Category Archives: Album Reviews

Mar 5 2011

Motorhead – The World Is Yours (2011)

Motorhead – The World Is Yours (2011, EMI)

  1. Born To Lose
  2. Know How To Die
  3. Get Back In Line
  4. Devils In My Head
  5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Music
  6. Waiting For The Snake
  7. Brotherhood Of Man
  8. Outlaw
  9. I Know What You Need
  10. Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye

Bonus DVD: Live At Wacken Open Air 2006

Band Lineup:
Lemmy Kilmister: Bass & Vocals
Philip Campbell – Guitars
Mikkey Dee – Drums

Producer: Cameron Webb

Country: United Kingdom

Total Time = 39:15

Motorhead
Motorhead MySpace page

When a new album is announced by Motorhead, you know exactly what you are going to get: pure Heavy Metal with attitude and balls. Since the band’s inception in 1975, and their self-titled first record in 1977, Motorhead has consistently released 21 studio albums since with countless singles, live albums, greatest hits packages, reissues and DVDs in between. Can you think of a year since 1977 that Motorhead DIDN’T release something/anything? Since 2000 with WE ARE MOTORHEAD, the band has found a solid two year pattern where they release a new studio album, tour, take a break and repeat. The last decade has been a rebirth for Motorhead (not that they ever went away) with now five studio albums, four live albums, and at least six DVDs (that’s more than a career for some bands!) based on consistent world tours…..Motorhead is as popular now as they have ever been in their history. The album was released in late 2010 as part of a special Motorhead commemorative issue of Classic Rock Magazine, and it was released in some countries in late 2010, but this is the North American release for 2011.

Much like AC/DC, Motorhead basically releases the same album over and over. The music is the same Heavy Metal & Punk hybrid that the band had perfected in it’s 35 year history. Most of the songs maintain the same uptempo style but Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey can kick it into overdrive when they want to give the Thrash, Death and Black Metal bands a run for their money. You’ve got the blazing guitar riffs of Phil Campbell, the double kick pounding from Mikkey Dee and the buzzsaw bass and gravel throated vocals of Mr. Kilmister…..right there is the description of the album in a nutshell! The same topics that Lemmy sang about on the last 20 Motorhead albums are back again (sex, religion, Rock ‘n’ Roll, war, history), so how does the band still keep fans interested and critics raving when it’s really the same album over and over? The quality of the material never wavers, the songwriting and performances are always strong and heavy and this core lineup has been together since MARCH OR DIE (1993). Lemmy himself has become as big a Metal icon as his friend Ozzy Osbourne and, in plenty of fan circles, more dedicated to the Metal cause then the Prince of Darkness. At age 65, Lemmy is still found at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the strip clubs and the stage. How many rockers out there still record and perform as consistently as Lemmy while maintaining the lifestyle that musicians in their 20s would have a hard time keeping up with? Lemmy is Motorhead, Lemmy is Metal…..that’s why Motorhead is so respected with the fans. The band and their music is straightforward and in your face.

THE WORLD IS YOURS follows the same Motorhead formula and fits in perfectly with the last few albums like WE ARE MOTORHEAD (2000), HAMMERED (2002), INFERNO (2004), KISS OF DEATH (2006) and MOTORIZER (2008). Songs like ‘Born To Lose’ (a song I thought the band had already released and re-did here), ‘Get Back In Line’ and ‘Outlaw’ could easily be put alongside Motorhead classics in the live set but the standout tracks for me are the slower sinister ‘Brotherhood Of Man’, the testimonial of ’Rock ‘n’ Roll Music’ and the perfect Lemmy trademark anthem ‘Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye’. There really isn’t a bad song on the album and that is always how Motorhead albums are, full of great Metal songs. If you picked up the limited edition digipak like I did then you got the bonus DVD of the band live at the 2006 Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. It’s not the full set, only six songs worth, but it does give the uninitiated to the Motorhead live assault a taste of what the band is like live. Definitely a cool bonus and well worth the extra couple of bucks you might have to drop.

Bottom Line:
It’s a new Motorhead album…..if you have to be told it’s good, then you obviously don’t understand Heavy Metal. THE WORLD IS YOURS is heavy, fast and rude just the way Metal music is supposed to be, all the songs are solid and the band sounds just as powerful as ever. Definitely a top album of 2011.

Favorite Songs:
I like every song on this album…..bottom line. If I had to pick four standout tracks then I’d say ‘Born To Lose’, ‘Brotherhood Of Man’, Rock ‘n’ Roll Music’ and ‘Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye’

Feb 25 2011

Requiem Aeternam – Destiny-Man (2010)

Requiem Aeternam – Destiny-Man (2010, ICorp)

  1. Exordium
  2. Destiny-Man
  3. Requiem Aeternam
  4. Freewill
  5. Existence
  6. Vying
  7. Purposiveness
  8. Ser
  9. Perserverance
  10. Epitaph

Musicians:
José Romero Sum – Vocals, Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Fabián Redondo – Drums

Producers: Requiem Aeternam

Country: Originally from Uruguay, now based in the U.S.

Total Time = 50:05

Requiem Aeternam
Requiem Aeternam MySpace page
Philosophical Metal

Requiem Aeternam is a Progressive Black/Death Metal band that formed in Uruguay in 1995. The band has released two albums, ETERNALLY DYING (1998) and PHILOSPHER (2004), while enduring various personnel changes over the years with only José Romero Sum as an original member. For DESTINY-MAN, Sum and drummer Fabián Redondo were the songwriters and performers…..an extremely hard but rewarding task when you hear the wall of intricate sound the album contains. Requiem Aeternam defines their music as “Philosophical Metal”, a genre “which entails not only philosophical lyrics, but also music that gets intertwined with philosophical thinking, music that has existential meaning, and not simple imitation of already-known patterns of composition.” Each song on DESTINY-MAN is inspired by Classical composers who many may not think of as philosophers but the band thinks of as deep thinkers of music. Just reading the press release gives you a sense that the album is diverse and unique.

I went into this album with a hint of trepidation because I’m not the biggest fan of Black/Death Metal. One of my goals in the last year was to expose myself to more extreme forms of Metal and that has helped in my enjoyment and appreciation of DESTINY-MAN. The opening acoustic intro, ‘Exordium’, has a beautiful sound that moves right into the Yngwie-styled guitar intro to the title track. Despite the blastbeat drums and guttural vocals, the guitar intro is what captured my interest and made me listen closely for the music underneath. Same thing with ‘Requiem Aeternam’, the opening guitar opened me up to the rest of the song and, dare I say, the music is more Traditional Metal/NWOBHM inspired through much of the album until the vocals kick in. Throughout the balance of the record, a frantic and disjointed style begins to emerge but all within the concept of blending the extreme with Classical and with Progressive. My own personal tastes are suited to the Classical influence mixed with the Progressive Metal and I get a little lost with the brutal aspects. ‘Freewill’ is a solid song and I like the blend of styles but I find the extreme vocals distracting, I did like the clean vocals and thought they fit the song a little better. The instrumentation on ‘Existence’ is really well done and the guitar sound is really clean, very Iron Maiden in some parts to my ears. Another standout song I liked was ‘Ser’…..again, solid guitar work and I like the clean vocals. The guitar has that Maiden quality to it at times and the lack of blastbeat drums are a welcome sound, there seems to be more of groove here rather than trying to smash two different forms together to construct a song.

Bottom Line:
DESTINY-MAN is an ambitious album that blends the extreme to the fine form of Classical and the Metal of Progressive and I think, on the whole, Requiem Aeternam accomplished their goal of defining a new genre of Philosophical Metal because the music does make you focus and think. I’m not as well studied in Black & Death Metal as others may be but I do know my Traditional and Progressive Metal and those are the parts of the album that I enjoy most. Most of the best Metal is based on Classical music, I can hear the Rainbow & Yngwie Malmsteen influence, and I can definitely hear the Progressive styles of Iron Maiden & Dream Theater, I just find the vocals and the drums distracting. That’s not to say they aren’t well done, it’s just that I’m not used to them. Overall, I found a lot of interesting music on DESTINY-MAN and I had to go back and give the album a few spins to really absorb what the band is trying accomplish. That’s the whole point, isn’t it? Metal to make you think? I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would and I’ve gone back a few times to see if I missed anything, I’m just not sure if my doubts are based on my inexperience with harsher Metal.

