Category: CD Reviews A-H
0 Crystal Pistol – S/T (Release Year – 2005)
Today’s post comes from Tania from the Hard Rock Hideout Forum! Have you checked out the HRH forum lately?
Band –
Mike Ireland – vocals
Greg Laikin – bass
Dave Troutman – drums
Brian Bresett – guitars
Pinto – guitars
1. Watch You Bleed
2. Rockstar
3. Locomotive
4. Line It Up
5. Salt of the Earth
6. XXIII
7. Shake
8. All The Freaks
9. Live Fast
10. Teenage Parasite
11. No Fun City
Producer: Jeff Dawson
Hailing from Canada, Crystal Pistols self titled full length debut starts off promising. The first three tracks are nice little rockers. Singer Mike Ireland has a great sleazy, grimy sounding voice and the first two songs in particular, Watch You Bleed and Rockstar, show off his dirty gritty snarl perfectly.
I’m not really sure what Crystal Pistol are trying to do with
the Crystal Pistol band shot rest of the tracks on this CD. Some of it has a punk element to it, some have a rock element, some goth sounding. I guess its “punk rock”, but to me it sounds as if they are trying to put too many different types of musical sounds into each song.
The songs are fast and short, in fact this CD only clocks in at just over 35 minutes. After the third song, the rest of the songs are decent. I’m not saying they are bad, some are catchy but there is nothing really standout after Locomotive. Salt of the Earth is a nice change of pace but it all gets fairly boring and predicable fairly quickly. All in all a mixed bag. Good enough but not great. Check them out at their myspace to get a taste of some Crystal Pistol.
www.myspace.com/crystalpistol
2 Aerosmith – Toys in The Attic (Release Year – 1975)
Toys in the Attic is Aerosmith’s 3rd record. This album helped turn the band into international superstars.
This CD is definitely more hard rock than metal, but it is definitely a classic! I can’t even imagine what people thought about this back in ’75, but to hear Stephen Tyler’s voice with the funky blues rock of Toys in the Attic had to be something special. It still is today!
I had the pleasure of seeing the band play Uncle Salty live last year, and gained a whole new appreciation for the song. Between Joe Perry’s bluesy guitar licks, and Stephen Tyler’s killer vocals, it just does not get better than this.
The songs Walk This Way, and Sweet Emotion need no introduction. These are some of the biggest hits that Aerosmith has ever written, and still get plenty of airplay in 2007. I found a video that I recall getting some airplay during MTV’s Headbanger’s ball for
Sweet Emotion, check it out below!
I enjoy Joe Perry’s guitar playing on Adam’s Apple quite a bit, even though it isn’t my favorite song on the record.
I can’t help but love Aerosmith’s witty, Big Ten Inch Record. I love the boogie woogie bluesy piano of this tune. What a fun song!
No More No More is one of those songs that needs to grow on you a little bit. Once it does, it is an ultimately satisfying tune.
Round and Round almost has a Black Sabbath like feel to it. It has elements of stoner rock, that seems kind of odd when comparing it to the rest of the songs on Toys in the Attic.
You See Me Crying closes this disc out with a piano based number, that has an orchestral arrangement, that I could have lived without. This song sounds a little dated to me, but this was the style that quite a few bands were trying out back in the 70′s.
Sweet Emotion
With the exception of a couple of songs, Toys in the Attic is damn close to perfection. This multi-platinum disc put Aerosmith on the map. It should be essential to any fan of hard rock music.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Toys In The Attic
2. Uncle Salty
3. Adam’s Apple
4. Walk This Way
5. Big Ten Inch Record
6. Sweet Emotion
7. No More No More
8. Round And Round
9. You See Me Crying
3 Cats in Boots – Kicked & Klawed (Released – 1989)
Cats in Boots is an American/Japanese sleaze metal bland. Their debut release on EMI, Kicked & Klawed hit # 3 on the Japanese charts, but crashed and burned everywhere else.
There were a couple of videos on MTV for the songs Shot Gun Sally and Her Monkey, but this release got lost in a sea other big hair rock that was released at the time. Kicked & Klawed is a very solid release that is often over looked.
