Hard 20 |
September / October 2007Randy Ellefson | Still Remains | Ken Hensley | Greg Lake | The Cursed | Scorpions | Underworld Assassins | Time Life "Summer of Love" | Peter Pan Speedrock | High Council | Dedkor | Motley Crue Tribute | Masterplan | Circus Maximus | Poverty's No Crime | Dark Moor | Kill Van Kull | Widow | Melody Club | Cruachan Randy Ellefson Classically trained guitarist Randy Ellefson (no relation to Megadeth's Dave Ellefson, I presume) releases his second album of guitar-o-rama. He is a very good player, and has overcome tendonitis. You gotta give him kudos for that, and more so for his talents. He plays very skillfully and technically, and jams with the best of them. His style is along the lines of Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson. He is master of virtuosity and proficiency, and can really work his fretboard. This album is al instrumental, and every song is a full speed ahead rocker, with hot licks and guitar wizardry galore. His classical skills really show in his playing. He plays with a lot of sophistication and many complex arrangements. He can also play quite fast, never missing a beat. He rocks out with class, and all the songs are very well written. Although there is no singing on the album, them music seems to speak with its own voice. Randy makes his guitar talk. He is an amazing musician Who has overcome a serious condition to keep on playing, and be in the same league as many guitar greats. Way to go , Randy! Still Remains Wow. This is different. I went through the first half of the album and the first thought I had was to call Still Remains a brave band. I say brave because they seem to be a band that's willing to take chances with their sound. At the core, they're a rock/metal band. Make no mistake about that. However, they branch out in a number of different directions and, at least to me, there's so much going on in their music...I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's almost like you're listening to a jukebox, man. There's so much variety here and, I don't know about you, but, that's something that I really appreciate when it comes to music. It's a tricky situation...variety is...because too much of it and you tend to lose your identity. While each song will offer you something new, you don't feel as if you're listening to a new band as each track comes up. It takes a lot of talent to pull that off the right way. Still Remains hit the nail right on the head, man. There's a perfect balance to this record. As I listen to "The Serpent," I hear elements of progressive metal, hardcore...even a little death metal. Although that's probably just because of the brutal vocal style that's used from time to time. I'd even go so far as to say that I heard a little radio friendly rock in some places. On top of all that, they even start the album off with an instrumental track. Usually, that's not a good way to begin an album and, I'll be honest, the first time I heard it, it didn't seem right to me. But, when I heard the album the whole way through and I went back the second time, it seemed to work. Then they kick in with a tune that combines some clean vocals with some brutal ones and that really sets the tone for the rest of the album...for me anyway. Wasn't sure what to expect beyond those first two tracks and as I sat here going through the album, Still Remains continued to suprise me right up until the end. Once the album was over, the only thought I had was, I didn't hear the kitchen sink thrown in there. They seemed to throw in everything else though. Fantastic album, man. I really hope this one does well. The more people who hear it, the better. So, be sure to check this one out. I think you'll be impressed. Actually, no...I don't think...I know. You'll like it, trust me. http://www.stillremains.com KEN HENSLEY This is nicely crafted rock n roll with plenty of hooks and melodies that will make any rock n roll fan smile. The tunes just flow really good and the tunes had my foot tapping and my lips smiling. The production is nice and smooth and this is a rock n roll delight. You can get this on http://www.amazon.com. Greg Lake Prog rock godfather Greg Lake, former guitarist/vocalist of ELP and King Crimson, is now a solo artist. This is a live recording of a performance on his 05 tour. On this disc, he plays several classics from his pervious bands, including "In The Court Of The Crimson King", "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Lucky Man", "Touch And Go", and "Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression Part2), which is really "Welcome Back My Friends...". These songs need no introduction or description, as they are already bona fide classics than everyone should be familiar with. On of the album's highlights is a reindition of the classical epic "Pictures At An Exhibition". This goes on for fifteen minutes. Though lengthy, it is certainly intense, engaging, and well done. Everything on the album is very well played. Greg is as brilliant as ever, and his cronies all do a great job too, playing these prog rock classics to a T. The songs are very complex and sophisticated to begin with and were written by masters of the genre, so for other musicians to play these songs as perfectly as they are played here can't be an easy task. They make the songs sound as good as the original versions. Another one of the album's highlights is the guitar work on the song "Take A Pebble". Greg and Florian Opaphle duet on axe duties, and