Favorite Songs:
‘Freewill’ & ‘Ser’

Feb 23 2011

Stryper – The Covering (2011)

Stryper – The Covering (2011, Big3 Records)

  1. Set Me Free
  2. Blackout
  3. Heaven And Hell
  4. Lights Out
  5. Carry On Wayward Son
  6. Highway Star
  7. Shout It Out Loud
  8. Over The Mountain
  9. The Trooper
  10. Breaking The Law
  11. On Fire
  12. Immigrant Song
  13. God

Band Lineup:
Michael Sweet – Lead Vocals & Guitars
Oz Fox – Guitars & Vocals
Robert Sweet – Drums
Timothy Gaines – Bass & Vocals
Charles Foley – Keyboards/Piano/Organ

Executive Producer: Bill Edwards
Producer: Michael Sweet

Country: USA

Total Time = 53:30

Stryper
Stryper MySpace page
Big3 Records

When a band from the ’80s releases a new album, I always get excited. I lived and died with these bands as a kid growing up and I still do to this day. I love hearing what these veteran bands have to offer 20 to 25+ years after their ’80s heyday. When I read that Stryper was releasing a new album in early 2011 I marked the release date on my calendar right away because I was a big Stryper fan back in the day. I started out with SOLDIERS UNDER COMMAND (1985), picked up the 1986 re-release of THE YELLOW & BLACK ATTACK (originally released in 1984) and went forward. I’ve supported the band ever since and picked up every album as they were released. Recently, the band has been very active with three new releases since 2005 and touring consistently in that time. With a new tour date at the end of March added to my local area, and the announcement of THE COVERING, I admit that I got a little psyched about Stryper…..until I found out the new album was an album of cover songs.

If you’ve read this website over the last five years then you know that nothing irritates me more than cover songs taking the place on a studio album where original songs could be AND records that are billed as “new albums” but are really covers and nothing new except new versions of old songs. I’ll give Stryper credit, they were up front about doing a covers album, and the performances are good. If you take a look at the song selection you’ll notice a lot of safe and well known Rock songs included from the likes of the Scorpions, KISS, Deep Purple, Ozzy, Iron Maiden and even Led Zeppelin. I have no problem with the performances because the band sounds in fine form and the songs are all done basically as the originals. I also like a few of the songs the band selected among the safe ones: UFO’s ‘Lights Out’, The Sweet’s ’Set Me Free’, Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and Van Halen’s ‘On Fire’. The other songs are done well but how many times have we all heard the original or a cover of ’Breaking The Law’, ‘Over The Mountain’ and ‘Shout It Out Loud’? Maybe a few more deep tracks by some of these bands would have been a better choice. The last song on THE COVERING is the new Stryper song aptly titled ‘God’. If there was ever a song title that you would think Stryper would have already used it would be ‘God’! The new original is an uptempo Hard Rock song that easily fits into the typical Stryper fare and could have easily been a part of the last Styper record, MURDER BY PRIDE (2009). What impresses me most is Michael Sweet’s voice…..this guy hasn’t lost a step since the mid-’80s! He can still hit all the highs and sing with a lot of power and melody. The band is always going to sound very good because Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Timothy Gaines were always a tight unit but the usual measuring stick on a band’s sound is usually how the singer is…..if you want classic Stryper, they sound like classic Stryper and I bet they pull it off well live.

Bottom Line:
I was looking forward to a new Stryper album because their last one, MURDER BY PRIDE, was so good. Unfortunately, I’m disappointed to have a new album of covers with only one new song bu this is the trend lately to get a quick product on the shelves before a tour. A veteran band like Stryper can easily go through the more popular Rock songs with ease and put out an album like this but I would rather have all new material. Like I said, the performances are well done and there are a few different songs in the tracklist that you don’t hear that often but I’m still disappointed, I’d rather gat an album of original tunes. The main highlight for me is the new song ‘God’, the best cover for me is probably ‘On Fire’ because you don’t really hear that covered much. I would recommend this for the Stryper diehard and collector completist but not for a general fan looking to discover Stryper or add some new Stryper to their collections.

Favorite Songs:
‘God’ is the best song for me because it’s a good solid original. Best covers are ‘On Fire’, ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and ‘Lights Out’

Feb 20 2011

Steve Lukather – All’s Well That Ends Well (2011)

Steve Lukather – All’s Well That Ends Well (2011, Mascot Records)

  1. Darkness In My World
  2. On My Way Home
  3. Can’t Look Back
  4. Don’t Say It’s Over
  5. Flash In The Pan
  6. Watching The World
  7. You’ll Remember
  8. Brody’s
  9. Tumescent

Musicians:
Steve Lukather – all guitars, lead & bg vocals
CJ Vanston – keyboards, atmospheres
Steve Weingart – keyboards and atmospheres
Carlitos Del Puerto – bass
Eric Valentine – drums
Lenny Castro – percussion
Joseph Williams, Phil Collen (3) (4), CJ Vanston (3) – background voacals
Trev Lukather – power guitar (4)
Tina Lukather – background vocals (1)
Fee Waybill – background vocals (5) (7)
Bernard Fowler – background vocals (1)
Jory Steinberg – background vocals ((1) (2) (8)

Producers: Steve Lukather, CJ Vanston, Steve MacMillan

Country: USA

Total Time = 47:23

Steve Lukather
Mascot Records

For those of you who don’t know who Steve Lukather is, let me refresh your memory. Remember the late ’70s/early ’80s AOR/Rock band Toto? You know the singles: ‘Africa’, ‘Hold The Line’, ‘Rosanna’? Steve Lukather is the founding guitarist of Toto and has been playing guitar professionally since the young age of 19. Aside from his best known work in Toto, Lukather has gone on to enjoy popular and critical success by doing session work with some of the biggest names in music: Michael Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley and Olivia Newton-John. Add a solo career that has now totalled six records since 1989 and it’s easy to say that Steve is one of the hardest working, and most respected, guitarists in the business.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL is Steve’s sixth solo album and it offers a wide range of musical styles along with some very personal and unique songwriting with a flawless production. The songs on this album range from ambient soft Rock, AOR, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Ambient and Pop all packed with one instantly recognizable constant…..Steve’s superb guitar work. The lyrics over the entire record have a very personal feel to them making each song memorable not only for it’s musicality but also it’s personal insight. There are a lot of darker lyrics, more of a sad and reflective nature rather then the usual Heavy Metal fare we are used to here, but there is also some that are upbeat as well. Great artists create some of their best work when the channel their emotion and life experiences into their work, it makes the music more genuine in my opinion. I’m not sure what’s going on in Steve’s life but some of the songs like ‘Darkness In My World’,  ’Don’t Say It’s Over’ and ‘Watching The World’ really bleed a personal reflective tone.

The opening track, ‘Darkness In My World’, is an ambient rock song with very personal lyrics that sets the tone for the entire album…..this is going to be an emotional journey. The song opens kind of soft but it moves into a more mid-tempo groove with a solid guitar base. The one thing I noticed/remembered right away was how good Steve’s singing voice is! With all his accomplishments as a guitarist, it’s easy to forget that he has a pretty good soulful sound to his singing. I went back and quickly checked a couple of my older Toto albums, KINGDOM OF DESIRE (1992) and TAMBU (1995), and Steve is front and center at the mic. His voice has a touch of Toto vocalist Bobby Kimball to it but I think it’s a little raspier on this album. Moving to the second song, ‘On My Way Home’, I immeadiately thought of Steely Dan and I’m not far off. The song has that Jazz/Blues beat to it with the catchy melodies that make it instantly memorable…..it’s so Steely Dan influenced to me that it sounds like Steve just took over for Donald Fagen on the vocals! This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Another favorite is the more rocking ‘Can’t Hold Back’, a song that starts out mellow with the opening vocal, moves into a funky groove but picks up tempo with the bridge and chorus as the guitar really kicks in. The guitar solo is one of the best, very clean tone and sound.

