kotzen (Poison and Mr. Big, in addition to his extensive solo career), decided to join forces to form the Smith/Kotzen project and release an outstanding repertoire of songs that make up their debut album. For this album, they enlisted drummers Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) and Tal Bergman, while the rest of the instruments were played by Kotzen and Smith themselves. What we find here is a wide variety of styles focused on the electric guitar, as one would expect, from mammoth funk rock tracks like "Taking My Chances" and "Some People", to hard rock bangers like "Running" and "Til Tomorrow", passing through bluesy numbers like "Scars" and "I Wanna Stay", or exquisite melodic rock like "Glory Road" and "You Don't Know Me". Without a doubt, this is an excellent debut, which would be followed four years later by the album "Black Light/White Noise".

Crown Lands-Fearless (2023)

One of the latest surprises to emerge from Canada is the duo Crown Lands, a group formed in 2015 by vocalist and drummer Cody Bowles and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Comeau. Their style, clearly influenced by their compatriots Rush, is characterized by its science fiction and epic themes, as well as the talented musicianship of its members. After an intriguing self-titled debut album released in 2020, they worked hard on their second full-length album, "Fearless," which showcases their clear influences from Rush's golden era. Epic tracks like "Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II" also reveal other rock roots, ranging from the ambiguous rock of Nazareth to the powerful sound of fellow Canadians Triumph, resulting in a remarkable work that seamlessly and originally blends different styles. The hard rock tracks "Dreamer of the Dawn" and "The Shadows" leave us with a taste of 70s sounds, while in other cuts like "Citadel" or "Lady of the Lake", the Zeppelin influences are more than evident. Ultimately, this album is a good sampler of what this band could offer in the coming years, despite its clear and evident stylistic connotations and influences from the trio of Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson.

Aerosmith-Draw The Line (1977)

Amidst strained relationships within the band due to drug use, Aerosmith released the last great album of their early period. While it lacked the power, swagger, and brilliance of their earlier work, it still possessed considerable quality. Recorded in an old New York convent that was converted for the recording sessions between June and October of 1977, it was produced by Jack Douglas, who had also helmed the previous albums. Highlights of this fifth album include the playful rock and roll title track, the boogie-rock anthem "Critical Mass", the powerful "Get It Up", the heavy hard rock track "Kings and Queens", and the boogie-blues number "Milk Cow Blues". Although it didn't achieve the commercial success of its predecessor, "Rocks", "Draw the Line", reached a respectable number eleven on the Billboard charts and earned several platinum records for its sales in the North American market.

Steve Lukather-I Found The Sun Again (2021)

During the latter part of the 1970s and throughout the following decade, Steve Lukather led one of the most formidable bands in American rock: Toto. This band has left behind some of the most outstanding and successful albums in the melodic rock genre. At the end of the 1980s, the guitarist finally decided to launch his solo career, beginning in 1989 with his self-titled debut. In the following years, he continued to balance his solo career with Toto, sporadically releasing a series of acclaimed albums. "I Found The Sun Again" is his eighth solo album, featuring guest appearances from some of his Toto bandmates, such as David Paich and Joseph Williams, as well as other prominent musicians like former Beatle Ringo Starr, Gregg Bissonette, and John Pierce. Comprising a series of tracks divided between covers and original compositions, Steve Lukather showcases his virtuosity with the six strings, displaying all his guitar feeling in the attractive covers of "The Low Spark High Heeled Boys" by Traffic, "Welcome to The Club" by Joe Walsh and "Bridge of Sighs" by Robin Trower, while among his own songs the brilliant "Along For The Ride", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Serpent Soul" and "Journey Through" stand out.

Nazareth-2XS (1982)

In 1982, at the height of the AOR craze, the Scottish band Nazareth released their best work of the 1980s, an album that perfectly blended melodic rock with their signature hard rock sound. By this point, Nazareth had already experimented with this FM-oriented style with the brilliant albums "Close Enough For Rock 'n' Roll" (1976), "Expect No Mercy" (1977), and "Malice In Wonderland" (1980), records that were well-received by their fans and achieved significant success on the American and European charts. With “2XS,” the band’s thirteenth album, they returned to that formula, reflecting the charismatic rock that has always characterized them in tracks like “Take The Rap” and “Black To The Trenches,” alternating with more experimental and eclectic songs like “Mexico” and “Gatecrash,” while their more melodic side is present in the catchy “Love Leads To Madness,” “Games,” “Dream On,” and “Lonely In The Night”. Although it didn’t achieve the same commercial success as its predecessors, two of its singles, “Love Leads To Madness” and “Dream On”, climbed high on the Billboard charts in the UK and other countries around the world.