Lead Singer, Joel Ellis reminds me a lot of a young Vince Neil. Takashi “Jam” O’Hashi proves to be a very solid guitarist. Not surprisingly, the music isn’t too much of a stretch past Motley Crue’s music, but it is a very good listen. My favorite tracks include Shot Gun Sally, Nine Lives, Her Monkey, and Evil Angel.
Shot Gun Sally
Her Monkey
Singer Joel Ellis, still maintains catsinboots.com, but is not recording any new music today. Drummer Randy Meers last turned up in band called Trampled Underfoot.
Guitarist Takashi “Jam” O’Hashi has been releasing solo CD’s in Japan.
Kicked and Klawed has been out of print for several years now, and has been pulling down twenty to thirty dollars on Ebay each time it shows. It is a solid sleaze metal disc that is still worth seeking out.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Shot Gun Sally
2. Nine Lives (Save Me)
3. Her Monkey
4. Whip It Out
5. Long, Long Way From Home
6. Coast To Coast
7. Every Sunrise
8. Evil Angel
9. Bad Boys Are Back
10. Judas Kiss
11. Heaven On A Heartbeat
Cats in Boots are:
Joel Ellis – lead vocals and harmonica
Takashi “Jam” O’Hashi – guitar and background vocals
Yasuhiro “Butch” Hatae – bass and background vocals
Randy Meers – drums and background vocals
1 Down For Five – Time Has Come (Release Year – 2006)
Down For Five are graduates of the 2007 Rocklahoma Music Festival. This Tulsa based 4 piece band were winners of the Jpot Music contest and took the stage in front of thousands of people at the massive music festival.
I wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the festival, but I heard a lot of good things about this band, and decided to check them out.
Time Has Come has plenty of great tunes to make most Metal heads smile. This CD has a classic metal feel to it, and yet it still sounds modern enough to appeal to all generations of rock fans. I keep wanting to compare this as a mixture between Metal Church and Fates Warning, but that is probably not a good description of Down For Five’s sound. Nonetheless, I like the sound of this group.
Singer Syke Mochek can sing well but he can also bust out the metal snarl and screams. It is a very good balance between the two. Lead Guitarist, Janna Jordan’s back up vocals give the songs more melodies, and add a dimension to the tunes, that you will hear with few too little Metal acts today. The thing I like the most is the guitar playing of Jordan. Down For Five isn’t a band that just hides behind the distortion of 3 chord Metal. Janna Jordan has plenty of good guitar licks, that will put smiles on the faces of even the most anal of metalheads.
Don’t believe me?! Check out the video below for the song Senses, and see for yourself!
Senses
Down For Five has made a believer out of me. My only problem with Time Has Come is there aren’t enough tunes. I need more! Eight is not enough! I enjoyed this disc quite a bit, and will be listening to this CD to get my metal fix over the next few months.
For more information on Down For Five, check out their myspace page here, or their website, DownForFive.com. You can pick this CD up from the band’s website for a mere $10.00. Go get it today!
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Caricature
- Senses
- Insignificance
- Mirror Mirror
- Legend
- Passed Away
- Start Again
- Darkest Hour
2 Dokken – Hell to Pay (Release Year – 2004)
Dokken’s Hell to Pay is the band’s 9th full studio effort, and the first featuring former Doro guitarist Jon Levin.
I must admit that Hell to Pay gives me a small glimmer of hope for Dokken’s up and coming 2007 release, Lightning Strikes Again.
The sound on Hell to Pay is far more subdued that the band’s previous efforts with Lynch and Pilson. There are a few rockers on this disc, but you have to sift through the sludge to find them.
Don’t Bring Me Down is a high tempo rocker with plenty of excellent guitar work by Jon Levin. Don Dokken is in fine vocal form here.
Escape is a low to mid-tempo number that has grown on me after repeated listens. It is an above average track
Better Off Before retains the sound of classic Dokken. There is plenty of guitar noodling and crunching bass in this song. Good Stuff!
Still I’m Sad is a cool song with haunting guitars. It is a mid-tempo number that rocks hard.