The personal side of the album is completely evident with the emotional ballad ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’…..listen to the song and pay close attention to the lyrics, that’s songwriting at it’s purest. Steve breaks things up a little with the harder rock of ‘Flash In The Pan’, a song that basically speaks out on the state of the music industry and the age of instant celebrity. I found myself laughing out loud at a few lines of the song as he takes a few shots at the expense of Britney, Paris and all the other tabloid superstars. Great song, another standout on an album full of standouts. ‘Watching The World’ pulls the listener back into that reflective/emotional mood but is another solid soft ballad while ‘You’ll Remember’ follows ‘On My Way Home’ with the Steely Dan influence. It’s got to be the piano/keyboard arrangement that really gives both songs that Steely vibe and I love it. ‘You’ll Remember’ has hit single written all over it and I wouldn’t be surprised if this made one of the Billboard charts, maybe the ”classic rock/adult contemporary/jazz/blues” chart? Really, this is another catchy song with a great funky guitar and bass line and an awesome solo break with a perfect tone. I could honestly listen to this song over and over. ‘Brody’s’ is a slow blues rocker that kind of mirrors ‘Flash In The Pan’ with it’s look at current day trends by namechecking Facebook, “a war we can’t win” and “Tiger Woods’ ho”. You get the idea. Ending the record is the instrumental ‘Tumescent’…..Steve and the band cutting loose in a ’70s Rock style with plenty of fine guitar.

Bottom Line:
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL isn’t really the usual fare at Heavy Metal Addiction because, well, it’s not Metal! One thing I’ve always tried to do with this website is reflect my personal tastes and, even though I headbang with the best of them, my musical roots can be traced back to the late ’70s and early ’80s with AOR/Rock bands like Toto. Some of the best music, and most talented musicians, came from this style of music…..and some of my favorite songs as well. Listen to Toto’s ‘Hold The Line’ and tell me that’s not Hard Rock! I like all kinds of Rock ‘n’Roll be it hard Rock & heavy Metal, AOR, Classic Rock, Soft & Pop Rock…..I even like some Pop music from time to time! Rock musicians have a wide range of influences and some of the best albums are the ones that bring these together to create something special. I don’t own any of Steve Lukather’s other solo albums but, if they are as good as this one, I’d be crazy not to search them out. The blend of musical styles and the personal/emotional lyrics create an album that not only pleases the ears but also pleases the mind, it’s great to hear quality music with heartfelt songwriting because it takes the listener on the emotional ride with the artist. Musically, the album kind of reminds me a little of Neal Schon’s instrumental album ELECTRIC WORLD (1997) because it gets me in a different mindset. For me, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL is a great way to start off a new year, it’s the first new album of 2011 that I’ve heard and I think it’s going to be one of this year’s best. If you’re looking for a change of pace from your Metal but still want solid musicianship and Rock, check this record out. Steve Lukather is a highly successful singer, songwriter and guitarist with plenty of gold and platinum albums, along with five Grammy awards, that prove how great his career has been. For me, I’ve just enjoyed the music he’s made…..and he’s always made great music.

Favorite Songs:
This is a tough one because I really can’t find a bad song on the album but, if I have to be put on the spot, then I would choose the Steely Dan influenced ‘On My Way Home’ & ‘You’ll Remember’, the fun ‘Flash In The Pan’ and the album opener ‘Darkness In My World’.

(Note — This album is my ALBUM OF THE MONTH for January 2011 but, due to a website relaunch, I’m posting the review now in the middle of February.)

Dec 20 2010

Extreme – Take Us Alive: Boston 2009 (2010) CD & DVD

Extreme – Take Us Alive: Boston 2009 (2010, Frontiers Records)

  1. Decadence Dance
  2. Comfortably Dumb
  3. Rest In Peace
  4. It (‘s A Monster)
  5. Star
  6. Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
  7. Medley: Kid Ego, Little Girls, Teacher’s Pet, Play With Me
  8. Midnight Express
  9. More Than Words
  10. Ghost
  11. Cupid’s Dead
  12. Take Us Alive
  13. Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee
  14. Get The Funk Out
  15. Am I Ever Gonna Change
  16. Hole Hearted

DVD Bonus Material: Videos for ‘King Of The Ladies’, ‘Interface’, ‘Run’, & ‘Ghost’ from SAUDADES DE ROCK (2008)

Band Lineup:
Nuno Bettencourt – Lead Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Gary Cherone – Lead Vocals
Pat Badger – Bass & Vocals
Kevin Figueiredo – Drums

Producers: Extreme & Devin DeHaven (DVD)

Country: USA

Total Time (DVD) = approx 2 hours (includes concert & bonus videos)
Total Time (CDs) = approx 1 hour 40 minutes

Extreme
Extreme MySpace page
Frontiers Records

Recorded live on August 8, 2009, TAKE US ALIVE is a live album and DVD that showcases Extreme playing in front of a sold out hometown crowd at the House Of Blues in Boston, MA. I was able to catch Extreme live a couple of years before in Boston at another venue while they were touring in support of their reunion but I was unable to catch this show last year. Now I’m kicking myself because, as the DVD shows, it was a solid energetic concert full of hits and new songs from their latest album SAUDADES DE ROCK (2008). What we have here is two separate releases a DVD and a 2 CD live album…..not sure why this can’t be packaged together as a special set but this seems to be the trend for most of the live CD and DVD releases this year.

DVD:
The DVD version of TAKE US ALIVE captures Extreme live on stage in front of a sold out Boston crowd. The DVD contains the full 16 song concert and has a bonus section that includes four music videos made for songs from the band’s latest studio album, SAUDADES DE ROCK (2008). As far as the setlist goes, you get all the big hits like ‘Decadence Dance’, ‘Rest In Peace’, ‘Get The Funk Out’, ‘More Than Words’ and ‘Hole Hearted’ alongside new songs like ‘Star’, ‘Ghost’, ‘Comfortably Dumb’ and ‘Take Us Alive’ and they all work well together. Extreme have always been excellent musicians and that always translated into their songwriting and performances and this DVD really showcases how well the band plays and interacts on stage. I’ve been a fan of the band since their first album, only saw the band live once back in 2006, so I was really analyzing how the band played live. First off, drummer Kevin Figueiredo, who played on SAUDADES DE ROCK (2008), plays solidly throughout the show and fits seemlessly into the band. Back in 2006, the reunion show in Boston had original drummer Paul Geary on the kit, as well as, a guest appearance by Mike Mangini who ended up replacing Geary. For some reason, I was looking for one of these guys on the drums but Figueiredo is excellent. Turns out that Paul Geary is one of the band’s managers now! The energy of the band is powerful…..Gary Cherone prowls the stage with serious presence and superb vocals, Nuno Bettencourt is every bit the guitar god he has been made out to be and Pat Badger is the solid rock that keeps it all together. Honestly, I couldn’t believe the energy Cherone has on stage, this guy is pushing 50 and in excellent shape but he moves and sings like he was back in his 20s. Nuno’s guitar work is awesome, giving me a fresh appreciation for the man’s skills, and he really shines both on the electric and acoustic, touring with Pop superstar Rihanna hasn’t dulled his Hard Rock skills at all. I guess what I took most out of this DVD was how much fun an Extreme show is and how many solid songs these guys have. We all know the hits and they are the highlights of the show but the newer songs off the latest record are great too. Best one of the four is ‘Star’ because it sounds like classic Extreme and features their signature harmonies but ‘Ghost’ was also solid live. The highlight for me was the medley of songs from the first Extreme record released in 1989: ‘Kid Ego’, ‘Little Girls’, Teacher’s Pet’ and ‘Play With Me’…..that debut record is still my favorite and it brings back a ton of memories, good to see the band still play stuff from it. There’s no bonus material listed on the packaging but I found some on the DVD menu…..four videos from the SAUDADES DE ROCK album, best of the bunch being ‘King Of The Ladies’. It’s great that the band included these here because you’ll never see them on MTV or VH-1 Classic. The booklet is sparse, just pictures of the band members with the credits on the inside panel of the DVD digipak.

