Monthly Archives: October 2010
Lordi – Babez For Breakfast
Lordi – Babez For Breakfast (2010, The End Records)
1. “SCG5: It’s a Boy!” … 1:21
2. “Babez for Breakfast” … 3:30
3. “This Is Heavy Metal” … 3:01
4. “Rock Police” … 3:58
5. “Discoevil” … 3:49
6. “Call Off the Wedding” … 3:31
7. “I Am Bigger Than You” … 3:04
8. “ZombieRawkMachine” … 3:42
9. “Midnite Lover” … 3:21
10. “Give Your Life for Rock and Roll” … 3:54
11. “Nonstop Nite” … 3:56
12. “Amen’s Lament to Ra” … 0:32
13. “Loud and Loaded” … 3:15
14. “Granny’s Gone Crazy” … 3:56
15. “Devil’s Lullaby” … 3:43
Band:
Mr. Lordi – Lead Vocals
Amen – Guitars
OX – Bass
Kita – Drums, Backing Vocals
Awa – Keyboards
Additional Musicians:
Bruce Kulick – Guitar solo on “Call Off the Wedding”
Producer: Michael Wagener
My first Lordi album! I’ve certainly familiar with the band of the years though. How could I not be? They worship ’80s rock/metal so of course I would know of their existence. I just never felt compelled to buy an album from them. My issue with them has always been their songs always sound so similar and I never really thought it was a great sound in the first place. They’re like the evil and heavier version of Wig Wam. What I do enjoy about this band is that despite their horrific costumes, they have have a sense of humor, great love for the ’80s and are purposefully cheesy. Despite the fact that I’ve grown to despise FYE more than ever, I found myself in that store recently and saw this album for $9.99. With the Halloween season upon us and money to burn, I decided to take the chance.
They aren’t trying to be dark, evil, satanic, obscene or disgusting. They’re just using horror in a fun, schlocky and comedic way using elements of other shock rockers like KISS, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Rob Zombie, Twisted Sister and W.A.S.P. This fact is on fully display with the song “This Is Heavy Metal”. Not only does the song completely ripoff KISS’ “War Machine” (lovingly, of course) but the artwork for the single and inside the CD booklet features a metalhead Frankenstein (complete with neck bolts) made up of parts of KISS, Twisted Sister, the Crue and W.A.S.P.! And besides, just check out the album cover! If that’s not ’80s cheese with a side of humor, I don’t know what is!
What really surprised me with this album is the connection it has to 80s rock/metal, other than the influence I mean. Bruce Kulick co-wrote and plays the solo on the ballad “Call Off the Wedding”. Mr. Lordi even sings in a fairly clean vocal style on that song instead of his usual gravelly style and it reminds me of Tobias Sammet. Then you’ve got Mark freakin’ Slaughter playing the role of “dad” on “Granny’s Gone Crazy”. Why not have him sing something too since you had him in the studio? Then Michael Wagener produced and he’s worked in the studio with the likes of Skid Row, Metallica, the Crue, Keel, Dokken, Overkill and White Lion!