Rory Gallagher-Jinx (1982)

After releasing a string of outstanding albums throughout the 1970s, Rory Gallagher faced the 1980s with a considerable decline in his discography. During those decades, the Irish wanderer only released two albums, separated by a considerable gap between them: "Jinx" (1982) and "Defender" (1987). This sparse discography led many fans to wonder if the guitarist was still active. However, this decline was partly due to various legal issues with his record label, a severe creative crisis, and his ongoing struggles with alcohol. These factors, however, did not prevent him from releasing "Jinx" in 1982, his ninth album, unfairly considered by many to be a minor work within his extensive career. Alongside his inseparable squire, bassist Gerry McAvoy, plus collaborations from Brendan O'Neil (drums), Bob Andrews (keyboards) and Dick Parry and Ray Beavis (saxophone), the guitarist originally from the Irish city of Ballyshannon, showcases his powerful hard rock infected with distorted riffs in a series of songs with iron and tenacious sounds such as "Big Guns", "Bourbon", "Loose Talk", "Easy Come Easy Go" or the version of the bluesman Louisiana Red, "Ride On Red, Ride On".

Toad-Tomorrow Blue (1972)

“Tomorrow Blue” was the second album by the Swiss band Toad, a superb and successful blend of hard rock, blues rock, and progressive rock. Led by the brilliant guitarist Vic Vergeat, and supported by bassist Werner Fronlich and drummer Cosimo Lampis, this popular Swiss band, in this new release, moves away from the psychedelic and proto-rock of their debut album to delve into progressive sounds, incorporating elements of the most energetic blues rock. The album is brimming with sharp, searing guitar sounds, a precise and incredibly complex bass line, and powerful drumming, as demonstrated in tracks like the blistering “Vampires,” the epic “Change In Time,” the heavy rock tracks “Thoughts,” “Tomorrow Blue,” and “No Need,” and the progressive folk “Blind Chapman’s Tale.”

Wanka-The Orange Album (1977)

Wanka was a forgotten Canadian band that followed in the footsteps of the progressive hard rock of other bands from their country like Rush and Triumph, but they didn't achieve the same success, despite releasing an interesting album that ultimately went completely unnoticed commercially. Formed in the mid-seventies in Toronto by Britons Chris Gibb (bass) and Mark Pickett (guitar) and Canadians Howard Samuel (guitar and vocals), Mike McConnell (drums), and Doug Paul Smith (keyboards), the band spent several years building a strong reputation as a local act in the pub and concert venue circuit of Toronto and the surrounding area. The enormous talent of these five boys did not go unnoticed by Rush and Max Webster's producer, Terry Brown, who offered them the opportunity to record an album produced by himself and released in mid-1977. Published by the independent label Axe Records, this album, titled "The Orange Album," contained an exciting collection of tracks that ranged from pure hard rock to AOR with progressive touches, as demonstrated by tracks such as "Make Up Your Mind," "Wrong Door," "Get Ahead," and "Say No More."

Ted Nugent-Weekend Warriors (1978)

Ted Nugent's fourth album, "Weekend Warriors", is the brilliant culmination of the Michigan-born guitarist's most triumphant period. Behind him lay formidable demonstrations of the best American hard rock, with three impressive musical canvases: "Ted Nugent" (1975), "Free-For-All" (1976), and "Cat Scratch Fever" (1977), in addition to the glorious "Double Live Gonzo" (1978). On this release, the guitarist dispensed with his band's regular vocalist, Derek St-Holmes, replacing him with Charlie Huhn. John Sauter also joined the band, sharing bass duties with regular drummer David Hull, while Cliff Davies remained the drummer. With a much more refined production than previous releases, Ted Nugent continues to showcase his powerful hard rock with potent guitar riffs and amazing solos, as demonstrated in songs like "Weekend Warriors", "Need You Bad", "One Woman", "I Got The Feelin'" or "Smokescreen", while the empirical psychedelic "Venom Soup" and the melodic rock "Tight Spots", add a diverse touch of color to a work as colossal as it is essential.