CD:
As far as the double CD live album goes, well, it’s basically the same thing as the DVD just without the visuals and the bonus videos obviously. The booklet is sparse also but the band pictures are different and the credits are in the booklet and not on the digipak. I like having the live album for the car, iPod and stereo and the concert holds up well in an audio-only format.

Bottom Line:
TAKE US ALIVE is a solid live release both on DVD and CD. I’ve been an Extreme fan since their first album back in 1989 and I’m surprised that they don’t already have a live album out there. TAKE US ALIVE is worth checking out because Extreme has a ton of great songs and the performance is great but it’s also a great way to experience some of their new material. For me, a must have release…..a little short on extras, although the videos were a nice surprise, but the concert speaks for itself.

Dec 17 2010

Michael Schenker Group – The 30th Anniversary Concert: Live In Tokyo (2010) CD & DVD

Michael Schenker Group – The 30th Anniversary Concert: Live In Tokyo (2010, Inakustik)

  1. Welcome Howl intro
  2. Feels Like A Good Thing
  3. Cry For The Nations
  4. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
  5. Armed And Ready
  6. Victim Of Illusion
  7. Are You Ready To Rock
  8. I Want You
  9. A Night To Remember
  10. Into The Arena
  11. Lost Horizons
  12. Rock My Nights Away
  13. On And On
  14. Attack Of The Mad Axeman
  15. Ride On My Way
  16. Rock Bottom
  17. Dance Lady Gipsy
  18. Doctor, Doctor

DVD Bonus Material: The L.A. Rehearsal and Backstage Impressions

Band Lineup:
Michael Schenker – Lead Guitar
Gary Barden – Vocals
Wayne Findlay – Guitars, Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Neil Murray – Bass
Simon Phillips – Drums

Producers & Directors: Kiyoshi Iwasawa, Kota Akutsu, Shin Yamamoto

Country: USA & Germany

Total Time (DVD) = 1:39:54 (concert) & approx 25 minutes (bonus material)
Total Time (2 CDs) = 1:39:54

Michael Schenker
Inakustik Music

On June 13, 2010, the Michael Schenker Group performed a concert at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, Japan as part of the Japanese tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band and the first MSG lineup. You could call this a reunion of sorts with Michael joining forces again with original vocalist Gary Barden and drummer Simon Phillips, who played the drums on the first MSG album. Also along for the ride is long time Schenker guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay and former Whitesmake/Black Sabbath/Vow Wow bassist Neil Murray. Japan has always been a country in love with their guitar heroes and Michael is certainly fits that bill, I have been a fan of his career for years spanning his time with the Scorpions, UFO, MSG and solo. I caught this tour with a different lineup back in July and it was one of the best shows I’ve seen this year and the first time I saw MSG live but the lineup was different for the U.S. tour. What we have here with the 30th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT: LIVE IN TOKYO is two separate releases: a DVD and a 2 CD live album.

DVD:
The DVD version of the 30th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT captures the all-star MSG lineup in full force at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, Japan in front of a sold out crowd. There’s the full 18 song concert shot with multiple cameras and a bonus section that includes part of the tour rehearsal in Los Angeles with band interviews and a behind the scenes backstage look at the Tokyo show. As far as the setlist goes, it’s basically the same as the one I saw in Foxboro, MA except that the running order is different and there are thwo additional songs: ‘Feels Like A Good Thing’ and ‘Victim Of Illusion’. There are plenty of classic MSG tracks and the band focuses on the first two MSG albums with a combined ten songs including ‘Cry For The Nations’, ‘Armed And Ready’, ‘On And On’ and ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’, as well as, ‘Rock My Nights Away’ from the Barden led BUILT TO DESTROY (1983). Also thrown in the mix are two UFO classics, ‘Doctor Doctor’ and ‘Rock Bottom’, and four new songs, ‘I Want You’, ‘A Night To Remember’, ‘Ride On My Way’ and ‘Dance Lady Gipsy’. I really enjoyed watching the DVD as each musician is an expert at their intruments but the real treat here is watching Michael play from right up close. When I went to see the concert in Foxboro, it took a while for me to get myself positioned in front of Michael because that’s what everyone wants to do! The DVD allowed me to sit and watch one of the greatest guitarists play with ease and grace and truly enjoying himself. The performances are top notch and the set highlights for me are all the MSG classics but the new songs really fit right in. I saw ‘I Want You’, ‘A Night To Remember’ and ‘Ride On My Way’ (from 2008′s IN THE MIDST OF BEAUTY) live in Foxboro so I knew they were going to be great watching this DVD but the added bonus is getting ‘Dance Lady Gipsy’ from the Schenker Barden Acoustic Project – GIPSY LADY (2009). What you are buying this DVD for is the concert but there is a 25 minute bonus section that is pretty cool too. The first part is rehearsal footage from 1/9/10 in Los Angeles mixed with interviews with all the band members. The best interviews are with Michael,as he recounts his career with all his bands, and Simon Phillips, who provides a little more insight into his involvement on the debut MSG record. The second part of the bonus material is behind the scenes backstage footage of mostly soundcheck and the backstage are but there is also some cool footage of Michael interacting with fans after the show. As far as bonuses go, this is pretty basic stuff but cool nonetheless.

CD:
As far as the CD goes, it’s a 2 CD set that is a carbon copy of the DVD…..the setlist is identical as is the booklet but there are no bonuses on the CD version. I like having the live album for my stereo, car and iPod because it’s all about the music and there is plenty of classic songs on this live album.

Bottom Line:
A solid release here both on DVD and CD and a definite tour souvenir for me. I’ve followed Michael Schenker throughout his career but I’ve only seen him live once, on this tour almost two months after this DVD was shot. Seeing MSG live was one of my all-time favorite concerts so this DVD and CD has a special place in my musical history and, when I listen to the CD, I see the show I saw. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since the first MSG album debuted but 1980 was a long time ago for sure. It’s great to see and hear all these classic tracks from the first two MSG albums live and it’s great to hear some of the newer songs fit in seemlessly. Definitely well worth your time checking out if your an MSG fan, a great concert.

Dec 15 2010

David Rock Feinstein – Bitten By The Beast (2010)

David Rock Feinstein – Bitten By The Beast (2010, Niji Entertainment)

  1. Smoke On The Horizon
  2. Evil In Me
  3. Break Down The Walls
  4. Metal Will Never Die (featuring Ronnie James Dio)
  5. Kill The Demon
  6. Rocks Boogie
  7. Give Me Mercy
  8. Run For Your Life
  9. Gambler Gambler

Musicians:
David Rock Feinstein – Guitar, Bass & Vocals
Nate Horton – Drums
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals on ‘Metal Will Never Die’
Carl Canedy – Drums on ‘Metal Will Never Die’
Garry Bordonaro – Bass on ‘Metal Will Never Die’

Producer: David Rock Feinstein

Country: USA

Total Time = 44:30

David Rock Feinstein
Bitten By The Beast.com
David Rock Feinstein MySpace page
The Rods
Ronnie James Dio/Niji Entertainment

You may know David Rock Feinstein as the current guitarist/vocalist for the New York Heavy Metal legends The Rods but he was also a member of Elf with his cousin Ronnie James Dio. Feinstein has been on the music scene for close to forty years, playing on Elf’s debut album, releasing seven albums in the ’80s with The Rods and one record under the band name Feinstein but it’s his family affiliation with Dio that most fans knwo about. BITTEN BY THE BEAST is Feinstein’s second solo record (the first was 2004′s THIRD WISH by the band Feinstein) and the main draw is the final studio recording of Ronnie James Dio on vocals. This record has been a two year labor of love for Feinstein who plays all the instruments except the drums, cut all the vocals except for the Dio led ‘Metal Will Never Die’ and was the producer. The album has been released on Niji Entertainment (Wendy Dio’s company) and not only features Ronnie James Dio on ‘Metal Will Never Die’ but a full Rods reunion with Carl Canedy (bass) and Garry Bordonaro (drums) also playing on the track.

