Hard 20 |
November / December 2006Priestess | Conquest | King Karma | Marillion | Images of Eden | Journey | Skid Row | Wednesday 13 | The Lizards | Thor | Matt Turk | Autumn Black | Bernard Allison | America | Downlord | Conspiracy | Saw III | Desperado | Butchering the Beatles | Cloudscape Priestess I know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing when I first got this disc. No, this is not an all girl band. Disappointed? Don't be...because Priestess is a band that you're probably gonna enjoy. I know I like them. You know why? Because they're doing something different. They're doing heavy, modern rock that has a Black Sabbath/Motorhead/70's/classic rock vibe. I'm thinkin' an updated Led Zepplin/Nazareth sound. It's a pretty solid album and it seems exciting...at least to me...because it's not something you hear everyday. They pound out the first track, "I Am The Right, Colour Me Black," with such energy, you can't help but pay attention right off the bat. They're not wasting any time here. "Lay Down" is up next and that one chugs along at a nice pace. It keeps you interested. It was a good listen until I got down to track six. That's when I found a sound that I really, really, really liked. "Time Will Cut You Down" was kind of a slow, Black Sabbath sort of tune. I'm not really sure why I favor this one...besides the fact that it's just a great song. The second half of the album is just as good. I think "No Real Pain" was the one that caught my attention. About the only song I couldn't quite grasp was "Blood." Maybe if I listen to it a few more times, it will grow on me. But, I don't know, it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the album. Getting into eleven songs on a twelve song album...that's pretty good I think. All that's really left to say is...check 'em out. I think you'll really enjoy what Priestess has to offer. Conquest This band has been around for a bit and here they are with another great release. Why this band isn't signed is beyond me as they are 100 times better than some of the signed bands stuff I get to review. This is honest to goodness power metal that never lets up. This is not some Hammerfall Jr. band neither. This is pure straight forward power metal with bits and pieces of speed. The singing is powerful and aggressive and the production the band gets is nice and thick and heavy. Killer release. Info: http://www.conquestmetal.com King Karma This quartet play some badass bluesy hard rock, very edgy and with a dark flavor. Influenced by the likes of Zeppelin, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Black Crows, and even Alice In Chains, their music is gritty, tough as nails, rough, raw, and raucous. There are no frills and nothing fancy, just stripped to basics rock and roll. The guitars are razor sharp, and the beat is heavy as lead and pounds like a jackhammer. None of the songs are very fast, they move along at a steady, heavy blues pace, but they make for in power what they lack in speed. Think of a tank or a bulldozer-moves slow, but powerful as hell, and you don't want to get in its way. There are a couple of ballads on here, that show the band's more sensitive sign, those being "I'm Listening" and "Don't Take The World Out On Me". These songs have some folk influence, with acoustic guitars, hand percussions, and a mellower vibe than the other songs. They add a good contrast to the rest of the album. King Karma can certainly play, and they play up a storm of smoking hard blues rock here, that delivers a boot square to the ass! Marillion This is the 1st time I have actually ever heard the band. This is a really cool band that I think I am going to have to seek out more from. The band play very emotional music with a touch of progressive and the songs are very long and have lots of bumps along the way. The music sucked me and in and kept me hooked and this band sounds like no other I have ever heard. The music is so emotional and powerful it isn't funny. An amazing band. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com Images of Eden Some solid progressive metal is the ticket here. The songs are long, but not boring and the chops and riffs are wicked and very cool. The band do sound a tad bit like Dream Theater, but are less thrashy than them. The band focus more on creating a mood and are a bit more melodic then them. Track 3 has some of the catchiest riffs this side of the Atlantic. Excellent release. Info: http://www.nightmare-records.com Journey We've already seen the remastered/repackaged versions of "Infinity," "Evolution" and the expanded editions of "Departure," "Escape" and "Greatest Hits." As the early album restoration campaign continues, you've got four more albums to sink your teeth into again. If you're a Journey fan...this is what you've been waiting for. Let's take a quick look at what Legacy/Columbia has to offer, shall we? Might as well go in order and, before we get into it, I'd like to point out that my knowledge of Journey's history isn't exactly perfect. So, feel free to point out any mistakes I may end up making here. Anyway, after six studio releases, Journey released their first live album, "Captured," which features the best of what the band had to offer before "Escape" saw the light of day. "Lights," and "Stay Awhile" are the first two tunes that really capture your attention. Of course, the stand out tracks are the final three, "Lovin', "Touchin', Squeezin'," "Wheel In The Sky" and "Any Way You Want It," which