both do an excellent job. The guitar playing on this track is brilliantly done. "Paper Blood", another ELP tune, also stood out. It's a straight ahead rock song with a Clapton like blues flavor. This song made for a good contrast among the more complex songs on the rest of the album. As good as it is, it's cool to have a break and just rock out! This old warrior has still got some fight in him, and he knows how to pick his backup too. Any fans of his, his previous bands, or prog rock in general should dig this. The Cursed Two very well known sinners occupy this room, those being Overkill frontman Bobby Blitz Ellesworth and Hades guitarist Dan Lorenzo, respectively. Their new project, The Cursed, is quite different from the technical thrash of their two respective bands. The Cursed are more comparable to Trouble, if any comparisons are to be made. The Cursed have a doomy, dark, heavy sound, with crushing riffs, a pounding beat, and a stripped to basics sound. Like Trouble, they are very Sabbath influenced, but heavier. Sabbath on steriods might be a way to describe them. The songs also have a groove to them, and a raw, gritty vibe, giving the music a 70s feel. They keep things down to the bone, rough as hell, and no frills. The albums first single, "Evil In The Bag", reminded me a bit of Iron Maiden's "Running Free". The video for this song is set to air on "Headbanger's Ball" so keep your eyes peeled. One other track, "Serpentine Slither", is very jazz-y and raunchy, showing the band doing something even more different that usual. All the other songs on here are very Trouble-some; doomy and heavy as hell, with riffs the size of Texas, flavored with a dark vibe. Some reminded me of the Overkill song "Skullcrusher" (from the "Years Of Decay" album) Fans of Overkill and Hades may be a bit surprised with the direction of this project but it's worth checking out. It's sure to grow on you. They've turned out a smokin' album here, and you certainly can't fault somone for wanting to do something a little different. SCORPIONS I am a pretty big fan of this band and I have seen them live several times in the 80's and though some of their recent work wasn't as good as say Lovedrive, I still liked the stuff they were putting out. I was a bit worried when I popped this in having no idea how this would sound. After a few plays I can say that this is a pretty good release by these guys. It has the hooks you come to know from this band and of course the singing is right there too as nobody can sound like Klaus. The band can still crank out the ballads as well as the rockers and I love track 3 with the vocals and harmonies. Don't write of this band just yet. Underworld Assassins I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm a rap fan. I wouldn't say it's my favorite style of music because I'm rather selective about what I like and what I don't like. Thorw a beat out there and almost anyone can rap. Doesn't mean they're good though. That's why I'm selective. What I like about this album, besides the fact that it fuckin' smokes, is the fact that it's got a hard rock feel to it. Make no mistake about it, this is a rap record...actually...hardcore horror rap is what I'd call it. But, if they would change the vocal style a little bit, there's no question about it, Underworld Assassins could be a metal band and I think that will help 'em reach a much larger audience. Hell, it made a fan out of me rather quickly...and...you know what...there's only eight songs on here. But, each one makes an impact. They come at you hard...they go for your throat from the word go, man. It's awesome. It might be a bit too heavy for the casual rap fan. However, if you're interested in music that has a little more punch, "Chronicles Of Death & Dismemberment" is highly recommended. Same thing if you're a hard rock/heavy metal fan. Give it a listen. I think you'll be impressed. http://www.myspace.com/underworldassassinz Time Life I didn't think I'd like this release when I first got it because the music on here is older than I am and I tend to not like a lot of the music that was released before I was born. There's a few exceptions...and...the funny thing is...this release is now one of them. I threw it on while I was doing something else...wasn't even really paying attention to it all that much. Then it was like, "Wait a minute...I know that song." By the time it was all said and done...I knew a lot of the tunes that were featured here...and there's 40 songs that span the length of two CD's. So, that's quite a bit of material...and it's weird because I knew the words to most of the songs that I was listening to and that suprised me because I don't listen to a lot of the artists that are included on this release. You know, I've always said that a good song is one that will stick in your head, even if you only ever hear it one time. That's certainly true in this case. When I listen to this release as a whole, it has a nice flow to it. The few tunes that I'm not too fond of seem a little stronger next to the ones that I actually enjoy. So, whoever put this one together, a tip of the hat to you, my friend. You obviously know good music when you hear it...and how to put it in order. I could probably go through this release track by track and say a little something about each song. But, that would take way too much time. So, I'll just run through each disc and comment on the tunes that really stand out for me. That should work...especially since most of you