“I am Metal and I will never die….” A very prophetic and eerie line in ‘Metal Will Never Die’. Like I mentioned, the draw here was the last studio recording of the late Ronnie James Dio on ‘Metal Will Never Die’…..honestly, this is the only reason why I bought the album. ‘Metal Will Never Die’ is a slow, doomy Sabbath style song that fits Ronnie perfectly…..always the consumate professional, Dio puts in a solid vocal performance. Listen closely after the opening guitar intro and as Dio starts singing, the rhythm section gets into a groove that has touches of the underlying rhythm parts of the Black Sabbath classic ‘Heaven & Hell’. As I mentioned, Carl Canedy and Garry Bordonaro of The Rods join Feinstein and Dio on this song and that also leads us into the ineveitable Rods reunion, I heard there’s an album being worked on right now! Obviously, this song is going to get BITTEN BY THE BEAST the most mileage in the press and it should, it’s the best song on the album. I’ve heard a couple of interviews with Feinstein about the production and mixing of this song, and of the album, and Ronnie was also involved in the mixing process.

Now that we have the Dio portion of the album out of the way, how does the rest of the album stack up? The rest of BITTEN BY THE BEAST is a meat & potatoes, old school ’80s Metal feast that features your basic guitar, bass , drums and vocals all primed to Rock. Feinstein vocals are very raspy and gritty and at times I hear a but of Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) in his delivery. There really isn’t a set style to all the songs but more of a wide range of styles that include straight Heavy Metal on tracks like ‘Smoke On The Horizon’, ‘Evil In Me’, ‘Kill The Demon’, ‘Break Down The Walls’ and’Give Me Mercy’, to a southern Blues Rock boogie groove on ‘Rocks Boogie’ that sounds like ZZ Top mixed with AC/DC, to Power Metal on ‘Run For Your Life’, to a ’70s sludge on ‘Gambler Gambler’. This entire record is based on one thing…..the guitar. Every single song has killer riffs and solid solos, they may be basic guitar parts compared to the intricate stylings of current day Metal guitarists but Feinstein does a solid job of putting the riffs out there and in your face. What draws me in is the old school Metal sound, it all sounds dated and you can hear the influences on some songs: ‘Evil In Me’ and ‘Kill The Demon’ have that Dio sound, ‘Break Down The Walls’ has Judas Priest written all over it and the Black Sabbath influence on ‘Metal Will Never Die’ is obvious.

Bottom Line:
I’m an old school metalhead so I enjoyed BITTEN BY THE BEAST. The songs may sound dated but they are well done and definitely in your face. The songs are catchy,powerful and well written and performed, that’s all you can really ask for in a true Heavy Metal record. The obvious reason to buy this album is ‘Metal Will Never Die’ with the late Ronnie James Dio on vocals but I think that song also overshadows what is a pretty solid album. I’m not taking away from the Ronnie song, it’s an integral part of the album, but if people buy this and don’t go beyond to the other songs then it’s a waste. Take that one song off the album and you still have a solid Metal album that’s worth checking out.

Favorite Songs:
‘Smoke On The Horizon’, ‘Break Down The Walls’, ‘Metal Will Never Die’

Dec 14 2010

Alice Cooper – Theatre Of Death: Live At Hammersmith 2009 (2010) CD & DVD

Alice Cooper – Theatre Of Death: Live At Hammersmith 2009 (2010, Alive/Bigger Picture)

  1. School’s Out
  2. Department Of Youth
  3. I’m Eighteen
  4. Wicked Young Man
  5. Ballad Of Dwight Fry
  6. Go To Hell
  7. Guilty
  8. Welcome To My Nightmare
  9. Cold Ethyl
  10. Poison
  11. The Awakening
  12. From The Inside
  13. Nurse Rozetta
  14. Is It My Body?
  15. Be My Lover
  16. Only Woman Bleed/I Never Cry
  17. Black Widow
  18. Vengeance Is Mine
  19. Devil’s Food
  20. Dirty Diamonds
  21. Billion Dollar Babies
  22. Killer
  23. I Love The Dead
  24. No More Mr. Nice guy
  25. Under My Wheels
  26. School’s Out (reprise)

Band Lineup:
Alice Cooper – Vocals
Chuck Garric – Bass
Keri Kelli – Guitars
Damon Johnson – Guitars
Jimmy DeGrasso – Drums
Tiffany Lowe – Stage Performer

Producers: Alice Cooper, Shep Gordon & Rob Roth

Country: USA

Total Time (CD & DVD) = approx. 91 minutes each

Alice Cooper

THEATRE OF DEATH: LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH (2009) is a CD and DVD release of Alice Cooper’s headline performance at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. The Theatre Of Death Tour for 2009 was basically a continuation of the same tour Alice has been doing since 2008 in support of his last studio album, ALONG CAME A SPIDER (2008). The only difference between this tour and the previous one is that only one song from ALONG CAME A SPIDER (‘Vengeance Is Mine’) is featured, although the setlist contains most of the classics that Alice normally plays and a few deep tracks and newer songs from albums he’s released over the last 10 years. I saw the current North American tour (with Rob Zombie) back in October and the difference I can tell between the two is that the Hammersmith show has a few extra songs, but it’s primarily the same set, and the stage show/performance is the same.

What you have here is a two disc package in a regular CD jewel case containing the DVD of the full concert and the accompanying audio CD. Basically, both are one in the same except that one is video and one is audio. It’s nice that the two are packaged together so you spend a reasonable amount of money and you get great value. What you’re buying this set for is the DVD, Alice Cooper has such a theatrical and visual show that the only way to appreciate it is to actually see it. How many other artists kill themselves multiple times on stage? There’s the guillotine, noose and an IV needle all set up to kill Alice but, like the tour slogan says: “They keep killing him…..and he keeps coming back!”. The full performance is truly great with the interaction between Alice and stage performer Tiffany Rowe who plays characters like Cold Ethyl and Nurse Rozetta, the different costumes and props and, as mentioned, the different killings of Alice all up against a great backdrop of music.

As far as the setlist goes, you get the classics like ‘School’s Out’, ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, ‘Poison’, ‘I’m Eighteen’ and a whole bunch of others but Alice and the band really lean heavily on the WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE album from 1975 by playing seven out of the album’s eleven songs. I can’t complain about that because I have been an Alice Cooper fan for a long time and I like all the classic records. What adds to the show for me is the newer songs because Alice has really had a rebirth in the album department since 2000′s BRUTAL PLANET on through ALONG CAME  SPIDER, all of them are really solid records. There’s ‘Wicked Young Man’ from BRUTAL PLANET, ‘Vengeance Is Mine’ from ALONG CAME A SPIDER and ‘Dirty Diamonds’ from DIRTY DIAMONDS (2005) and all three come off great in the live set and fit in well to the stage performance.

Bottom Line:
A solid package overall to have the live show captured on DVD and to have the live album for your stereo, car or iPod. There aren’t any extras here, just the same show on both discs, even the booklet is a little sparse but it does fold out to reveal a tour poster. I would call this an excellent live document of where Alice Cooper and his band are in 2010 and if you haven’t seen Alice in concert it’s a great way to experience it. Like I mentioned, I’m a big Alice fan, and I’m still riding a high from seeing him in concert in October, so this CD/DVD package was a must purchase for me and I’ve really enjoyed it. Great music and a great stage performance makes for a great concert and that’s what Alice Cooper always does.