happens to be my personal favorite on this release. "Wheel In The Sky" is probably the most memorable as I still hear this version on the radio every now and then. For those of you who don't remember, "Captured" ended with a studio track called "The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love)." There was some good material during this time. But, the best was yet to come. After hearing two of the greatest tunes ever written, "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms," both from "Escape," we're treated to the "Frontiers" album. Here's where a lot of Journey fans have issues. Some say "Escape" was their best release and some say "Frontiers" should be the album to have that honor. My opinion...I'd have to go with "Frontiers" because this is the album that features what is, perhaps, the greatest AOR song ever written, "Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)." We all know Steve Perry has an amazing voice. But, he nailed it on this tune and, you've gotta admit that "Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)" just flat out rocked...and, 23 years later, it's still a powerful song. Of course, you also have "Faithfully," which, to me, is a better "Open Arms." "Send Her My Love" is the other stand out track on this release. The expanded edition includes four additional tracks, "Only The Young," "Ask The Lonely," "Liberty" and "Only Solutions." While "Liberty" is a weak, acoustic number that doesn't really add anything to the album, the other songs are more upbeat and they do give "Frontiers" a little more kick. After the forgettable "Dream After Dream," Journey got back to the business of making good music again with "Raised On Radio." The expanded edition only includes two additional tracks and, unfortunately, they're live versions of "Girl Can't Help It" and "I'll Be Alright Without You." I say unfortunately because I hate when live tracks are added to a studio album. I just think that takes away from the overall feel of the album. That's my opinion. I mean, sure, the songs are done well and it's nice to hear them. They just throw the album vibe off track a bit. The studio versions of those songs are featured on this release...and you already heard 'em once. Plus, you've got other stand out tracks like "Positive Touch," "Be Good To Yourself," which I really like for the simple fact that this tune rocks and I happen to dig the "heavier" side of Journey. Same with the title track. Great song. After a few Journey "collections," we're treated to their 10th studio album, "Trial By Fire," which came after a ten year recording hiatus. The promo material I got with this release said the expanded edition includes a single bonus track. Although I believe there's two on this one, "Baby I'm Leavin' You" and "I Can See It In Your Eyes." Now, to be honest with you, this is the first time I actually heard this particular album and, in my opinion, ten years away from recording didn't seem to hurt Journey one bit. Okay, sure, it's a bit ballad heavy. But, there's enough of the other material to keep you interested. "Message Of Love" and "One More" and "Can't Tame The Lion" really grab you. But, the one song I really got into was "I Can See It In Your Eyes," which was included on the Japanese version of "Trial By Fire" if I'm not mistaken. This tune freakin' rocks. Shame it had to be placed at the end of the album. This is a song you should sink your teeth into right away. While this is enough Journey music to get anyone excited, myself included, the album that's really been floating my boat is Steve Perry's "Greatest Hits." I don't remember too much about my childhood. But, when "Street Talk" came out in 1984, I was really drawn to that album for the simple fact that the girls I knew really got into that one and this release features the best tunes from that album. Most people usually name "Oh Sherrie" as their favorite track and that's one that I happen to enjoy myself. But, for me, "Strung Out" was a much better song. I can listen to that one over and over again and I'd never get tired of hearing it. It's just a good, fun, rock song. Of course, the other two on here that people will probably remember are "Foolish Heart" and "She's Mine." The "For The Love Of Stange Medicine" album kind of lacked the stand out tracks that "Street Talk" had. Maybe that's why they pretty much ignored that album on this release. At least "You Better Wait" was included. There's some other good stuff on here. Only problem I see is that most of it is the mellow stuff. But, it's Steve Perry we're talking about here and even on his worst day, he can sing better than the rest of the musical population. You get a total of 18 songs here and if you're a Steve Perry fan...hardcore or casual...that's enough music to overdose on and, be it his solo work or his time with Journey, there's one thing I know to be true...Steve Perry is eternal. He's one of the greatest vocalists the rock world has ever known and with these albums getting another chance to shine in the spotlight, hopefully, a whole new generation of fans will discover them. http://www.journeymusic.com Skidrow As this 1st played I was like this is not the Skid Row I remember, then I realized that was over 10-12 years ago. With that I went in with more of an open mind with this and gave it a few spins. This is modern like metal that wouldn't be far off an old Aerosmith or Gun's and Rose's record. The new singer has a good set of pipes and his voice