Hell to Play still has plenty of misses, and mixing seems a little strange to me. Most people by a Dokken record because they want to hear something that rocks. Hell to Pay starts off with a semi mellow song, The Last Goodbye. It has a few rocking moments, but seems like a odd choice to open the disc with. There are several other songs in this vein, Haunted, Care For You, I Surrender, Letter To Home, Can You See. None of these songs are particularly bad, but they don’t rock as hard as they should.
Does this release compare to the George Lynch and Jeff Pilson releases? No, not even close. This isn’t the kind of release that will get your adrenaline pumping. John Levin’s playing is very good, but Hell to Pay suffers from too many low to mid tempo songs, and not enough songs that rock hard.
I think with the right material, the 4 piece unit of Don Dokken, Mick Brown, Barry Sparks and Jon Levin could probably rock pretty hard. Hopefully, their sophomore effort with this lineup is heavier that this one.
Hell to Pay, is an above average release that will appeal to some. Some Dokken fans may want to use this as a frisbee.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. The Last Goodbye
2. Don’t Bring Me Down
3. Escape
4. Haunted
5. Prozac Nation
6. Care For You
7. Better Off Before
8. Still I’m Sad
9. I Surrender
10. Letter To Home
11. Can You See
12. Care For You (Unplugged)
1 Bullet – Heading For the Top (Release Year – 2006)
Bullet is a Swedish Metal band that sounds like a cross between Brian Johnson era AC/DC, Accept and maybe a little bit of Saxon.
This is a five piece band led by singer, Hell Hofer, Hampus Klang on lead guitar, Erik Almström also on lead guitar, Gustav Hjortsjö on drums, and Adam Hector on bass.
If you can get past the gravelly voice of Hell Hofer, you are probably going to like, and possibly even love this band. The guitar work on this disc is superb and it rocks hard, from beginning to end. Heading for the Top sounds as if this was a lost disc from the NWOBHM era.
I have spun this one a few times now, and I don’t think there is a bad song on this disc. Check out the video for Heading For the Top, if you like what you hear, you will like this disc a lot.
If you like Bullet, you can check out more of their songs at their myspace page here. This CD is available at CDBaby.com. Go get it!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Midnight Riders (Riding Free)
2. Turn It Up Loud
3. Heading for the Top
4. Rambling Man
5. Hard Luck Lady
6. Speeding in the Night
7. One Deal with the Devil
8. Rock Steady
9. Leather Love
10. Raise Hell
11. Bang Your Head
13 AC/DC – Back In Black (Release Year-1980)
I couldn’t think of another release more appropriate to start up the new Classic Metal Reviews feature, than AC/DC’s. Back In Black.
Whether you like them or not, few band’s have experienced the level of success that AC/DC has achieved. AC/DC’s Back In Black has sold over 42 million units worldwide, making it one of the must successful releases in music history. Most bands would be happy if their entire catalog sold this amount.
After the death of Bon Scott, the band soldiered on. No one knew how this release would turn out. This is the band’s first disc featuring singer Brian Johnson. With Mutt Lange at the helm as producer, the band crafted their most popular release ever.
From the opening bells of Hells Bells, you know this is going to be a classic record. It is rare for me to listen to a whole CD all the way through, and not have a song or two that I don’t like. This is not the the case with Back in Black.
I love all of the songs on this disc, by my absolute favorites are Shoot To Thrill, Back In Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Have A Drink on Me, and Shake a Leg.
This is a disc that stands up well, and does not sound dated in 2007. I can’t think of one thing I would change on this record.
It is a hard rock/metal landmark release that no collection should be without. If you don’t own this, what are you waiting for. 42 Million people can’t be wrong!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Hells Bells
2. Shoot To Thrill
3. What Do You Do For Money Honey
4. Givin The Dog A Bone
5. Let Me Put My Love Into You
6. Back In Black
7. You Shook Me All Night Long
8. Have A Drink On Me
9. Shake A Leg
10. Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution
1 Crash Anthem – Inside A Red Room (Released-2007)
The five piece Minnesota band formerly known as Skywynd, has changed their name to Crash Anthem, and released a new disc, Inside A Red Room. Candlebox singer, Kevin Martin produced this 10 track disc.