Dec 9 2010

Heaven & Hell – Neon Nights: Live In Europe (2010) CD & DVD

Heaven & Hell – Neon Nights – Live In Europe (2010, Eagle Rock/Armoury Records)

  1. E5150 (DVD only)
  2. Mob Rules
  3. Children Of The Sea
  4. I
  5. Bible Black
  6. Time Machine
  7. Fear
  8. Falling Off The Edge Of The World
  9. Follow The Tears
  10. Die Young
  11. Heaven & Hell
  12. Country Girl (DVD only)
  13. Neon Knights

Band Lineup:
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Vinny Appice – Drums
Scott Warren – Keyboards & Backing Vocals

Executive Producers: Terry Shand & Geoff Kempim (for Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Country: USA & UK

Total Time (CD) = 1:14:30
Total Time (DVD) = approx 2 hrs & 30 mins

Heaven & Hell
Ronnie James Dio
Tony Iommi
Black Sabbath Online

NEON NIGHTS : LIVE IN EUROPE is a CD and DVD release of Heaven & Hell’s headline performance in Germany, at the Wacken Open Air Festival on July 30, 2009. This is the last professionally recorded performance from the band and of the late great Ronnie James Dio. This wasn’t the band’s final performance because the tour, supporting their latest album THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (2009), continued throughout the world and I was lucky enough to see the show in Boston, MA a month later. That tour stop in Boston was a great concert and will always be one of my favorite shows because I was right up front and dead center, it turns out that it was also the next to last stop on the world tour and the next to last live performance Ronnie would ever have. Sadly, Ronnie James Dio passed away from stomach cancer almost a year later on May 16, 2010. So what we have here with NEON NIGHTS is two separate releases: a CD version and a DVD version. If you’re going to buy one, I’d pick the DVD because they are both around the same price but the DVD has a little extra.

DVD:
The DVD version of NEON NIGHTS captures Heaven & Hell’s headline concert of the first day of the Wacken Open Air Festival in the Summer of 2009. It’s the full setlist shot with mulitple cameras along with two interview segments as bonuses. As far as the setlist goes, this is the exact same set that I ended up seeing in Boston about a month later…..a bunch of classics and three new songs from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW. Even though Black Sabbath with Dio only released three studio albums, there are plenty of classic tracks to choose from including ‘Mob Rules’, ‘Die Young’, ‘Heaven & Hell’ and ‘Neon Knights’ but, the tracks I like the most are ‘I’ and ‘Time Machine’ from the highly underrated DEHUMANIZER (1992) album. The difference on the setlist on the DVD is that the ‘E5150′ intro is shown in it’s entirety at the beginning and an abbreviated version of ‘Country Girl’ is played and segues into ‘Neon Knights’ to close the show. It’s a great performance, a great concert with timeless music and flawless performances. All the members are top notch on their instruments and, for a man around 66 yrs old at the time and battling the early stages of stomach cancer, Ronnie gives another spectacular performance. The bonus features include 30th Anniversary interviews with each band member. VH-1 Classic’s Eddie trunk interviews Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice and Geezer Butler while Classic Rock Magazine’s Malcolm Dome interviews Tony Iommi, all the interviews focusing on the timeline of Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell history over the last 30 years. There really isn’t anything new to these interviews if you’ve followed this version of the band over the years, the band history is pretty much recalled the same by all four member, what is interesting though is the will and desire to continue with the current lineup making new music and touring. These interviews were done before Ronnie’s death so, at the time, the plan was to continue with Heaven & Hell. Another round of interviews with Tony, Geezer and Vinny were added as a tribute to Ronnie after his passing and they are basic quick segments of each member remembering their friend and bandmate.

CD:
The CD version of NEON NIGHTS has an almost identical performance compared to the DVD, the only differences being the omission of the ‘E5150′ intro at the beginning and the abbreviated ‘Country Girl’ that moves into ‘Neon Knights’. There’s not really much to say regarding the CD aside from that, the booklet, pictures and liner notes are exact to the DVD version and there are no bonuses.

Bottom Line:
I really enjoyed NEON NIGHTS: LIVE IN EUROPE because it was a tour souveneir for me and a last look at Ronnie James Dio in action. My favorite Black Sabbath lineup has always been the Dio era and Heaven & Hell is a continuation of that era just with a slightly different name. Taking a good look at the entire package, I can’t help but wonder why Eagle Rock/Armoury Records didn’t just put the audio CD in with the DVD and charge one price for one package, it would be easier that way for fans. I hate to call it a “cash in” or a way to put extra product on the shelves after Ronnie’s passing because this was scheduled to come out anyway, and the concert performance is great, I just wish there were a few more extras remembering Ronnie. Overall, a good concert that was captured on audio and video and it will be the live document that will carry the Sabbath/Dio legacy forward. Well worth picking up on DVD, the CD is for diehards and completists.

Dec 7 2010

Icarus Witch – Draw Down The Moon (2010)

Icarus Witch – Draw Down The Moon (2010, Cleopatra Records)

  1. Black Candles
  2. Aquarius Rising
  3. Reap What You Sow
  4. Dying Eyes
  5. Draw Down The Moon
  6. Serpent In The Garden
  7. Funeral Wine
  8. Haunting Visions
  9. The Ripper

Band Lineup:
Matthew Bizilia – Vocals
Jason Myers – Bass
Quinn Lukas – Lead Guitars
Steve Johnson – Drums

Additional Musicians:
Eric Klinger – Rhythm Guitars & session Drums
Jim Dofka – Guitars on Tracks 7 & 9
Keith Hurka – Drums on Track 9

Producers: Eric Klinger, Matthew Bizilia & Jason Myers

Country: USA

Total Time = 35:41

Icarus Witch
Icarus Witch official MySpace page
Cleopatra Records

There has been a resurgence in the Traditional Metal scene in the last few years and Icarus Witch has been right in the thick of things along with bands like Slough Feg, White Wizzard and Wolf trying to revive the old school Metal approach. I’ve been a fan of the band since their 2005 ROSES ON WHITE LACE E.P. and the band hasn’t disappointed so far, I’m an old school metalhead and I like the Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio influences Icarus Witch makes no excuses emulating. DRAW DOWN THE MOON is the band’s third full-length record and it definitely has more of a darker feel to it, a more Black Sabbath influence, but the basics are there: vocals, guitars, bass and drums. Icarus Witch has been known just to be a straightforward Metal band and that’s exactly what they do, they give you the basics and run with it. This being their third album, I expected a little more of an expansion to their sound.

The album starts off with the very Maiden influenced ‘Black Candles’, one of the few faster songs on the album. The first thing you notice right away is (now former) vocalist Matt Bizilia’s unique vocals, he has this high pitch dramatic wail that can either be eerie and cool or very annoying depending on your tastes. There are definitely times on DRAW DOWN THE MOON where I think Bizilia is too dramatic but that’s the point of the band’s style. ‘Aquarius Rising’ continues the uptempo old school vibe reminding me a little of Saxon at times but with a darker edge. The song is pretty good but the drum sound is a little distracting and takes away from the song but you can definitely hear the band start to get a little darker with their delivery. The one thing that Icarus Witch does is fall into a mid-tempo pace on a lot of their songs and that gives them that darker, sludgier sound but also makes the songs drag out at times. The first of these kind of tracks is ‘Reap What You Sow’, it’s definitely darker, definitely more Sabbath influenced especially on the guitar but it sounds too dramatic at times with Bizilia’s high pitched vocals. ‘Dying Eyes’ follows a similar pattern although I don’t like the spoken word parts and that’s what kills the song for me. The title track is the third song in a row that is mid-paced, darker and utilizes Bizilia for dramatic effect…..are you starting to see a pattern? Let’s mix it up a bit guys!

