The title should be a give-away... (Rock Sound)

Member Name: Daniel K

Product:	Rock Sound
Date:	11/08/02 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good read, Lots of info on bands, Features stuff other magazines don't

Disadvantages: Only out monthly, A bit biased towards rock/metal

If you've seen the magazine 'Rock Sound' avilable in your newsagents, then you might think it is only dedicated to rock music. It isn't. It features lots of different styles, such as Indie, Punk, Heavy Metal, some dance/electronic, and even something called 'eclectica'. But yes, it mainly does feature rock music. There are also features of compilation albums, live albums, and reissued albums, too.

I'd never heard of 'Rock Sound' magazine until last year, when a friend bought a copy fof me to read. Since then, i've bought every copy that goes on sale monthly, and it's worth the price of £3.10 - reasonably cheap when compared to some other monthly magazines i've seen. But is it worth the cover price?

The content is varied, but usually has the same features every month: Exposure of new/up-and-coming bands, Reviews (not just albums, but also videos/DVD's, Computer games, books), competitions, live reviews, articles on bands, and not to mention a free CD, with music personally selected by the editor of 'Rock Sound'. This a good addition to the magazine, but usually doesn't feature many bands that interest me. Having said that, 'Rock Sound' in general has introduced me to lots of bands I wouldn't normally listen to.

It all features the usual ingredients of a typical music mag, but 'Rock Sound' is still quite different to any other magazine i've read before, and is not afraid to be varied in it's content and style - it features lots of bands who would not get much exposure elsewhere. It was also given a redesign at the end of 2002, but some parts of the magazine look cheaper and crude, which is a shame; in particular, these include the 'round up' section near the start, and the exposure section.

As it Reviews lots of different styles of music, then maybe 'Rock Sound' is not the best title for such a magazine, but there are not many
bands actually featured outside of the rock genre that are given their own articles, which is a bit of a shame. Not that many of my favourite bands are featured, but many have been reviewed in 'Rock Sound's' pages, and have helped me make informed decisions when purchasing albums. Also, it does tend to favour certain bands or artists, with some bands featuring in several consecutive editions - it would be nice if they could cover a few more different bands too.

Overall, this is a very good magazine, that I would recommend to anyone who likes rock or alternative music. If you read other music magazines, then this might not be suited to you, as it is quite dissimilar to other magazines. I think it is a great read, very informative, worth the money, and a good purchase for a music mag. There's also a website for 'Rock Sound', too, if you want to see more of the same.

Summary: