Monthly Archives: April 2010
ARMORED SAINT – La Raza
Armored Saint – La Raza (2010, Metal Blade Records)
1. “Loose Cannon” … 5:06
2. “Head On” … 5:46
3. “Left Hook From Right Field” … 5:31
4. “Get Off The Fence” … 4:48
5. “Chilled” … 5:02
6. “La Raza” … 6:41
7. “Black Feet” … 5:07
8. “Little Monkey” … 4:45
9. “Blues” … 3:32
10. “Bandit Country” … 5:16
Band:
John Bush – Vocals
Jeff Duncan – Guitars
Phil Sandoval – Guitars
Joey Vera – Bass
Gonzo Sandoval – Drums
Producer: Joey Vera
Not too long since it was released, I have been listened to this album on and off. My original plan was to review it much earlier but I wasn’t album to get into it. Reviews on this album have been mixed to say the least. Some people say it’s another great Armored Saint release and it logically follows their last few efforts. Then there’s the controversy as to whether this is a “metal” release or not.
Firstly, despite not having heard 2000′s Revelation, I can definitely see the connection between this album and 1991′s Symbol of Salvation. Frankly, La Raza doesn’t even begin to compare to that 1991 classic. There’s just too much filler on La Raza. Symbol of Salvation is one of those rare, great albums where there’s no filler at all. Upon my first complete listen to this album, the only song that stuck out is “Chilled”. It’s a great song that reminds me of Symbol of Salvation yet has enough modern flavor that any younger band could probably get on the radio with it. The rest I would have been hard pressed to remember. Given that I’ve spun this album ten times or more by now, other favorites are popping up. This is one of those albums that I really had to keep listening to over and over again to get enjoyment out of.
Now, there has been some controversy over whether this is heavy metal. Well, I say it is. Compared to the band’s catalog, La Raza brings no more or no less “heavy metal” than they usually do. I’ve always thought Armored Saint straddled the line between heavy metal and hard rock anyway. There are a few songs on here I would say are strictly heavy metal and then a few others that are pure hard rock.
At least John Bush still delivers in the vocal department. My only issue with him is a recent interview I read where he basically sounded like he was dragged into this project. Though he doesn’t say this, it sounds like he really doesn’t have a lot of passion left for music. Armored Saint reuniting was Joey Vera’s doing and while he and John Bush co-wrote the whole album together, knowing that Bush originally didn’t want to do it and had to be talked into it ruins a bit of the enjoyment for myself. I think the whole Anthrax fiasco took a lot of fight out of him.
My final thoughts on this album are that it is a good solid rock/metal release but it didn’t “wow” me. It was one of the more anticipated albums of 2010 for me so perhaps I set my expectations high. It failed to meet those expectations but after a few listens it has grown on me.
Highlights: “Loose Cannon”, “Left Hook from Right Field”, “Get Off the Fence”, “Chilled”, “Black Feet”, “Bandit Country”
HARD – Time Is Waiting For No One
Hard – Time Is Waiting For No One (2010, Escape Music)
1. “Time Is Waiting For No One” … 3:56
2. “Black Clouds” … 3:54
3. “Lonesome Loneliness” … 4:28
4. “Love Goes With Anything” … 3:50
5. “Magical Pretence” … 4:12
6. “Into The Fire” … 4:12
7. “The Pace And The Flow” … 4:05
8. “My Kind Of Woman” … 3:40
9. “Nona” … 3:41
10. “Shine On Me Now” … 4:28
11. “Four-Leaf Clover” … 4:20
Band:
Bjorn Lodin – Vocals, Guitar
Zsolt Csillik – Guitar
Zsolt Vamos – Guitar
Gabor Mirkovics – Bass
Balazs Hornyak – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Thomas Larsson – Guitar
Orjan Fernkvist – Hammond Organ
Producer: Bjorn Lodin
I’m not familiar with Hard but I heard a few samples of this album and liked it well enough to give it a go when it was offered up to review. This Hungarian band started out in 2004 but this is the group’s first work with Bjorn Lodin from Sweden on vocals.
My first impressions of this band center on Lodin. On “Time Is Waiting For No One” he sounds like he’s straining but then I realized that’s just Lodin’s raspy style and I like it. When “Black Cloud” comes on he sounds like Rod Stewart (if Rod had never stopped singing rock music)! The raspy rock ‘n’ roll voice may not be suitable for all but it shouldn’t be too hard to accept for fans of AC/DC, Krokus, etc. It’s a voice that is welcomed and appropriate for this type of bluesy classic-sounding hard rock. It’s really amazing as this album goes on just how much he sounds like Rod Stewart at times… No show tunes or old standards here!
Hard has put together a collection of bluesy rock numbers with a touch of melodic rock and for the most part they do it well, if not spectacularly. The only song that falls flat with me is the ballad “Love Goes With Anything”. It’s too much AOR cheese for me. That’s not to say the band can’t do softer numbers, “The Pace and the Flow” and the album’s closer “Four-Leaf Clover” are a really good sentimental mid-tempo numbers. Rockers that sound inspired by AC/DC and/or Krokus are what Hard does best though: “Time Is Waiting for No One”, “Black Clouds” and “Into the Fire” are blistering hard rock feasts.
Time Is Waiting for No One is a solid hard rock effort.
Highlights: “Time Is Waiting for No One”, “Black Clouds”, “Lonesome Loneliness”, “Into the Fire”, “The Pace and the Flow”, “Four-Leaf Clover”
STEEVI JAIMZ – My Private Hell
Steevi Jaimz – My Private Hell (2009, SCS Records/Cargo Records)
1. “Amazing” … 3:17
2. “Don’t Say It’s Over” … 3:16
3. “Something Good Something Bad” … 4:09
4. “Still Crazy” … 3:37
5. “Little Sistah” … 3:52
6. “My Private Hell” … 3:23
7. “Kiss Of Death” … 3:22
8. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Away” … 5:07
9. “Dancin’ With Danger” … 2:58
10. “Kikk It Down” … 3:55
Musicians:
Steevi Jaimz – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals,
Chris Laney – Guitar, Bass, Drums, Backing Vocals
Anders Ringman – Guitar, Bass, Drums, Backing Vocals
Producer: Chris Laney & Anders Ringman
Steevi Jaimz was the original singer for the UK glam metal act Tigertailz and sang on their debut Young & Crazy. I’ve been aware of Tigertailz for about as long as I’ve been into the hair metal scene, yet I’ve never listened to them or any previous solo efforts from Jaimz. The buzz online was that My Private Hell was a really good glam metal album so I made it a mission of mine to investigate for myself and Steevi was kind enough to assist.
The truth is — this is a REALLY good glam metal album. Throw My Private Hell into an unsuspecting lap and you could pass this album off to them as a lost classic from the ’80s. The production is great and all the hallmarks of a quality glam release are here: big hooks, big choruses, big vocals and ANTHEMS. This album is basically one infectious anthem after another. The best of which is the opening track “Amazing”. I loved it the first time I heard it and it sets the bar really high for the rest of album.
The whole album is reminiscent of the best of KISS from ’80s and also reminds me of Wig Wam. “Amazing” especially sounds like a KISS song from Animalize or Asylum, it easily sounds like a number Paul Stanley could be singing on. Many modern glam/hair albums tend to go either with a dirty sleazy sound or polished pop-metal. My Private Hell features elements of both but retains a sense of credibility (meaning NOT a “guilty” pleasure, I would have no problem cranking this album and letting others here it) and a rowdy party vibe.
Of course, as EVERY glam album should have — there’s a ballad. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Away” is just one of many bright spots on the album.
Chris Laney, Anders Ringman and of course Steevi Jaimz have delivered a thoroughly enjoyable modern glam metal classic that is nonstop fun. Once again, I discover an album a year too late — would’ve been yet another strong contender for my Top 10 of 2009 list, but as it stands, it’s still definitely one of 2009′s best. As I said before, I haven’t followed the career of Steevi Jaimz but My Private Hell has assured that I will from now on.
Highlights: “Amazing”, “Don’t Say It’s Over”, “Something Good Something Bad”, “Still Crazy”, “My Private Hell”, “I Don’t Wanna Walk Away”, “Kikk It Down”
http://www.steevijaimz.com/
http://www.myspace.com/steevijaimz
RATT – Infestation
Ratt – Infestation (2010, Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud Records)
1. “Eat Me Up Alive”… 4:13
2. “Best Of Me” … 4:19
3. “A Little Too Much” … 4:05
4. “Look Out Below” … 3:44
5. “Last Call” … 3:55
6. “Lost Weekend” … 3:46
7. “As Good As It Gets” … 4:38
8. “Garden Of Eden” … 3:03
9. “Take A Big Bite” … 2:46
10. “Take Me Home” … 4:23
11. “Don’t Let Go” … 3:22
Band:
Stephen Pearcy – Lead vocals
Warren DeMartini – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Carlos Cavazo – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Robbie Crane – Bass
Bobby Blotzer – Drums
Producer: Michael “Elvis” Baskette
Wow, when did Roadrunner Records become so cool? They used to be a safe haven for post-grunge and nu-metal acts (and really, they still are). Now, not only do they have KISS, Megadeth, Sammy Hagar, Dream Theater, Airbourne, Slash, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rob Zombie signed to various deals but Ratt as well!
I had been looking forward to this album for a long time. In fact, it’s been one of my most anticipated releases for 2010. There are times where you can predict an album’s quality before it comes out. A time when you have a “feeling” before hearing the first note. My “feeling” was right about Chickenfoot, wrong about Slash but I was right once again for Ratt. I was feelin’ good vibes, man, over the idea of some new Ratt music.
For fans of Ratt’s early albums, Infestation will not let you down. It is a conscious effort to relive the glory days of Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy. Personally, I enjoy all of Ratt’s albums (well, I haven’t bothered with their 1999 self-title due to so many poor reviews I’ve read), even the glossed up sounds of Detonator, which I think is underrated. But Infestation leaves the polish at home and gets back to filthy sleazy Ratt ‘n’ roll.
Despite whatever live concert reports may say, I think Stephen Pearcy sounds just as good as ever on tape (of course, technology has improved too!). The only thing that’s lacking from band performance is there just doesn’t seem to be enough spotlight shining on Warren DeMartini. Maybe I’m crazy but I just don’t think he had a strong enough presence on the album. That’s a minor quibble though.
The album starts off great with a pair of classic sounding Ratt songs: “Eat Me Up Alive” and “Best of Me”. “Best of Me” is my favorite song on the album and it’s the lead single. New Ratt pack member Carlos Cavazo (ex-Quiet Riot) actually wrote the majority of that song so he’s already off to fitting in with Ratt because it sounds exactly like old school Ratt.
The rest of the album keeps up with the band’s mid ’80s heyday delivering one dirty rocker after another. The album’s sole slow moment is “Take Me Home”, which is definitely the weakest track and possibly the weakest Ratt song I’ve heard to date. It sounds like the album’s lone effort to sound modern. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this as the next single, if they release a second single. I love the string arrangement but it’s the first half of the song that ruins the whole track for me.
Overall, this is a more than worthy addition to the Ratt catalog. I’m not sure where I’d rank it yet though. It’s still too fresh and I love their previous efforts so much but this is an album definitely worth checking out for Ratt fans. It will not disappoint.
I ordered my copy from Roadrunner’s website a few weeks before the release. With the pre-order you immediately got a digital download copy of “Eat Me Up Alive” and the album arrived with an extra CD booklet signed by the band! How cool is that?