The crown jewel of the album for me is ‘Serpent In The Garden’. It’s another slow, plodding Sabbath style song but there is more depth to it and the guitar work is excellent. ‘Serpent’ is the fourth song in a row using this mid-tempo style but it sounds a little more exotic and there are a few twists to the vocals that add a new wrinkle to the basic formula. It’s a very ’70s sounding track and I could easily hear a lot of Ronnie James Dio influence on this maybe in Rainbow or Black Sabbath. Listen for the bass in this song, it really stands out and adds a little extra. Another slow song follows with ‘Funeral Wine’, this is the fifth in a row! Then we get a sixth mid-tempo Sabbath inspired song with ‘Haunting Visions’! At least the pace picks up a little in the middle of the song to almost a ’70s Judas Priest chug but it’s not enough. Speaking of Judas Priest, the band offers up a cover of the Priest classic ‘The Ripper’. I hate cover songs on studio albums, I’d rather have an original song, but this is a welcome addition because it breaks the slow formula of the last six songs. This is as traditional of a cover as you can get, the band doesn’t stray too far from the original and Matt Bizilia does his best Rob Halford imitation and sounds like a cut below Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.

Bottom Line:
I’m disappointed. I really like Icarus Witch and I really wanted to like DRAW DOWN THE MOON but the problem is that there are just too many slow mid-tempo songs and they all start to sound the same after a while. I like the whole retro style because I grew up on traditional styles rooted in Sabbath, Priest, Maiden and the NWOBHM but Icarus Witch takes it to the Sabbath extreme this time around with the plodding pace and there’s not enough bite to the songs. There needs to be some variety, a good mix of slow and fast songs to keep the listener listening. I’ve listened to this album a lot and I come away bored and disappointed. There are some bright spots because the first two songs show what the band is capable of if and ‘Serpent In The Garden’ is the best mid-tempo song on the album. Since this album’s release, Matt Bizilia has left the band and has been replaced by Christopher Saner and the band added Ed Skero as a second guitarist. It will be interesting to hear the band’s next album to see how these new members influence the overall direction. One last thing…..make a longer album. DRAW DOWN THE MOON is just about 36 minutes long, way too short in my book for a full-length…..then again, it’s a good thing it’s a short album!

Favorite Songs:
‘Black Candles’, ‘Aquarius Rising’, ‘Serpent In the Garden’

Dec 6 2010

Buckcherry – All Night Long (& Reckless Sons Acoustic E.P.) (2010)

Buckcherry – All Night Long (& Reckless Sons Acoustic E.P.) (2010, Eleven Seven Music)

CD1 – All Night Long

  1. All Night Long
  2. It’s A Party
  3. These Things
  4. Oh My Lord
  5. Recovery
  6. Never Say Never
  7. I Want You
  8. Liberty
  9. Our World
  10. Bliss
  11. Dead

CD 2 – Reckless Sons (Acoustic E.P.)

  1. These Things
  2. Fire Off Your Guns
  3. Black Butterfly
  4. King Of Kings
  5. My Friend
  6. Grace

Band Lineup:
Josh Todd – Vocals
Keith Nelson – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Stevie D. – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Jimmy Ashhurst – Bass & Backing Vocals
Xavier Muriel – Drums, Percussion & Backing Vocals

Producers: Keith Nelson & Marti Frederiksen

Country: USA

Total Time (CD 1) = 42:47
Total Time (CD 2) = 24:47

Buckcherry
Buckcherry MySpace page
Eleven Seven Music

Back in 1998, I read about this great Hard Rock band that was on the verge of releasing their debut album. I specifically remember that one of the magazine articles I read stated that this new band were going to be the next Guns ‘N Roses, that’s something that grabs your attention! The band? Buckcherry. The next Guns ‘N Roses? No…..but a solid Hard Rock band that definitely emulates the sexually charged, over the top party antics and danger that was part of the GnR package and that of Motley Crue before GnR. The sound is still AC/DC and Guns ‘N Roses influenced with a ton of focus on vocalist Josh Todd’s singing and guitarist Keith Nelson’s big riffs and solos.

I’ve been a big fan of Buckcherry since I bought their self-titled debut back in 1999, I’ve bought every album since and I’ve seen the band in concert three times. What I’ve liked about the band is that they have always had that element of recklessness, of being dangerous, of being a big party band at a time when the music industry takes itself too seriously trying to appeal to the generic masses. On their first four albums, Buckcherry has glorified sex, drinking, drugs, partying, rocking and more sex without any regard as to how explicit their lyrics are, that’s changed with the band’s latest album, ALL NIGHT LONG. The party anthems are still there in the title track and ’It’s A Party’…..the sex is still there with ‘Oh My Lord’ and ‘Liberty’ but the danger factor is gone. On previous albums the band has had completly over the top songs like ‘Lit Up’, ‘Porno Star’, ‘Crazy Bitch’ and ‘Too Drunk’ and the sexually charged, profanity laden lyrics didn’t matter. On ALL NIGHT LONG the band has cleaned up their songwriting and the explicit lyrics are gone. As a Buckcherry fan from the beginning, I know that this isn’t what the band is completely about but it has been an intergral part of shaping the band’s image. Call me shallow but I was waiting to hear how the band was going to top ‘Too Drunk’ from BLACK BUTTERFLY (2008), how could they possibly top a song where the main lyric is “too drunk to fuck”? I’m not sure if it’s just the band growing and maturing or they have taken the advice from record label executives in order to sell albums but they are toned down. It’s definitely a surprise because one of the band’s biggest hits is ‘Crazy Bitch’.

So we don’t have the explicit lyrics and Buckcherry is still all about the party but the band has been known to write a good ballad. Remember ‘Sorry’ from the 2006 album 15? That was the band’s biggest hit to date! On this record we get three ballads starting with second single ‘These Things’, a song I expect to be as big as ‘Sorry’. I don’t listen to regular radio so I figure that this is a huge hit. Second ballad ‘I Want You’ is OK by normal standards but the third, ‘Bliss’ sounds like another hit in the ‘Sorry’ direction. I prefer the uptempo stuff from the band but I can appreciate these slower tunes but it’s obvious they are trying to capitalize on their past successes and these three songs are tailor made for radio airplay. There is more uptempo, pure Rock songs with the fast paced ‘Recovery’  and the album’s closer ‘Dead’, both of which stand out because they have that reckless Rock sound and a lot of guitar. Listen to the guitar solo on ‘Dead’…..awesome! That’s the Buckcherry I like! One last song to mention is the environmentally concious ‘Our World’. The band released the song as the third single and it has been part of the aid in the recovery from this year’s BP Oil disaster in the Gulf area. I like the band’s intentions and the song isn’t bad but it just seems out of place to have all these sex & Rock ‘n’ Roll songs and then a political, environmentally friendly tune. Then again, that could be the band’s versatility at work.

If you bought the first pressing of ALL NIGHT LONG at certain stores (I got mine at Best Buy), then you got the RECKLESS SONS E.P. included, I’m always a sucker for limited editions and bonus tracks so I was definitely getting the two CD set. RECKLESS SONS is an acoustic E.P. with an acoustic version of ‘These Things’ and a song titled ‘Black Butterfly’ that doesn’t appear on the BLACK BUTTERFLY album. Actually, none of these songs appear on any other Buckcherry record in any form so these are definitely a cool addition. Obviously, being acoustic, every song is mid-tempo or ballad form but they are pretty good. Like I said before, Buckcherry knows how to write good ballads and the acoustic style gives the band a different style.

Bottom Line:
I have given ALL NIGHT LONG a lot of spins because I like the band and all their previous albums but there just seems like the danger factor, the pushing of the envelope, is missing. I’m not saying that every song on the album has to be explicit, I understand a band’s need to grow and explore different ways to write, but does it have to be overly safe. That’s what ALL NIGHT LONG sounds like to me…..safe. You still get the party rock to get the guys pumping their fists and the girls dancing and then you get the ballads to make the girls swoon…..all in a safe package to get radio airplay. No that may sound like I don’t like the album but I actually do, I would just like it better if the party was a little dirtier. For me, this is definitely a grower but I can hear the potential for me to get into it more.

