Cosmic Vanguard

From the look of this, you might be forgiven for thinking that Bay Area band Space Vacation were a stoner band, but that would be a mistaken impression. This oddly-named outfit are so old-fashioned it hurts, and I find it kind of ironic that an American band sounds so evocative of the NWOBHM sound of yore.

For their third full-length, Space vacation dish up a powerful cocktail of smooth vocals lines, catchy hooks, and blazing, raging guitars that smoke and wail like it was 1984 all over again. Highlights include "Rolling Thunder", "Get Down", and the air-guitar-fest "Say My Name". This sometimes straddles the line between metal and hard rock - as NWOBHM bands often do - but it remains propulsive and insanely catchy. This is a great band with riffs to burn.