Signed booklet
Highlights: “Eat Me Up Alive”, “Best Of Me”, “Look Out Below”, “Last Call”, “Lost Weekend”, “As Good As It Gets”
PICTURE – Old Dogs New Tricks
Picture – Old Dogs New Tricks (2009, Marsmountains Records)
1. “Old Dogs New Tricks” … 3:49
2. “Blood Out Of A Stone” … 4:15
3. “High On Fire” … 4:28
4. “Live By The Sword” … 4:42
5. “Now It’s Too Late” … 6:39
6. “Just Incredible” … 3:26
7. “Who Can You Trust” … 4:42
8. “Opposites Attract” … 3:22
9. “Choosing Your Sign” … 3:39
10. “A Better Soul” … 4:34
11. “Celtic Cross” … 4:25
12. “Never In A Million Years” … 4:17
Band:
Pete Lovell – Vocals
Jan Bechtum – Guitar
Rob van Enkhuizen – Guitar
Rinus Vregudenhil – Bass
Laurens “Bakkie” Bakker – Drums
Producer: Nico Verrips
Picture is a good ol’ traditional heavy metal that hails from the Netherlands and they got their start in 1979. They achieved a bit of success in Europe in the ’80s and were able to tour throughout the continent with rock titans like AC/DC, Ted Nugent and Saxon. The band broke up in the late ’80s but reunited in 2007 and result is Old Dogs New Tricks– their eighth studio album and their first album in 22 years!
When a copy of this album came across my desk awhile back, they seemed familiar to me but I couldn’t figure out why. I did some research and my usual online music resources had little to no information on them. I just couldn’t figure out how I somehow already knew of the band until I released I had stumbled across their listing on Rate Your Music last year and took a short interest in them. That interest fizzled out when it appeared none of their albums had ever been issued on CD, or if they had, they were out of print.
Well, I am happy to say I am now a proud owner of a Picture CD and it’s a mighty fine release. If any of their previous albums are as good as or better than Old Dogs New Tricks, the world has really been missing out. More people should be aware of this band and also of this album! “High On Fire” is another energetic slab of metal and “Live By The Sword” slows the pace down a bit but it actually one of the best numbers on this album.
The album opens with “Old Dogs New Tricks” which reminds me of some of Anvil’s mid-tempo numbers. I thought it was an odd choice to open the album due to tempo, but it has gone on me. Next is “Blood Out Of A Stone” and this is really when the album gets on a roll. It’s a fast paced number that pleased me and should please other traditional metal heads. I love the guitars here. “Now It’s Too Late” is up and a fantastic ballad. It may just be my favorite track, I can’t stop listening to it.
Probably the heaviest number on the album is “Who Can You Trust”. More fantastic guitars from Jan & Rob and I love the drums as well. “Choosing Your Sign” is another great number. Great riff, just dark and determined sounding. And the rest of the album is nothing to sneeze at! The songs have a modern touch of production but still retain a 1980s classic heavy metal sound and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I just love that so many classic rock/metal bands are coming back and delivering such solid material. Granted, I’m not familiar with Picture’s earlier works but for any band to reunite after so long apart and come up with such an enjoyable album is fantastic and quite a feat. Old Dogs New Tricks is easily one of the better albums from 2009. It’s shame I didn’t hear it then. It may have made my Top 10 list.
Okay, I gave a glowing review — can someone now PLEASE get to work on issuing the old Picture albums on CD???
Highlights: “Blood Out Of A Stone”, “High On Fire”, “Live By The Sword”, “Now It’s Too Late”, “Who Can You Trust”, “Choosing Your Sign”, “A Better Soul”
http://www.pictureofficial.com
http://www.myspace.com/pictureholland
Concerts!
I can’t remember if I mentioned it already but I bought my few concert tickets for 2010 a month or two back. I’ll be heading off to DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan (for my fourth time) to see Iron Maiden and their special guests Dream Theater on July 17th! Should be a great show. I like Dream Theater but the real draw for me is Iron Maiden. They’re one of those bands that’s been on my unwritten “must see live” list forever.
Well, I have some more good news to add to that. Today I found about THREE great acts coming to area. Here in downtown Lansing, there’s the week-long Common Ground Music Festival that takes place every summer. This will be the festival’s 11th year and in the past they’ve featured acts like Sammy Hagar, Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow. Last year, Stone Temple Pilots were one of the headlining acts.
Despite living in Lansing for nearly four years now, I’ve never gone before just because I couldn’t bring myself to spend $30 on a ticket to see only one act. I like Sammy, I like STP but thirty bucks was too much in my book to just see them (and them only) AND have to deal with the summer heat and huge crowd that gathers down by the Grand River. The Red Rocker is returning once again this year (I think this is his 4th performance at Common Ground) and appears to be sharing headliner status with none other than…
ALICE COOPER!