Favorite Songs:
‘All Night Long’, ‘It’s A Party’, ‘These Things’, ‘Recovery’, ‘Dead’……I also like the acoustic ‘These Things’ and ‘Black Butterfly’ off the E.P.

Nov 28 2010

The Big 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax) – Live From Sofia, Bulgaria (2010) box set

The Big 4 – Live From Sofia, Bulgaria (2010, Warner Bros.)

DVD 1: Live From Sonisphere Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria – 6/22/2010
(Each band played approximately 1 hour sets.)

Anthrax
Caught In A Mosh
Got The Time
Madhouse
Be All, End All
Antisocial
Indians/Heaven And Hell
Medusa
Only
Metal Thrashing Mad
I Am The Law

Megadeth
Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Hangar 18
Wake Up Dead
Head Crusher
In My Darkest Hour
Skin O’ My Teeth
A Tout Le Monde
Hook In Mouth
Trust
Sweating Bullets
Symphony Of Destruction
Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise

Slayer
World Painted Blood
Jihad
War Ensemble
Hate Worldwide
Seasons In The Abyss
Angel Of Death
Beauty Through Order
Disciple
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
South Of Heaven
Raining Blood

DVD 2: Live From Sonisphere Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria – 6/22/2010
(Metallica played a 2 hour set, the documentary is 45 mins.)

Metallica
Creeping Death
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Fuel
Harvester Of Sorrow
Fade To Black
This Was Just Your Life
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
All Nightmare Long
One
Master Of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Am I Evil?
Hit The Lights
Seek & Destroy

DVD Extra – Backstage documentary including interviews and rehearsal footage of ‘Am I Evil?’

Anthrax
Joey Belladonna – lead vocals
Scott Ian – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Rob Caggiano – lead guitar
Frank Bello – bass, backing vocals
Charlie Benante – drums

Megadeth
Dave Mustaine – lead vocals, guitar
Chris Broderick – guitar, backing vocals
David Ellefson – bass, backing vocals
Shawn Drover – drums

Slayer
Tom Araya – vocals, bass
Jeff Hanneman – guitar
Kerry King – guitar
Dave Lombardo – drums

Metallica
James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals
Robert Trujillo – bass, backing vocals
Lars Ulrich – drums

Region 0, NTSC
Total Running Time (DVD 1) = approx. 3 hours
Total Running Time (DVD 2) = approx. 2 hours & 45 mins
Anthrax CD = 1:03:22
Megadeth CD = 1:01:04
Slayer CD = 1:01:54
Metallica double CD = 1:05:37 & 1:05:57

Metallica
Slayer
Megadeth
Anthrax

Filmed and recorded at the Sofia, Bulgaria stop on the Sonisphere Festival Tour (6/22/2010), this DVD/CD set captures an event that Metal fans around the world have been hoping for: the Big 4 of Thrash all sharing the same concert bill/tour. What was at least a year in the making from a negotiation standpoint, all four bands (Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica) all toured throughout parts of Europe together on the Sonisphere Festival tour, something that I can’t remember ever being done before. All I know is that I grew up with each band being a cornerstone of the Thrash movement back in the ’80s and it’s hard to deny the four bands’ history and legacy when it comes to Heavy Metal music. In addition to the Metal faithful in attendance in Sofia, the concert was screened in over 800 cinemas worldwide on the same day. This was a historical tour and I was sure that a DVD was going to be released and Lars Ulrich himself announced such plans to the audience at the show so I was eagerly awaiting this release. Once it was released, I paid the extra money for the complete audio & video deluxe set.

The Package:
I expected a nice box set and that’s exactly what I got. The box itself is a little larger than a regular DVD case and definitely deeper to fit all the materials. Inside is the DVD set and it’s the casing I don’t like much with one DVD sitting halfway over the top of the other, I always worry about scratches even though I am strictly careful. Also included are a full color booklet with plenty of photos and credits, a double-sided foldout poster with the box set artwork on one side and the tour poster on the other, four picture cards (one for each band) and a special guitar pick. After all that is removed, the five CD set is nestled inside! Each CD is housed in a cardboard slipcase with the band’s logo and a picture of parts of the drum kit, Metallica’s double disc is in a double-sided cardboard slipcase with logo and pictures of the crowd and the band in action.

The DVDs:
There are 2 DVDs and close to 6 hours of footage. DVD 1 includes complete sets by Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer in that order and they were edited on site after each performance so the show could be viewed around the world in cinemas on the same day. DVD 2 is the full Metallica headline set and a bonus documentary of the backstage area and the rehearsal footage of the bands together on ‘Am I Evil?’. All the performances are recorded and filmed crystal clear (this isn’t bootleg material!) and each band gives their performances their all. I wasn’t surprised by the running order of bands like a lot of people were online: obviously Anthrax would open and Metallica would headline but where would Megadeth and Slayer slot in? I wasn’t surprised to see Megadeth second considering that the past bad blood between Dave Mustaine and his former Metallica bandmates might be too much to get Dave to open just before Metallica came on. The more I thought about it though, Slayer is just as huge internationally as Megadeth if not more in certain countries. Who knows? I thought the running order was great and I enjoyed each band’s set. DVD 2 has the full Metallica set, the big draw being the four band jam on the Diamond Head classic ‘Am I Evil?’, and the behind the scenes documentary. If I had to choose which DVD is better, I would pick the first one because I think Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer are truer to the cause than Metallica. I know I will take a ton of criticism for that statement but I really haven’t been into Metallica since the Black album…..I have all the albums since and see the band live but I just prefer the older stuff, the stylistic changes to their overall sound, as well as, their commercial aspirations have soured me over the last 20 years. I have enjoyed albums and concerts by Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer a lot more in the last 20 years and I have become more of a fan of those bands as time has gone by when compared with Metallica. Like I said before, each band puts on a great show and the ‘Am I Evil?’ jam was really cool even if only Dave Lombardo from Slayer performed. If I had to pick the best performance for me it would be a tie between Anthrax and Slayer, I just enjoyed those more. The documentary after the Metallica performance was cool, you got a look at backstage life with each band, rehearsal/soundcheck footage, meet & greets with fans, band interactions and look at the stage area. Like the regular performance, the rehearsals for ‘Am I Evil?’ were extremely cool to be captured on film. One thing I really want to point out during all the bands’ performances is the crowd. Starting with Anthrax and ending with Metallica, the people packed into the stadium were ravenous for Metal and the bands. Anthrax had a large crowd to open that would easily fill arenas and sheds in the U.S. and, as the day continued, the crowds got bigger and hungrier for each band. I always like seeing Metal DVDs filmed outside the U.S. because it goes to show that there is a deep rooted love for all types of Heavy Metal around the world.

The CDs:
I think the best way to sum up the five audio CDs is that they are cool bonuses. The main reason you buy this set is to see the DVD of the entire concert, the CDs are a cool way to re-live that on your stereo or iPod. For me, I liked having the live sets on CD because I have listened to them in the car and on my iPod…..you can only sit in front of a TV for so long! This way you get four live albums for your collections and each one is an exact copy of the performances on DVD, nothing is missing.

Bottom Line:
If you couldn’t be there, or you didn’t have a theater near you that was screening the show, then this is a really cool box set to pick up. I paid the extra money to have the complete box set with the audio and video but there is a DVD only set that is priced lower, I’m not sure if it has all the extras like the poster, pick and pictures. Everything is professionally done, all the performances look and sound great and the behind the scenes documentary is definitely a bonus highlight. If your a fan of all or just a few of these bands, i recommend picking this up and watching a piece of Heavy Metal history.

Favorite Highlights:
Anthrax – ‘Got The Time’ & ‘Indians/Heaven And Hell’
Megadeth – ‘In My Darkest Hour’ & ‘Symphony Of Destruction’
Slayer – ‘Angel Of Death’ & ‘Raining Blood’
Metallica – ”For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Am I Evil?’ & ‘Hit The Lights’