I can’t say this is a great album (many of the songs still sound too similar and 15 tracks is overkill) but at $10 it’s an enjoyable disc and I think I got my money’s worth. It pleased this ’80s metal and shock rock fan. It’s a fun album that deals with rock ‘n’ roll, doomed weddings, dancing zombies, the evils of disco, crazy grannies and eating bitches for brunch. Doesn’t that sound fun to you? This album has me thinking I should pick up the previous Lordi albums after all…
Highlights: “Babez for Breakfast”, “This Is Heavy Metal”, “ZombieRawkMachine”, “Give Your Life for Rock and Roll”, “Loud and Loaded”, “Granny’s Gone Crazy”, “Devil’s Lullaby”
http://www.lordi.fi/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lordi/13649790396
http://www.myspace.com/lordi
Black Country Communion – Black Country Communion
Black Country Communion [CD/DVD Edition] (2010, J&R Adventures)
1. “Black Country” … 3:15
2. “One Last Soul” … 3:52
3. “The Great Divide” … 4:45
4. “Down Again” … 5:46
5. “Beggarman” … 4:52
6. “Song of Yesterday” … 8:33
7. “No Time” … 4:19
8. “Medusa” … 6:57
9. “The Revolution in Me” … 4:59
10. “Stand (At the Burning Tree)” … 7:02
11. “Sista Jane” … 6:55
12. “Too Late for the Sun” …. 11:21
Band:
Glenn Hughes – Lead Vocals, Bass, Backing Vocals
Joe Bonamassa – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals
Jason Bonham – Drums, Percussion
Derek Sherinian – Keyboards
Producer: Kevin Shirley
BCC is one of the year’s best surprises for me. I like Hughes, I like Bonham but even when I heard about this band getting together and it wasn’t anything for me to get excited over. I love Glenn Hughes’ voice but other than Deep Purple and the one Black Sabbath album he did, the music he’s been a part of has never really impressed me. Nothing terrible just nothing that stood out and with him fronting the band and seemingly the leader of the group as well, I was afraid BCC would venture into the “unremarkable” category.
Not so! As Hughes himself has said this album is a “traditional classic rock record with a modern twist”. I definitely agree. Many of these songs would sound right at home on your local classic rock radio station, other than the production, some of these songs you wouldn’t even be able to tell they were new! That’s a huge compliment in my opinion. BCC is a complete throwback to the hard working British bluesy hard rock bands of the ’70s, which isn’t a surprise considering the members. The only oddball seems to be Sherinian, who I am only familiar with through Dream Theater and the various session/touring work he has done. Didn’t realize a band like this would be his kind of thing.
Hughes sounds just as powerful as ever. His performance on “The Great Divide” is my favorite on this album. The production is great and gives off a nice meaty sound and the funk/blues influences you would expect from a Hughes/Bonamassa collaboration is all there. Despite Classic Rock magazine’s constant hype for Bonamassa, I’ve never listened to him. He’s primarily a blues artist but this guy can really rock out, he does a fantastic job all throughout the album and even handles lead vocals on “Song of Yesterday” (a classic rock epic if there ever was one) and “The Revolution In Me” while sharing vocals with Glenn on “Sista Jan” and “Too Late for the Sun”.
There’s no reason for anyone who is a classic rock fan to NOT own this album. The album is worth picking up for “One Last Soul” and “The Great Divide” alone. Unfortunately, at least as far as the mainstream and commercial outlets are concerned, this album has gone unnoticed in the States but has done pretty well in the UK. Easily another one of the year’s best albums and I’m glad Hughes has already stated he is working on album Number Two right now. Forget Chickenfoot, this is a “supergroup” that can actually turn in a great album!
I’m not sure if this is a “limited” edition or not but my copy from Amazon came with a DVD that features a music video, photos and interviews. It runs about 40 minutes, that’s a pretty good deal. Sometimes these DVDs that get thrown in are only 15-20 minutes of material. Truth be told, I haven’t watched it yet but because I like this album so much, I’ll probably pop in it in the DVD player soon.
Highlights: “Black Country”, “One Last Soul”, “The Great Divide”, “Down Again”, “Song of Yesterday”, “Sista Jane”, “Too Late for the Sun”
http://www.bccommunion.com/
http://www.facebook.com/bccommunion
http://www.myspace.com/bccommunion
Halford – Made of Metal
Halford – Made of Metal (2010, Metal God Records)
1. “Undisputed” … 5:17
2. “Fire and Ice” … 2:52
3. “Made of Metal” … 4:01
4. “Speed of Sound” … 4:32
5. “Like There’s No Tomorrow” … 4:20
6. “Till the Day I Die” … 3:50
7. “We Own the Night” … 3:54
8. “Heartless” … 3:38
9. “Hell Razor” … 3:44
10. “Thunder and Lightning” … 5:28
11. “Twenty Five Years” … 7:01
12. “Matador” … 5:39
13. “I Know We Stand a Chance” … 3:51
14. “The Mower” … 4:40
Band:
Rob Halford – Vocals
Roy Z – Guitar
Mike Chlasciak – Guitar
Mike Davis – Bass
Bobby Jarzombek – Drums
Producer: Roy Z
Ah, this is more like it! The Halford band was one of the best bands to come out of the last decade but a reunited Judas Priest put the group on hold for a long time (even though that didn’t stop Rob from remastering and reissuing the band’s three albums previous ad nauseum). A comeback was made last year in the form of the odd, yet enjoyable Winter Songs but now Halford is back with an album that sounds much more like Resurrection than Crucible and that’s okay by me. Crucible was a bit too angry and heavy to me and lacked hooks. Resurrection on the other hand was one of the my favorite albums from the last decade and Made of Metal (sometimes referred to as Halford IV: Made of Metal) is easily one of the top albums of 2010 in the very least.