should know all of these songs already. If you're gonna buy this one...and I really suggest you do...you just need an idea of what's on here in order to help you decide. I think disc one is the stronger of the two, at least in my opinion. It has more of a punch. "Happy Together" by The Turtles, "Gimme Some Lovin'" by The Spencer Davis Group, which I'm familiar with because of The Blues Brothers. This was one of the many tunes they covered in the course of their career. The Blues Brothers really captured the feel of this song when they recorded it. Although, I have to admit, the original has a more raw sound, which is cool. "Little Bit O' Soul" by The Music Explosion has that rockin' bass line...you know this tune by the first four notes, man. You get a little trippy with "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" by Harpers Bizarre. This is probably a tune that goes well with pot...and I'm sure a lot of you older folk took a hit or two while listening to this one. "The Letter" by The Box Tops is another rockin' tune. One of my favorites on this disc. The Monkees make an appearance with "Pleasant Valley Sunday," which, I have to admit, I had this on a 45 back in the day. Other artists featured on disc one include Scott McKenzie, The Association, The Mamas & The Papas, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Beach Boys, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Grass Roots, The Lovin' Spoonful, Stevie Wonder, The Hollies, The Music Machine, Spanky & Our Gang, The Buckinghams and Procol Harum wraps it all up with "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." It's kind of funny how a lot of these bands have the word THE in the band name. Back then, I guess that was the thing to do, huh? On disc two, we've got Cream, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, who provide their classic tune, "Somebody To Love," which has been covered by everyone from Wasp to Jodi Bongiovi. The Youngbloods provide "Get Together," and you all know that one. "Come on people, now...smile on your brother...everybody get together...try to love one another right now." Another classic...Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," which you probably hear on the radio once a day. I'm familiar with Donovan's "Season Of The Witch" because of The Blues Brothers 2000 movie. Dr. John does a killer version of this tune. Big Brother & The Holding Company...with Janis Joplin...crank out "Down On Me." A lot of you younger people might know Vanilla Fudge's "You Keep Me Hangin' On" because it's been turned into a teen pop tune...I think more than once, if I'm not mistaken. But, this is how it was meant to be heard. The Monkees and Run DMC covered "Mary Mary" during the course of their career. But, we've got The Butterfield Blues Band doin' it here. Other artists on this disc include The Electric Prunes, The Easybeats, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Blues Magoos, The Blues Project, Country Joe & The Fish, Traffic featuring Steve Winwood, The Seed, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy and The Yardbirds. The Spencer Davis Group also throws in another song. Again...what's with all the bands with THE in their name? Nice compilation. A good selection of material. But, wait...there's more. There's an hour long DVD that features "The History Of Rock 'N' Roll," which is worth the price of admission, man. There's some excellent footage of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Dead, The Stones and many more. That stuff is priceless...and they're all talkin' about rock 'n' roll and, it's kind of sad when you think about it. Back then, the music actually meant something. These musicians had a passion for what they were doing and they had a desire to reach people with their music, to touch people with their music. Now, it's all about money. A lot of musicians today don't even care about putting a decent album out. They write maybe one good song and they fill up the rest of the album with tunes that should've been left out for the garbage man. Call me crazy. But, I still believe in the attitude that these people had. So, when you watch this release, keep in mind...this is what music should be like today. We could learn something from this program. Unfortunately, regardless of how good it is...and it's pretty damn good if I do say so myself...I think the lesson is gonna be lost, man. All in all, this is a very nice package. It's put together really well. The booklet, which is attached to the package itself, which was really cool, has some informative liner notes. For those of you who didn't grow up with this music, you should seriously check it out. You might learn something. Peter Pan Speedrock Ready to be ripped a new bunghole? These guys are just the bunch to do it! These rough 'n' ready rockers hail from Holland but sound like they're from some swamped out backwater redneck dive. They play pummeling rock and roll that's hard as nails, rough as sandpaper, and fast as a race car on the Indy 500. The songs are aggressive and angry as hell, but also have a groove to them, with a flavoring of good old Southern boogie woogie. There are shades of Motorhead, Ted Nugent, the Ramones, Rose Tattoo, Molly Hatchet, and more recent bands like Nashville Pussy and Alabama Thunderpussy. The whole album goes full throttle from start to finish, kicking some serious booty all the way. The guys can really jam too. The guitars and smokin' and played quite skillfully. In fact, one