Mark Diggins, Author at The Rockpit

ALBUM REVIEW: Sweet – Isolation Boulevard

16 March 2021 Mark Diggins

Sweet has been around all my life. One of the first bands I heard as a kid growing up in the 70’s in the days of just three TV channels and not many more […]

ALBUM REVIEW – The Treatment – Waiting For Good Luck

13 March 2021 Mark Diggins

April 9th sees the release of The Treatment’s 5th album since the glorious 2011 debut ‘This Might Hurt’ and first since 2019’s ‘Power Crazy’ and it’s a storming way to raise the finger to […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Band of Spice – By The Corner of Tomorrow

12 March 2021 Mark Diggins

Does it get any better than old school hard rock and heavy metal? The free, don’t give a shit, riff and roar that I loved as a kid and love still. The sound of […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Backwood Spirit – Fresh From The Can

11 March 2021 Mark Diggins

Founded in Örebro, Sweden, Backwood Spirit has been together since 2014. Formed by guitarist and songwriter Kent Engström they produced my album of the year back in 2017 when they released their debut on […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Greta Van Fleet – The Battle At Garden’s Gate

9 March 2021 Mark Diggins

I get a lot of classic era Rush in the first few spins of Greta Van Fleet’s new long-player ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’ – not just in Josh Kiszka’s vocals which seemed to […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Mark Knight and the Unsung Heroes – Days of a Dreamer

5 March 2021 Mark Diggins

I’ve been listening to music made by Mark Knight since I was in my teens (and to be fair he wasn’t that much older). I saw Bang Tango tour the UK in 1992 when […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Ricky Warwick – When Life Was Hard And Fast

19 February 2021 Mark Diggins

“The true spirt of rock n’ roll is a relentless pursuit that consumes me on a daily basis. Chasing after it, making this record was a race well run” – Ricky Warwick. If you’ve followed Ricky’s […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Slammin’ Gladys – Two

19 February 2021 Mark Diggins

30 years after their first album Slammin’ Gladys release sophomore album, the cunningly titled ‘Two’ on Feb. 12th almost 30 years after debut record. It’s an interesting proposition isn’t it – a band you’ve only […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Kaiser and the Machines of Creation – Flowers and Lies

18 February 2021 Mark Diggins

We open with lilting guitars that seem to herald an 80’s alt rock introduction before strummed guitar washes in with a persistent vocal that cajoles and questions. This isn’t staple ‘verse-chorus-repeat’ fare this is […]

INTERVIEW: Rob Wylde – Midnite City

18 February 2021 Mark Diggins

Midnite City have to be one of the best live acts around at the moment so it must be doubly cutting for them that they won’t immediately be able to support their new album […]

INTERVIEW: Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, Joel Hoekstra’s 13)

11 February 2021 Mark Diggins

Five years ago now Joel Hoekstra released the first Joel Hoekstra 13 record ‘Dying to Live’. At the time he’d been in Whitesnake just a year, replacing Doug Aldrich for a year after a 7 […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Magnum – Dance of the Black Tattoo

2 February 2021 Mark Diggins

It’s been a while since Magnum brought out The Valley Of Tears – The Ballads, “a compilation that focused on the British rock act’s quiet, more otherworldly and dreamy side.” 3 years later the […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Diamonds – No Tell Hotel

31 January 2021 Mark Diggins

It’s been over three long years since we were rocking to ‘Once Upon A Time’ Black Diamond’s last full-length release and listening to his new one plus the pandemic stopping us all in out […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Joanna Connor – 4801 South Indiana Avenue

30 January 2021 Mark Diggins

Who doesn’t love s bit of Blues to kick off the year? Chicago-based slide guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter, Joanna Connor, who is best known as one of the reigning Queens of blues rock guitar, […]

INTERVIEW: Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner, T&N, Black Swan and more)

29 January 2021 Mark Diggins

Jeff Pilson and George Lynch are of course former Dokken bandmates and have played together in various other ventures over the years most recently and notably in ‘T&N’ and ‘The End Machine’ – the latter […]

INTERVIEW: Miljenko ‘Mili’ Matijevic – Steelheart

22 January 2021 Mark Diggins

You don’t often meet people with the level of enthusiasm and drive as Steelheart Mili Matijevic, the man with the golden voice seems t have a million things on the go these days but it’s […]

INTERVIEW: Jeff Scott Soto – W.E.T.

20 January 2021 Mark Diggins

I have no doubt that ‘Retransmission’ is W.E.T.’s best album to date. Big call I know, but when you hear it I know you’ll know what I mean. Indeed I’d actually go as far to […]

INTERVIEW: Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich – The Dead Daisies

18 January 2021 Mark Diggins

It’s been a crazy 2020 without live music and one of the bands that had big plans for touring before Covid struck were the latest incarnation of The Dead Daisies. Those plans currently have been […]

INTERVIEW: Brian Wheat – Tesla

15 January 2021 Mark Diggins

Brian Wheat is best known as the bass guitar player for the multi-platinum rock band, Tesla. In addition, he is a gifted song writer, producer, recording studio owner, manager, and talented photographer and artist. […]

ALBUM REVIEW: W.E.T. – Retransmission

9 January 2021 Mark Diggins

I have no doubt that this is W.E.T.’s best album to date. Big call I know, but when you hear it I know you’ll know what I mean. Indeed I’d actually go as far to […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Kickin Valentina – The Revenge of Rock

6 January 2021 Mark Diggins

Kickin Valentina’s eagerly anticipated new album ‘The Revenge Of Rock’ drops on 22nd January via Mighty Music and for fans of the band its well worth the wait. Indeed if you love a bit […]

INTERVIEW: Rob Richardson – Rich Kid Express

6 January 2021 Mark Diggins

What could be better than to start the year with an interview with the creator of one of the best albums of 2020? Rich Kid Express’ debut long player ‘Psychodelic’ is a great take […]

ALBUM REVIEW: John Diva and the Rockets of Love – American Amadeus

5 January 2021 Mark Diggins

Man I loved these guys when the debut album came out a couple of years ago and of course you do always fear that they’ll change something next time around or things won’t quite […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Hearts & Hand Grenades – Turning To Ashes

4 January 2021 Mark Diggins

“Hearts & Hand Grenades is an explosive American hard rock group from Buffalo, NY fronted by Stephanie Wlosinski on lead vocals and bass guitar. The band was originally founded as a cover band in […]

WIG WAM – “NEVER SAY DIE” Album Review

3 January 2021 Mark Diggins

It’s been a decade since 2012’s ‘Wall Street’ hit the stores and prior to that release the Norwegian Glam Rockers had been remarkably consistent over the previous decade releasing 4 cracking studio and one […]