Høst-Hardt Mot Hardt (1976)

Høst were another important band in the Norwegian rock scene of the 1970s. Formed in the town of Knapstad in 1971, they initially leaned towards hard rock, releasing the album "På Sterke Vinger" (1974), which achieved some notoriety in the country's heavy rock circuit. However, after this release, three members left the band and were replaced by guitarist Fezza Ellingsen, drummer Willy Bendiksen, and keyboardist Halvdan Nedrejord, while Geir Jahren (vocals) and Bernt Bodahl (bass) remained. With this lineup, they released the album "Hardt Mot Hardt" in 1976, which, unlike its predecessor, focused on progressive sounds while subtly retaining their initial hard rock style. The addition of the new guitarist was fundamental to the complex compositions of the new album. His diverse guitar style, blending heavy rock riffs with classical and Norwegian folk influences, is the highlight of this second album. Tracks like "Gorobin", "Sirkus", "Æræeo", and "Nattergalen" stand out on "Hardt Mot Hardt", where the theatrical vocals sung in Norwegian, along with the sounds of the flute and organ, provide the perfect counterpoint to the guitarist's instrumental virtuosity.

The Firm-Mean Business (1986)

A year after The Firm's self-titled debut, the band led by Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers continued to build their legend with a second album titled "Mean Business", which would serve as the group's final recording. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, this album showcases hard rock brimming with Page's signature guitar riffs, Rodgers' powerful vocal range, and the driving rhythm section of Chris Slade and Tony Franklin. The frenetic "Fortune Hunter" opens the album, a track originally intended for the early 80s megaproject XYZ, when Page and Yes bassist Chris Squire conceived of forming a band that was ultimately scrapped. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the bluesy "Cadillac", propelled by Page's guitar work, which becomes one of the album's highlights. Other tracks, such as the epic "Spirit of Love", showcase the band's diversity with a melodic and commercial composition, while the synth-pop-tinged "All the King's Horses" is perhaps the least memorable of all the songs on this album. Without diminishing the merits of the previous tracks, there's the dark and brilliant "Live In Peace", where the nods to his former band Bad Company are more than evident. Finally, we find the best pieces, starting with the jazz-rock "Dreaming", the captivating rock "Tear Down the Walls", and the excellent "Free to Live". While not reaching the magnificence of their debut album, with this second release, the duo Page & Rodgers delivered a well crafted album that grows more brilliant with each listen.

Deep Purple-The Book of Taliesyn (1968)

With their second album, Deep Purple solidified their proto-progressive psychedelic style, with experimental touches. Recorded by the so-called Mark I lineup (Evans, Blackmore, Lord, Paice, and Simper), this release once again features several covers, including Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman" and The Beatles' "Exposition/We Can Work It Out", Among the original tracks, the instrumental "Wring That Neck" is undoubtedly the album's highlight, showcasing the talent of both Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore on their respective instruments. The psychedelic "Listen, Learn, Road On" and the elaborate "Shield" also feature excellent guitar work. The album closes with the delightful mid-tempo "Anthem", where Evans showcases his best vocal performance with Deep Purple, and with the progressive version of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", which provides the ideal setting for the pyrotechnic excellence of Jon Lord's keyboards.

Bang-Mother/Bow to the King (1972)

Let's move on to another band from the back of the closet, this time it's Bang, an obscure American hard rock group from Philadelphia, who released four albums between 1971 and 1973 under the Capitol Records label. Formed as a trio, this band falls within the proto-metal genre due to its dark and incredibly heavy style. Their lineup consisted of drummer Tony Diorio, guitarist and vocalist Frank Gilcken, and bassist and vocalist Frank Ferrara. With a style that fused the demonic riffs of Black Sabbath and the brutal hard rock of Grand Funk, this power trio showed their best form with their third release, "Mother/Bow to the King", where the heavy sounds and driving rhythms of hard rock tracks like "Humble", "Idealist Realist", and "Keep On", the epic heavy rock of "Bow to the King", and the melodic "Feel the Hurt" stood out. A year later they would release their epitaph "Music", with which they ended their ephemeral but interesting career, leaving behind a discography that is highly sought after today by fans of hard rock and heavy metal from the early 70s.