guitarist was voted best guitarist in Holland, and the band won a Silver Harp Award (Dutch grammy) in their home country. Peter Pan Speedrock are a rip roaring rock band, kicking ass the good old fashioned way. High Council High Council are a progressive metal band, but a little more stripped down than other bands of this ilk. They don't use keyboards or anything fancy, keeping it down to basics, but they still write sophistcated, intellectual music. They play classic style prog-rock, with elements of classical and folk in their music. This is often the case in prog, but Council have a sound that's all their own. Their songs range from epics like "Samsul's Blizzard" and "Far From Home" to straight up, galloping metal tunes like "Dystopia" and "Too Late Shall It Be Known Unto You". The last song, "Apocolosyntosis", starts off in a folksy kind of way, with acoustic guitar and folk melodies, then launches into being the fastest song on the disc, bordering on being thrash. This song does switch gears a few more times. Although there are only five songs on here, the disc is almost forty minutes long. High Council don't use all the "frills" other prog metal bands use, and they sure don't need them. They have the talent to make some very good progressive metal without all the bells and whistles, and they've done it here. They've kept it stripped to basics but the songwriting and musicians excels on its own. Sometimes less really is more. http://www.highcouncil.com Dedkor Ready to thrash it out old school? Then Dedkor are the band for you. They launch a full scale thrash attack like something out of San Fran in the 80s. They are raw, fast, furious, and aggressive, and pummel the eardrums like a jackhammer, as all good thrash metal should. There's some ripping, but skillful, guitar work from the axe duo of Christopher Shelton and Damon Bernklau, influenced by shred masters like Dave Mustaine and Alex Skolnick. Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Vio-Lence, and all the master thrashers have seriously rubbed off on these guys. Vocalist Tony Sora sings aggressively but also with some melody. They write intelligent, and sometimes angry, lyrics about what's going on in the world today, and the human mind. Anger is one thing thrash has always been about, and these guys sure sound angry enough. They even do an instrumental called "Out Of Anger". As well as anger, the band has also got talent and whole lotta whoop ass in em. Dedkor has what it takes to carry the thrash metal torch into the future, and put the genre back on the map. If you're not quite satisfied with the state of metal today and yearn for the classic style of years past played by some fresh young blood, then check out Dedkor. You'll find they can wipe the floor with many of today's "metal" bands. "Too Fast For Love: A Millennium Tribute To Motley Crue" Holy shit...this release is absolutely freakin' amazing. You know, when it comes to a tribute album, it's a hit or miss thing. Some miss the mark and some drop like a fuckin' bomb. This one...yeah...stand back because it's gonna blow the fuck up, man. Look at the line up...current and/or former members of Motley Crue, Wasp, Lillian Axe, Exodus, Poison, L.A. Guns, Cinderella, Dangerous Toys, Quiet Riot, Brides Of Destruction, Jetboy, Warrant, Ratt, Dio, Union, Love/Hate, Vince Neil Band, Pretty Boy Floyd, Slash's Snakepit and a host of others. On top of that...it's a double disc set...and they manage to cover a wide range of Motley Crue material. There's just so much one could say about this album, I don't even know where to begin. Well, let's start with disc one. I'll pick a few tunes that stand out for me just to give you an idea of what to expect. Phil Lewis doing "Dr. Feelgood" with Marko Pukkila, Keri Kelli, Erik Turner and Frankie Banali is worth a mention. The Rock 'N' Roll Junkies, which features Vince Neil's son, Neil Wharton, is interesting. He does "Starry Eyes" and, to me, it almost sounds like a demo. He doesn't quite have the same pipes as his famous father, but, he does sound somewhat similar. A little work and I believe we'll see the second coming of Vince Neil. All girl band Pretty In Stereo does a great version of "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)." This is probably a band you're gonna wanna check out. Former Motley Crue vocalist John Corabi joins forces with Alex Grossi and Fred Coury for an amazing version of "Home Sweet Home." They start off slow, but, they throw a little punch into the tune...make it a little more rockin'. A fine addition to an already kick ass collection. Disc two explodes with Jason McMaster doing an excellent version of "Kickstart My Heart." Jessie Seely & Randy Cantor do a beautiful version of "Afraid," which is one of the best tracks on the album. Robot Lords Of Tokyo kind of sound like Motorhead doing a version of "Knock 'Em Dead Kid," which is pretty kick ass no matter you look at it. This is probably the heaviest song on the album. Don't know why this was the last song on the album. Should've been one of the first few songs on the first disc if you ask me. Anyway, the CD cover is damn near a book, with information about each artist that appears on this release as well as website addresses and all that jazz. So, if you like what you hear, you can get in touch and check out some of their original music, which I'm sure you'll do with a few of these bands. Bottom line...if you're a Motley Crue fan...even if you have every release they ever put