Along with Lucifer's Friend, Blackwater Park, and other bands even more obscure, Epitaph were members of a curious fraternity of '70s German bands that featured British singers. Founded in Dortmund in late 1969 by vocalist/guitarist Cliff Jackson and his compatriot James McGillivray, plus locally bred bassist Bernd Kolbe, Epitaph were originally named Fagau's Epitaph, but decided to shorten it after moving to Hanover, where they eventually signed with Polydor. Second guitarist Klaus Walz joined the fold halfway through the sessions for their eponymous debut (released in 1971), which, along with its successor, Stop, Look & Listen (1972), contained only five lengthy tracks, largely comprised of post-psych progressive rock, spiced with occasional jazz accents and widespread twin-guitar harmonies…

Essentially a vehicle for Hammond organ maestro Mick Weaver, late 60s British band Wynder K. Frog specialised in funky club Soul/Jazz. Hailing from Bolton, Lancashire, but based in London for much of their career, Mick and the band made three albums for Island Records between 1966 and 1970. These have long been coveted by Mod collectors and fans of the prestigious Island label. For the first time ever, all three LPs - Sunshine Super Frog (mono, 1966), Out Of The Frying Pan (stereo, 1968) and the US-only Into The Fire (stereo, 1970) - appear on one package, accompanied by a host of rare non-album tracks, previously unissued material, a track from a BBC radio session and two stereo mixes from the soundtrack to the 1968 film The Touchables.
Shook Shimmy And Shake is housed in a handsome clamshell box. Inside are miniatures of all three albums…

Combining synth-pop and goth rock, Canada's Psyche built a solid fan base in Europe and a cult following in the rest of the world with their marriage of drama and melody. Initially surfacing as a minimal synth act with a bizarre, confrontational stage show, their work gradually became more pop-minded while maintaining a dark, brooding atmosphere. By the end of the '90s, Psyche had fully embraced their danceable side, asserting their status as godfathers of the EBM/futurepop scene.
Following the success of Insomnia Theatre (1985) and Unveiling the Secret (1986), Psyche turned to a classic wave sound on their third and most polished album, Mystery Hotel. While the industrial influence heard on earlier material is less pronounced, Mystery Hotel is in many ways the darkest Psyche album…

German thrash metal legends strike again - get ready for Destruction’s 16th face-smashing attack! After their 40-year-anniversary tour through South America and Europe German Thrash-Teutons Destruction take no rest and strike again with their new album Birth Of Malice.
Founder Schmier once again combines his dual vocal/bass attack with crashing riffs from dual battle axe masters Martin Furia and Damir Eskic, while Randy Black blasts his drums to new heights. As witnessed on their previous thrash-fest Diabolical (2022), Destruction return with their uniquely raw and brutal sound, delivering merciless songs with a touch more variety and groove this time. All twelve songs straight from the butchers hit with a direct and clean sound - resulting in addictive metal anthems for the next generation of thrashers…

This 10-CD box set of British orchestral music brings together a mouth-watering selection from the enterprising series of discs that the English conductor Douglas Bostock has made with various orchestras for the Classico label.
Important British composers are certainly featured - there are CDs devoted to Elgar, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Bax and Arnold - but this imaginative collection also includes many surprises, just waiting to be discovered, such as symphonies by Frederic Cowen and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Alan Bush and Ruth Gipps, concertos for orchestra by Edward Gregson, Alun Hoddinott and John McCabe, plus a host of smaller works. The recordings here, many world premieres, date from 1998 to 2005.

Political and cultural circumstances – depending on whether Lorraine / Lothringen belonged to France or Germany – made Théodore Gouvy a border crosser between these two countries. It was very unusual for a French composer of his generation not to assign a central role to music theater in his oeuvre. His rejection of Wagner's music dramas also made him something of an exception in France. It is true, however, that the oratorio was a key genre within his oeuvre – and the oratorio at least can be counted as a dramatic genre. Gouvy wrote six major oratorio compositions, two based on Nordic subjects and two drawing on ancient tragedies.