works with the songs. This is some heavy almost metal rock n roll and track 4 wouldn't be out of place on a Sex Pistols record. Info: http://www.spvusa.com Wednesday 13 I have a friend who's really into Wednesday 13 and everything he's done and, for the longest time, he kept telling me how great this guy was and, to be honest with you, I simply wasn't interested. I heard a few tunes and while I don't remember what they were, they did nothing for me at the time. I finally started to pay attention when he gave me a tune called "I Love To Say Fuck" by Wednesday's former band. From that moment on, I was hooked. Funny how time changes your opinion, huh? Anyway, Wednesday 13 is back from the dead with another disturbingly great release, "Fang Bang." This album rocks from start to near finish. I couldn't sink my teeth into the bonus track, "Burn The Flames," which sounds like a cross between early Alice Cooper and the first Needulhed disc. I mean, it's an okay song. It just didn't grab me like everything else did. This is all I've been listening to for the past week or so. The first three songs, "Morgue Than Words," "American Werewolves In London" and "My Home Sweet Homicide" are lyrically and musicially great. On "Too Much Blood," Wednesday sounds like "Slave To The Grind" era Sebastian Bach and, we know he's into Friday The 13th and Halloween because he does a tune about each movie, ""Till Death Do Us Party" and "Haddonfield." But, the best song on "Fang Bang" has got to be "Faith In The Devil." This tune fuckin' slams. It's heavy, it's got a groove and Wednesday's vocals are the bomb. Horror rock...punk...call it what you want. Just make sure you check it out because "Fang Bang" is more fun that a freezer full of dead bodies. http://www.rykodisc.com The Lizards This is solid rock n roll in the vein of bands like UFO, Riot, Thin Lizzy, etc. The vocalist used to sing in Riot and the band also have veteran drummer Bobby Rondinelli in the band. This is like the classic rock bands from the 70's and the production is in that vein too, which was cool with me. This is plain ole kick ass rock n roll the way it used to be and the way it should be today too. Great release. Info: http://www.thelizardwebsite.com Thor Legendary rock warrior THOR is back in action with yet another new album...one that's sure to put another notch in his battle hammer...especially since THOR seems to have gotten a lot heavier over the course of his past few releases. The music on "Devastation Of Musculation" is rock solid and heavy and, in some places, I'd be tempted to say that it almost borders on thrash and, while THOR has a great deal of material floating around out there, of which I've only heard a small portion of, I'd still have to say that this is his best ever vocal performance. His voice seems to fit the music perfectly this time around. I have a few THOR albums in my personal collection and this is the one I've been going to when I need my fix...and not just because it's new. I really dig this album and I think long time THOR fans will be pleased with how it turned out. He may even pick up a few new fans with this release. Rock on, mighty warrior, rock on. http://www.smogveil.com Matt Turk I'm not really sure what to make of this release. I do, however, feel that in order to appreciate what Matt Turk has to offer, you have to listen to it a number of times in order for it to sink in and, to be honest, as I type this up, I'm about halfway through my second listen and the impression I got is...well...there's an element of rock here and he has kind of a radio friendly, singer/songwriter vibe going on here. The lyrical content is intelligent and mature and it would seem to me that the focus is on the song itself, which is something a lot of people claim to do. A lot of times, it's painfully obvious that someone's, shall we say, trying to hard. Not the case here. I get the impression that these songs happen naturally, they're not forced...and that's what makes "Washington Arms" a good, strong album. I tend to enjoy the more "upbeat" tracks such as "All Over You," which is probably my favorite from the album, "Into Nothing," and "Sky." The cover of Ten Years After's "I'd Love To Change The World" is pretty good too. In the middle of the album, there tends to be some experimentation, which I can't really comment on yet because I'm not sure if I understand the "big picture" so to speak. But, "Washington Arms" was an interesting listen and I believe it's worthy of your time. Autumn Black Raised on a wide back ground of music ranging from classical to Pink Floyd, Slipknot, Between The Buried And Me, Metallica, Sabbath, Depeche Mode, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Motorhead and At The Drive-In, what comes out of the speakers is not exactly what one would expect. These 5 Southern California boys are a serious hardcore / metal outfit. And that's cool to be serious about your genre. And within the confines of 'Beneath The Shadows' what you get is primarily a talented metal-core outfit trying to push their way into a bulging genre. The disc really starts out screaming with the track, "Salvation". From there it just sort of rolls on. There really isn't much here that hasn't already been done in the past few years by other bands such as, oh, Between The Buried And Me. As well as the many others along that lineage of music. They do however have something going for them. They have the ability within their music to change things up