I was really looking forward to this album but the album’s first single “The Mower” didn’t thrill me (though I didn’t hate it). Luckily, “Made of Metal” was put online, accompanied by a very cheesy NASCAR-inspired CGI video, and gave me much more optimism for this album. By the way, what’s up with the NASCAR stuff? Even in press releases for the album they would mention the unofficial NASCAR connection with the “Made of Metal” video. There’s no licensing deal that I’m aware of but it seems like like maybe Rob was fishing for one.
As I said earlier, the album isn’t as heavy as Crucible, much of it sounds like the commercial metal that you might’ve heard from Priest during the mid-’80s. “Speed Of Sound” and “We Own The Night” have an obvious commercial flair, “Undisputed” is a lyrically cheesy but still very catchy anthem and “Hell Razor” sounds like late ’70s/early ’80s Judas Priest. On the flip side, “The Mower” is an absolutely brutal metal number in which Halford’s vocals get downright nasty.
Then there’s “Till The Die I Day” which is a surprisingly bluesy outlaw of a rocker that reminds me of something Whitesnake would do and “Thunder and Lightning” has a bit of boogie I didn’t expect from Halford either while “Matador” appropriately has a south of the border feel to it. I really like the variety on this album. The album is similar in sound to Priest, Fight and previous Halford efforts while a song like “I Know We Stand A Chance” brings to mind H.I.M. and other similar sounding goth rock bands.
I knew this album had potential to be good but I also thought it could’ve been a train wreck. Luckily Rob and Roy Z have turned in one of the best albums of the year and Rob’s voice shows no signs of slowing down. A lot of reviews have bashed the lyrics but who cares? It’s good MUSIC! Great album.
Highlights: “Fire And Ice”, “Made Of Metal”, “Like There’s No Tomorrow”, “Till The Day I Die”, “We Own The Night”, “Twenty Five Years”, “I Know We Stand A Chance”
http://www.robhalford.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rob-Halford/136458273486
http://www.myspace.com/robhalford
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Skull Fist – Heavier Than Metal
Skull Fist – Heavier Than Metal (2010, self-released)
1. “Sign Of The Warrior” … 4:56
2. “Heavier Than Metal” … 3:40
3. “Blackout” … 4:46
4. “Ride The Beast” … 3:36
5. “No False Metal” … 4:39
Band:
Jackie Slaughter – Vocals, Guitar
Sir Shred – Guitar
Johnny Exciter – Bass
Allison Thunderland – Drums
Canada’s Skull Fist is an old school metal outfit that I’ve been meaning to check out for awhile. I came across some positive reviews for this EP months ago and was lucky enough that the band passed along a copy to me. They play straight up ’80s style traditional heavy metal with helium vocals, speedy songs and a love for all things metal!
“Sign Of The Warrior” and “Heavier Than Metal” a great combo to kick off the EP. Both display the fury of guitars and drums perfectly along with Jackie Slaughter’s piercing vocals and are a great introduction to Skull Fist. I mean, if you don’t get where this band is coming from with a song like “Heavier Than Metal”, get outta here! “Blackout” is not the Scorpions song (which would’ve been really cool) but an original and easily my favorite track on the album I love the final minutes of the album, it feature some great guitar work. “Ride The Beast” is another highlight and “No False Metal” sounds like a Manowar song but it’s not quite as cheesy. You’ll be singing “NO FALSE METAL!!” along with Slaughter in no time!