Alice is another one of my all-time favorite acts and just recently I had been complaining about how he never seems to get close enough to Lansing or Detroit (though he almost always pops up in Michigan somewhere during the summer every year). I noticed the newspaper this morning talking about Common Ground and they mentioned Alice will be performing July 16th and it will be full of his usual theatrics.
And the icing on the cake? Well, Tesla will also be performing on the 16th! Hagar performs on the 14th and I’d like to see him but Alice alone is enough to win out over Hagar and when you throw Tesla into the mix, it’s a no-brainer that this is the year I need to shell out $30. Heck, even if Tesla wasn’t performing, just seeing Alice is worth the money, in my opinion.
Common Ground still have a number of slots to fill and promises more artists to be announced but I can’t imagine anyone topping Alice Cooper! Tickets aren’t on sale yet. I think they go on sale next Wednesday and I’ll definitely be picking two tickets up then.
So what a great weekend I’ll have! Friday, July 17th: Alice Cooper & Tesla. Saturday, July 18th: Iron Maiden & Dream Theater!
BUT WAIT… There’s more!
I received confirmation earlier this afternoon that the Scorpions will be storming the stage of DTE on July 1st! Tickets go on sale this coming Saturday morning (gee, thanks for the heads up!). Ratt, Cinderella or Dokken are opening most of their shows but as luck would have it, the DTE show is one of the few where there is no opener. Oh well. I would’ve love to have seen Ratt but I won’t complain about an extended show from the Scorps! Scratch another all-time fave off the “must see” list. July is going to be a great month for me!
Do YOU have any concert plans for the summer?
BLACK ROSES – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Black Roses – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988, Metal Blade Records)
1. “Dance on Fire” – Black Roses … 3:47
2. “Soldiers of the Night” – Black Roses … 3:46
3. “I’m No Stranger” – Bang Tango … 4:07
4. “Rock Invasion” – Black Roses … 4:27
5. “Paradise (We’re On Our Way)” – Black Roses … 4:05
6. “Me Against the World” – Lizzy Borden … 4:36
7. “Take It Off” – King Kobra … 3:55
8. “King of Kool” – David Michael Phillips … 3:26
9. “Streetlife Warrior” – Tempest … 3:47
10. “D.I.E.” – Hallow’s Eve … 3:25
This is the soundtrack to the movie Black Roses, which was just one of a handful of heavy metal horror flicks from the 1980s (Trick or Treat will always be my favorite from that sub-genre). I have wanted to see the movie since the early ’00s (when I first learned of its existence) but it was out-of-print on VHS and didn’t get a DVD release in 2007. Thanks to Netflix, I recently watched it. The movie itself was okay. I can see why it’s a considered a cult fave and it was entertaining enough for a one-time viewing. It was typically cheesy and full of unintentional comedy but it featured some of those cool latex creatures and costumes that are extremely rare in this day and age of CGI.
This is one of those soundtracks where a fake/temporary band is put together. (Steel Dragon for Rock Star, The Dudes of Wrath for Shocker, etc). According to information I keep coming across online, the Black Roses group on the album is comprised of King Kobra members Mark Free (vocals) & Carmine Appice (drums) with Chuck Wright (bass) and Alex Masi (guitar). This is where things get hazy though. The King Kobra song on this soundtrack is “Take It Off”. “Take It Off” is from 1988′s King Kobra III which featured Johnny Edwards on vocals. Also, David Michael Phillips (who contributes “King of Kool”) was a member of King Kobra throughout the ’80s so he very well may have been in Black Roses recording group too. Mark Free left King Kobra in ’86 and formed Signal in 1987 but it definitely sounds like Mark Free during the Black Roses songs. Just seems odd to hear him contribute to a soundtrack featuring his former band and to collaborate with them as well.