a bit with catchy hooks and melodies. As so one will not be utterly bored with this release. To be totally honest with you all, 'Beneath The Shadows' is a pretty good CD. It has some heavy enough jams to spark the interest of most metal heads. And it fits great into what most kids may be buying up as of late. Autumn Black could easily have been a shoe in for last years second stage Ozzfest line up. In short, 'Beneath The Shadows' is a good playing album. Nothing great. But at the same time, nothing bad. Autumn Black should fare pretty well within today's music scene. http://www.autumnblackmusic.com Bernard Allison I'm always up for a good rockin' blues album. And with this live recording, that's just what I'm getting. Now I really do not own much along the lines of blues, but always appreciate a good blues show from time to time and it's always great to receive an album of such high caliber as with this one. Now I'm not real sure why I am reviewing this one. From what I can tell, it was released in 1994. Nothing else from the website or CD says otherwise. So I am not really sure whether it's a re-release or it just got caught up in the mail. Bernard Allison is a Chicago native and a master at the guitar. First hitting the stage at age 13 to record an album with his fathers band. And since then has put out numerous albums, DVD's and has played with many great musicians. This is a great sounding live recording. And musically, well for current fans of say, 'Smokin' Joe Bonamassa, Bernard could have been his teacher. A superb album by a superb blues musician. I do wish I was more up on more blues greats. But for you, if you're into the likes of 'Smokin' Joe, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the likes, you're going to love this album. Highly recommended!!!! America This 17 track live album features a pretty strong collection of material and since America wasn't a band that I was really into, I was kind of suprised that I remembered a lot of these tunes. The big one, of course, is "A Horse With No Name," which I'm sure a lot of you will remember. But, then again, songs like "Ventura Highway," "You Can Do Magic," "I Need You" and "Lonely People" might ring a bell for you. I'm into the whole singer/songwriter scene and, if I were to place a label on this release, that's what I would tag it with. It's a very "down to earth" kind of album. I think it's been floating around out there for some time now. So, most long time America fans are probably already familiar with it. If not, it's well worth checking out...especially if you're in the mood to listen to some good live music. http://www.venturahighway.com Downlord A new Danish death metal band comes to you with an old flavor. Consisting of seasoned veterans from such acts as Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Sacrificial, Daemon and Iniquity, just to name a few, one would expect an out of this world release. Fronted by vocalist Dave Ingram, what Downlord gives you upon their first release under Open Grave Records is 7 tracks clocking in at around 17 minutes of not the greatest production wise sounding death metal. These are just demos, so we'll cut 'em a bit of slack here. As for the music? It's death metal in the vein of the previous mentioned bands. Nothing really special, some unpolished tunes for the true fans of the genre. In some instances with a group such high caliber players, these things tend to happen. At least what I've experienced. Downlord are currently working on the first official full length release. Hopefully it's a bit more fine tuned. Unless this is the sound they are going for. If so, well done. http://www.downlord.dk Conspiracy Originally formed back in 1988 in Western Ukraine, the band recorded a short demo tape. Finding it hard to record quality extreme music in the area, there was a move. After doing a stint in the military, a second demo was recorded in 1993. That's about all I can dig up. 10 years later, the bands founder resurrects and rejuvenates the music he'd composed in the past and now it is available through Pulverised Records. As for my wonderful background description, that's all that's out there. I looked. All you need to know is that if this music was presented to the masses 10 years earlier, Conspiracy would have been a band way before their time. An infectious blend of grooves, haunting melodies and harmonious solo guitars that would have changed the face of extreme metal at the time. Or shall we call this black metal. How about a little of both. It does however run neck and neck with today's genre leaders. Be Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child, Khold, Emancer or Summon, fans of all these as well as extreme metal in general would be doing themselves an injustice if they don't check out what this bad has to offer. Let's / I hope the band is here to stay for awhile. An excellent album. Hands down perfection!!! Saw III "Saw III" might be another low budget film where people suffer in a most brutal way. So, why should the soundtrack be any different? You can't escape the brutality that this 20 song release will unleash upon you. Besides new/exclusive tracks from Static X and Drowning Pool, you get tracks by some of the biggest names in the metal scene, including All That Remains, Slayer, Lamb Of God, Helmet, Disturbed, Blue October, Avenged Sevenfold, Eighteen Visions, Opiate For The Masses, Bullet For My Valentine, Ministry, Mastadon, Hourcast, Meshuggah, The Smash Up, Ghost