This EP shows a lot of promise for this band which I honestly believe could be the cream of the crop in regards to the retro-metal movement (yes, even more so than the much-praised White Wizzard), taking their place right alongside Blacktide. I really hope they get the opportunity to get into a studio and record a full album, I am very interested in listening to anything else they come up with.
Highlights: “Blackout”, “Ride The Beast”, “No False Metal”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skull-Fist/106926578594
http://www.myspace.com/skullfisted
Joe Elliott’s Down ‘n’ Outz – My ReGeneration Vol. 1
Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’ Outz – My ReGeneration Vol. 1 (2010, Future Publishing)
1. “Golden Opportunity” … 4:34
2. “Storm” … 5:55
3. “Overnight Angels” … 5:08
4. “Career (No Such Thing As Rock ‘N’ Roll)” … 5:15
5. “England Rocks” … 2:51
6. “Shouting and Pointing” … 4:31
7. “By Tonight” … 3:42
8. “Who Do You Love” … 3:52
9. “One More Chance to Run” … 3:40
10. “Good Times” … 3:57
Band:
Joe Elliott – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Percussion
Paul Guerin – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Guy Griffin – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Ronnie Garrity – Bass
Phil Martin – Drums, Backing Vocals
Keith Weir – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Producer: Joe Elliott & Ronan McHugh
My copy of this album was the free CD insert that came in an issue of Classic Rock magazine. The CD is in a cardboard sleeve and features 10 of the 13 songs featured on the retail copy of the album. Pretty good deal I think! Not that I was planning on buying this album anyway but I definitely wouldn’t spend $15 on the full CD just for three more songs.
Still, I’m really liking this CD. The fact that Joe Elliott would decide to do a Mott the Hoople-related cover album (it also covers work from Ian Hunter’s solo career and British Lions), is no surprise if you’ve been paying attention to Def Leppard in the last 10 years. Joe has really been leading the charge for the band embrace a 70s glam rock sound as evidenced with their love letter to glam rock, their 2006 cover album Yeah!, and 2008′s Songs from the Sparkle Lounge.
You know, I’m enjoying these songs so much I’m actually considering checking out a few Mott albums. I love ’80s glam metal but ’70s glam rock I’ve always been iffy on (they are two totally different beasts after all). 70s glam has always seemed too drugged out and spaced out for me, the genre always makes me think of Bowie, but the first four songs on this album are absolutely awesome. The whole album is enjoyable except for one song — “England Rocks” which is a remake of “Cleveland Rocks”. I don’t like the original and I don’t like the remake.
For anyone that wasn’t lucky enough to get this free complimentary Classic Rock version, you’d be doing yourself a service to score the “expanded” retail version. So I ended up liking a free album that I was never going to buy on my own. See? Giving stuff away sometimes work because I’d definitely be interested in a “Volume 2″ from the Down ‘n’ Outz and now I want to hear more music from the original artists!
Highlights: “Golden Opportunity”, “Storm”, “Overnight Angels”, “Career (No Such Thing As Rock ‘N’ Roll)”, “One More Chance to Run”
Cauldron – Chained To The Nite
Cauldron – Chained To The Nite [Limited Edition] (2009, Earache Records)
Disc 1
1. “Young and Hungry” … 3:36
2. “Conjure The Mass” … 4:10
3. “Chained Up In Chains” … 5:11
4. “The Leaven/Fermenting Enchantress” … 6:17
5. “Dreams Die Young” … 4:03
6. “Bound To The Stake” … 4:27
7. “Witch Trail” … 6:09
8. “Midnite Hour” … 6:00
9. “Chains Around Heaven” … 3:48
Disc 2
1. “The Striker Strikes” … 3:45
2. “Restless” … 5:36
Band:
Jason Decay – Vocals, Bass
Ian Chains – Guitar
Steel Rider – Drums
Producer: Ian Blurton
There’s a huge retro-metal movement going on right now and Cauldron is yet another band to be counted amongst that seemingly endless number. Instead of retro-trash, Cauldron opts for a NWOBHM sound similar to White Wizzard (though they aren’t quite as aggressive as that group).