out...your collection isn't complete unless you have this release. It's a kick ass album. Motley Crue would be proud. http://www.versaillesrecords.com MASTERPLAN This was some nice power metal with plenty of hooks and chanting vocals and melody to boot. I am a sucker for a good power metal band with hooks and damned if this band doesn't deliver the goods. The riffs had my neck going and the singer from Riot has a great voice and puts it to good use on this disc. The production is right on the money and this is yet another solid power metal release you might want to own. Info: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com CIRCUS MAXIMUS This was way too much like Dream Theater for me to really get into. I love "Images and Words, but not any of the other stuff and this was like a clone of them right down to the vocals. The songs didn't do anything for me with this release. Info: http://www.thelaseredgegroup.com POVERTY'S NO CRIME This was some decent progressive metal music. The songs were pretty decent and the singer has a nice voice and the songs flow rather well. The production is nice too and this is a nice release that any fan of progressive music would enjoy. Info: http://www.insideoutmusic.com Dark Moor Dark Moor are bascially Spain's answer to Rhapsody or Dragonforce. Their music is in the exact same vein-symphonic, epic power metal. The songs are all fast paced, galloping tunes, with riffs galore, but very melodic, with some rich, lush symphonic elements. The symphonic part of the music, in fact, sometimes overshadows the metal aspect of things. Dark Moor are talented and good at what they do, but it just seems like they're trying too hard to be another Rhapsody. They've got everything down to a T when it comes to being Rhapsody soundalikes, but they should really work harder at being themselves, and do something more original. Also, they really overdo things sometimes, the best example perhaps being the song "The Moon". This song is almost twelve minutes long, with everything done tenfold (when it doesn't really need to be), and they pay tribute to just about every famous classical piece ever made. They begin with Beethoven's 5th, and hit on just about every other one along the way. That's just a little out of hand! Dark Moor are decent musicians, but not much more than Rhapsody knock offs. Kill Van Kull KVK have actually been at it for almost two and a half decades, but a series of setbacks has hindered their career. Well, now they appear to be ready to take the rock and roll world by storm! This album is a gritty, greasy slab of smokin' rock, done the good old fashioned way. It sounds like it could have come out of the 70s. There is a lot of blues, funk, and soul influences, even some folk/bluegrass here and there. Hard rock, however, remains the band's foundation, and many of these songs are knockouts! "Hot Daze", "Through The Night", "Kick Em And Smile" (Had a bad day? Listen to this song!), "On The Run", "Out Of The Blue Sky"-All these songs pack a major whallop, with crunching power chords, a pounding beat, and some smokin' sax. Their influences range from Aerosmith to Mountain to Deep Purple to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Mother's Finest to Led Zeppelin. KVK also show a more sensitive side by including a few ballads, like "Then You Were Gone", the title track (an instrumental), and "Summer Rose". This is one rockin' album, with no frills or any hints of monthly flavors or anything "trendy". These guys just let her rip! The guitar and sax work are especially good. I guess all those years of not being able to get started left the band with a lot of pent up aggression. Well, they've let it all out on this album! Widow Now THIS is metal the way it was meant to be! Widow, on their third release, play pure, true blue, classic style heavy metal, no holds barred! They are on the same page as a band like Seven Witches, and if you like that band, you'll love Widow. These guys take all the influence from the classic metal masters and make their own sound with it. All the songs go full throttle in high gear all the way, and are played with a lot of skill. Guitarists John E.Wooten and Chris Bennett really let rip, while Wooten, who is also lead vocalist, sings in a powerful but melodic voice. The band also have a European touch to them, with just a tad of Gamma Ray and other such bands to their sound. Widow have melody but are also tough as nails. They are 100% metal to the core, period. If you like old school metal Widow are a band worth checking out, and may also be a band who helps carry metal into the future. Melody Club This is an electronic power pop band that reminded me of all those new wave groups in the 80's that got played on MTV. I can't imagine anybody that goes to this website even thinking about liking something like this. It is not metal, it is not rock nor is it heavy at all. It is just some pop band out of the 80's. As far as did I like this or not, ha, I would take this in the middle of my yard and bury it somewhere along with MTV. CRUACHAN Holy shit what a combo of death metal and folk music. I would never believe that mixing the 2 styles would work, but here is living proof. This was so original and so refreshing. The production is heavy as hell and the guitar sound is godly. The folk parts even work and do not seem out of place at all. A really cool and different release and I was totally into this. Info: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com. |