Machine and, wrapping it all up is "Shithole Theme" by Charlie Clouser. Of course, you're all gonna have your personal favorites. For me, it's Slayer and Avenged Sevenfold. But, the real stand out track has got to be Hydrovibe's "Killer Inside," which features "Saw" actress Shawnee Smith on backround vocals. It's just a great song and, hopefully, this is the one that will stand out for a lot of other people besides myself. You've gotta admit though...it's hard to compete with Slayer. Even on their worst day, they can blow away 99% of all the other bands that are floating around out there, including those featured on this release. Anyway, if you're a fan of the film...and even if you're not...this soundtrack is well worth checking out. That is, if you think you can take this much brutality in one sitting. Can you? Desperado In the early 90's, Dee Snider, Bernie Torme, Clive Burr and Marc Russell recorded the Desperado album and, in a move that I can't seem to figure out, Elektra shelved the record. I mean, seriously, this is Dee Snider we're talking about here. The man could do a polka album and make it sound cool. While the music on Desperado is certainly not polka, it's still a cool album...and while a lot of people will compare anything he ever does to his work with Twisted Sister, I wouldn't even go there with this release because, as much as I like his former band, there's more to Dee Snider than Twisted Sister. The Desperado album has kind of a western/outlaw feel to it that, for the most part, rocks hard and heavy and, after making the rounds in the trading circles, it finally gets a proper release as "Ace," although, it's common knowledge that the original album title was "Bloodied But Unbowed." Now, to complain a bit, it's a very bare bones release. "Easy Action" and "Heart of Saturday Night" are missing and the insert is rather simple. It has the band line up and the song titles. You would think they would put some liner notes in there to explain the album a bit, for those who aren't familiar with the history of this release. On the other hand, it is an official release and you can finally get rid of your CD-R copy and get the real thing. Stand out tracks include "Hang 'Em High," "There's No Angels Here" and "Emaheeval," which eventually became a Widowmaker tune. http://www.deesnider.com Butchering the Beatles When I first heard a couple months back that Restless Records was to be doing an all metal Beatles tribute album called ‘Butchering The Beatles’, I thought , enough is enough. A bunch of metal bands from this labels roster would only be good at “butchering” a cover from rock -n- roll’s elite. And to myself thought it was bullshit. Why even waste their time. My apologizes first must go to Bob Kulick on my first paragraph here. Restless Records? Ohhhhh…..,,,,. And a look at the musicians on the disc? Well, as many of you may have wondered the same, be it a mix-up with what label was putting this out, (as a radio personality thought the same as I), or just the title in general, well buddy, you’re in for a rude awakening. I also am not sure how to go about writing this review out. There are over 50 of rock’s top musicians covering 12 tracks. To go into detail about each track would make this the never ending review. So I will list the tracks and players below. As for each individual song review? Well actually, it is pretty easy. And the credit must goto the man behind the disc, Mr. Bob Kulick. I’m not sure what really possessed him to band together the players for these songs as he did. Or even the way that they played them. But in short, they’re almost magical sounding. Within each track, and I shit you not, each players style/influence can be heard. It’s as if the songs are fashioned to sound like each musicians current bands. The beauty is, there are up to five players from different bands on one track. Superb job in that department. As well with the immense talent gathered here. My only complaint about this disc is the title. ’Butchering’ is so the wrong word here. Simply because each song is done so well, there is no butchering involved. That is of course unless one feels that if anyone does a Beatles cover, they will butcher it. On the contrary here. Each set of guest musicians does such a fantastic job on the songs they played, maybe they could of called it something like, oh, Mastering the Beatles? No that sounds lame. Metalizing the Beatles? Okay, that’s lame too. Well anyways, for any fan of hard rock/metal and The Beatles as well. Bob Kulick has done a fantastic job here of portraying one of rocks greatest assets for today’s younger generation. As well as for the older fans and should appeal to all. Here is a short run down of the track listing, and fabulous line up of musicians: Cloudscape For a sample of what this Swedish band has to offer, stop by their MySpace site and check out some tunes. Unfortunately, they only have one song from "Crimson Skies," "Shapeshifter," which is the first track on the album. If you like what you hear, chances are you'll enjoy the rest of this release because the other 12 songs are the same, high quality, progresssive metal as what you'll hear online. Even the bonus track from 1999, a demo for "You Belong," is pretty good. I mean, sure, it's not as "epic" as the other tunes. But, it's a demo. So, you've gotta take that into account. Anyway, "Crimson Skies" has an hour plus running time and, believe me, there's not a weak song in the bunch. Check 'em out. |