I had first heard this band shortly before this album was released and I liked “Chained Up In Chains” quite a bit but the samples from the rest of the album didn’t thrill me. Cut to the summer of 2010 when I was looking for new music and decided to finally pick up Chained To The Nite. The album is certainly competent and solid and I appreciate the ’80s NWOBHM hokeyness: the use of fog and a woman in chains on the cover art, the lyrics about witches and dark magic and whatnot, even their own names but it seems like the band is trying to hard to act as a tribute to the past and are not worried enough about writing intriguing songs.
I don’t care whether if any band is original or not, just as long as they write interesting songs and for most of this album I don’t get that feeling. I also feel that Jason Decay’s vocals are a weak point as well, there’s just no power behind him. I guess when I really like 5 songs out of 11, you could call that a decent showing and that’s true. Cauldron has produced a decent album, but not a great album or anything particularly inspiring.
I didn’t realize it until I saw it with my own eyes but there are apparently two versions of this album. My local FYE had the limited edition which features the cover sleeve art shown above (the more risqué cover is still on the CD booklet’s cover) and a second disc with two additional tracks. That just seems silly. Why press an additional CD? Just include those two tracks on the first CD. “The Striker Strikes” and “Restless” are two of the best songs out of the whole bunch anyway!
Highlights: “Young and Hungry”, “Chained Up In Chains”, “Bound To The Stake”, “The Striker Strikes”, “Restless”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAULDRON/9978076462
http://www.myspace.com/cauldronmetal
Pistol Shot Gypsy – Smokin’ Drinkin’ Fightin’
Pistol Shot Gypsy – Smokin’ Drinkin’ Fightin’ (2009, self-released)
1. “Trainwreck” … 4:51
2. “Just My Luck” … 4:18
3. “The Showgun” … 3:35
4. “Slave Yourself” … 5:07
5. “Sands of Time” … 4:07
6. “Midnight Rider” … 3:40
7. “H-Bomb Queen” … 4:48
8. “Baby, Come Back” … 4:56
9. “Troy City Blues” … 4:22
Band:
Ron Travis – Vocals
Ian Haggerty – Guitar
Jeff Instasi – Guitar
James Thompson – Bass
Stevie “Boom Bots” – Drums
Pistol Shot Gypsy is a band based out of Rhode Island with a style of rock that is an amalgamation of blues rock, ’70s rock, ’80s rock, southern rock, metal and alternative rock. Based of the name and the album, I totally expected a southern rock/bar band sound but was surprised to hear the modern alternative influences as well. Despite the mix of styles PSG manages to break it all down into a no-frills rock ‘n’ roll sound.
From the high-powered alternative rock opener “Trainwreck” and the equally compelling alternative rock of “Slave Yourself” to the bluesy classic rock of “Midnight Rider” to the rowdy barroom rocker “Troy City Blues”, the band wears many hats but wears them well and I happen to think those are the four best songs on the album. The band could easily pursue any of these directions to the fullest and come out with a collection of solid songs but it is their display of all these sounds that makes Smokin’ Drinkin’ Fightin’ so interesting. It seems a lot of young rock bands are going the route of featuring many different styles on their albums and I have absolutely no problem with this. As long as the songs are good, it shouldn’t matter and it opens the bands up to many more opportunities than they would have it they stuck to only one particular genre.
Smokin’ Drinkin’ Fightin’ is a good listen through and through for fans of meat ‘n’ potatoes rock ‘n’ roll. Regardless of however you want to tag this band — that’s basically what this band plays!