Most of the Black Roses songs could have easily fit on any King Kobra release. Even “Paradise (We’re On Our Way)”, which is a huge wedge of AOR cheese balladry, could pass for one of Kobra’s more guiltier pleasures and certainly sounds like the norm for something that would come from Signal. I didn’t like it it first in the movie but it’s grown on me in a disturbing way. It’s actually somewhat humorous when you pay attention to the lyrics and keep in mind that this is a demonic band from Hell playing this song: “my hometown is a page that’s turning, way deep down there’s a fire burning…”
I think this is actually a pretty good album. The cheese factor is high but if you love ’80s rock/metal, that’s never really going to be a problem. All of the Black Roses songs are actually pretty good and full of energy featuring great vocals performances from Free and then Lizzy Borden and King Kobra offer up two of their better songs from their catalog. I really enjoy “King of Kool” too. The vocals sound a lot like Kevin DuBrow, in fact, the whole song sounds like Quiet Riot. I wonder if that is David Michael Phillips’ voice?
Really, the only disappointing tracks are from Bang Tango and Tempest. The only song I’ve ever liked from Bang Tango is “Someone Like You” and I’m not familiar with Tempest but I don’t care for the vocals. The Hallows Eve song is okay, it reminds me of Anthrax, but I wouldn’t say it’s an album highlight.
While the movie is available for about $20 on DVD now, regretfully, this album is now out-of-print. I’ve done some looking around online and have seen prices ranging from $50 to $300! Yikes !! C’mon, Metal Blade, put this album back in circulation!
Highlights: “Dance on Fire”, “Soldiers of the Night”, “Rock Invasion”, “Paradise (We’re On Our Way)”, “Me Against the World”, “Take It Off”, “King of Kool”
WHITESNAKE – Slide It In
Whitesnake – Slide It In (1984, Geffen Records)
1. “Slide It In” … 3:20
2. “Slow an’ Easy” … 6:08
3. “Love Ain’t No Stranger” … 4:18
4. “All or Nothing” … 3:40
5. “Gambler” … 3:58
6. “Guilty of Love” … 3:24
7. “Hungry for Love” … 3:28
8. “Give Me More Time” … 3:42
9. “Spit It Out” … 4:26
10. “Standing in the Shadow” … 3:42
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Mel Galley – Guitar, Backing Vocals
John Sykes – Guitar
Neil Murray – Bass
Cozy Powell – Drums
Jon Lord – Keyboards
Producer: Martin Birch
Slide It In is supposedly Whitesnake’s U.S. debut. I say “supposedly” because by 1984, they had already released six studio albums and one live album and while most of those came out under the EMI label in Europe, they were also released on Geffen which was the band’s U.S. label at the time. So either those albums were released alongside the European versions or Geffen dumped a lot of Whitesnake albums onto the American public in the mid to late ’80s!
Nonetheless, the U.S. version of Slide It In is mixed quite differently than the European version (that mix was criticized upon release in the UK). I have not heard that version but from what I’ve read about it, in the U.S. mix the keyboards and bass were lowered and the guitars and drums were put more up front at Geffen’s request. Also, by the time the album was to be released in the U.S., guitarist Mick Moody and bassist Colin Hodgkinson had left the band and their parts were re-recorded by John Sykes and the returning Neil Murray.
Anyway, this album starts the band’s commercial rise in the United States and maybe what old school Whitesnake fans would say is their musical decline. In my opinion, Slide It In is a fantastic album that acts as a bridge between the band’s early ’80s blues-based hard rock and their late ’80s commercial pop-metal sound. “Slide It In”, “Slow an’ Easy” and “Love Ain’t No Stranger” are a lethal three song line-up. Many albums have a great opening one-two punch but a one-two-three punch ?! Classic Whitesnake songs that are three of my all-time faves from the band.
How about these lyrics? Prime Coverdale. What did you think “Slide It In” and “Slow an’ Easy” would be about? What about “Spit It Out”? It’s obvious what he’s talking about there: “you took my love in the palm of your hand an’ showed me what a woman could do…” It’s awesome and I say that with no sense of irony. I love it.
By the way, check out this Whitesnake line-up. Coverdale has always done a great job of keeping Whitesnake stocked with top players. Sometimes I think Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Deep Purple and Rainbow had some type of musician exchange going. Maybe they held drafts every year.
Slide it in slow an’ easy then spit it out if you don’t like it!
Highlights: “Slide It In”, “Slow an’ Easy”, “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, “Gambler”, “Spit It Out”