Highlights: “Trainwreck”, “Slave Yourself”, “Midnight Rider”, “Troy City Blues”
http://www.pistolshotgypsy.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pistolshotgypsy
http://www.myspace.com/pistolshotgypsy
Black Sabbath – Live Evil
Black Sabbath – Live Evil [Remastered] (2004, Sanctuary Records)
Original Release: 1982, Warner Bros. Records
1. “E5150″ … 2:21
2. “Neon Knights” … 4:36
3. “N.I.B.” … 5:09
4. “Children of the Sea” … 6:05
5. “Voodoo” … 6:07
6. ”Black Sabbath” … 8:39
7. “War Pigs” … 9:19
8. “Iron Man” … 7:29
9. ”The Mob Rules” … 4:10
10. “Heaven and Hell” … 12:04
11. “The Sign of the Southern Cross”/”Heaven and Hell” (continued) … 7:15
12. “Paranoid” … 3:46
13. “Children of the Grave” … 5:25
14. “Fluff” … 0:59
Band:
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Vinny Appice – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards
Producer: Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler
The album that broke the band. The Iommi & Butler/Dio & Appice Mix Wars that went on with this album are well documented so I won’t even comment further. If this was to be the final album of the Dio Sabbath regime, it’s a great note to go out on. After the excellent Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, Live Evil was a great way to document this newly energized version of Sabbath and it’s interesting to hear Ronnie James Dio’s take on some of the Ozzy songs.
As I’ve said elsewhere though, only Ozzy can really do Ozzy. I’m not saying Ozzy is a better singer than Dio, Gillan, Hughes or Martin — what I’m saying is Dio, Gillan, Hughes and Martin are too good of singers to pull off the poor whiny vocals required to make the Ozzy material work but I do quite enjoy the Dio version of “N.I.B.”.
Anyway, it’s Sabbath live with Dio. It’s going to be a great show. They run through a great collection of Dio and Ozzy tunes with gusto and this is rightfully an essential Sabbath release and it’s the very first official live album in their discography as well. What else can I say? It’s a metal classic!
Highlights: “Neon Knights”, “N.I.B.”, “Children of the Sea”, “The Mob Rules”, “Heaven and Hell”, “The Sign of the Southern Cross”/”Heaven and Hell” (continued)
www.blacksabbath.com
www.heavenandhelllive.com
www.myspace.com/heavenandhelllive
Lizzy Borden – Visual Lies
Lizzy Borden – Visual Lies (1987, Metal Blade Records)
1. “Me Against The World” … 5:03
2. “Shock” … 4:35
3. “Outcast” … 4:21
4. “Den of Thieves” … 3:48
5. “Visual Lies” … 4:05
6. “Eyes of A Stranger” … 4:27
7. “Lord of the Flies” … 5:41
8. “Voyeur (I’m Watching You)” … 4:32
9. “Visions” … 5:24
Band:
Lizzy Borden – Vocals
Gene Allen – Guitar
J. Holmes- Guitar
Michael Davis – Bass
Joey Scott – Drums
Producer: Max Norman
The band delivers another great slice of heavy metal except this time the power metal is toned down and there’s a much more glammed up, commercial element thrown in. Still, Visual Lies remains one of my favorite Lizzy albums. “Me Against the World” is easily one of their best songs, a truly great metal anthem, made even more legendary by its inclusion in the Black Roses movie and soundtrack.
Lizzy Borden (the singer) was trying very hard to be the ’80s answer to Alice Cooper but who cares? There’s room for more than one soldier in the shock rock army! I love the cover, it looks like something you’d have seen on a VHS box in the horror section at a video store. It’s complete ’80s schlock and Lizzy is one of the great metal singers of the ’80s with his whiny and theatrical vocals.
This album very definitely sounds like a precursor to 1989′s Master of Disguise. Slickly produced heavy metal with a flair for theatrics, sleaze and violence. As a rule, you really can’t go wrong with Lizzy Borden and Visual Lies is no exception.
Highlights: “Me Against the World”, “Shock”, “Outcast”, “Visual Lies”, “Eyes of a Stranger”, “Voyeur (I’m Watching You)”