Inside A Red Room, is a very polished sounding modern hard rock record. Crash Anthem is one of the better, new U.S. hard rock acts I have heard in a while. They are melodic, without falling into the bass heavy trap that so many new mainstream acts are stuck in today.
Singer, Walter Joseph’s vocals are clean, and easy to listen to. The keyboards give the songs an almost alternative touch, but do not over power the tracks. Most importantly, all of the 10 songs on Inside A Red Room rock hard!
Catch Me If you Can is an energetic rocker. I love the rhythm on this song. The cowbells mixed with the drumming give this song a lot of energy. This is a very cool way to start off this disc.
Favorite Things is a very upbeat song. This song kind of reminds me of what Velvet Revolver is doing today, and may be a little better than that.
Me, Myself and You is a cool moody rocker. This song rocks hard but has a very nice layer of keyboards. Good Stuff!
I love the crunching guitars on Red Room. This song is heavy enough to get you head banging, but he keyboards level it out. As a whole, it is another superb track.
Walter Joseph belts out the notes in a higher pitch on Typical People. This track could easily be a hit on rock radio.
I could not get into A Time for the Kill. This song has a couple of U2 like moments, but I think it drags on a little too much. Biggest Letdown on the other hand is not a letdown at all. This one of the heavier tracks on Inside A Red Room. It is short, but a it is worth hearing. This up tempo rocker is one of my favorites on this record.
Walter Joseph’s vocals on Follow the Leader remind me of someone else greatly, especially during the song chorus, but I haven’t been able to figure out who. I like this song a lot.
Life Story is a multi tempo number that has heavy and melodic parts. I played this one three times in a row after my first listen to it. Cool song!
Wrecking Ball is another song that tends to drag on a little bit. It has a nice guitar solo in the middle by Brian Adams, but the Piano piece in the middle of the song by Jon Storm seems out of place.
As a whole, I really enjoyed Inside A Red Room. Crash Anthem is a band that has a lot of radio potential. It is only a matter of time before this band gets the mainstream success they deserve.
For more information on Crash Anthem, check out their myspace page here. Thanks to Ashley Hodges for turning me onto this band! You can preview a couple of the new tracks below.
You can purchase In A Red Room for a mere $10.00, online at the following link. Check it out!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Catch Me If You Can
- Favorite Things
- Me, Myself and You
- Red Room
- Typical People
- A Time For The Kill
- Biggest Letdown
- Follow The Leader
- Lifestory
- Wrecking Ball
13 Faster Pussycat – The Power and the Glory Hole (2006)
Faster Pussycat returned in 2006 with their first new studio disc in 14 years, The Power and the Glory Hole.
The only remaining original member is singer Taime Down. The rest of the band is filled out by Xristian Simon on Guitar, Danny Nordahl on Bass, and Chad Stewart on Drums.
I have to be honest. I hope the songs that Faster Pussycat performs at Rocklahoma are from their late 80′s and early 90′s catalog. I do not think The Power and the
Glory Hole is a glorious return for Faster Pussycat at all. This new CD has elements of sleaze, glam and industrial type of music. Some songs almost work, and some are so noisy, I could not enjoy them at all. At times, it almost sounds like band is trying to venture into Marilyn Manson territory. If you like that style of music, you may enjoy this, but this was a little to different from original releases for my taste.
A couple of the songs on this disc, if reworked with less industrial style bass, could have been very cool. Unfortunately, distorted bass over powers most of the songs on the The Power & The Glory Hole.
If Faster Pussycat’s Rocklahoma set consists of songs mainly off of this disc, I would recommend getting in line for a beer, and some food. This disc will likely disappoint most fans of 80′s style hard rock. I found this disc unlistenable.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Number One With A Bullet
2. Gotta Love It
3. Useless
4. Sex, Drugs, And Rock’N'Roll
5. Disintegrate
6. These Boots Are Made For Walking
7. Hey You
8. Porn Star
9. The Power And The Gloryhole
10. Shut Up And Fuck
11. Bye Bye Bianca
4 Cold Sweat – Break Out (Release Year – 1990)
Cold Sweat is a five piece hard rock band that recorded one CD in 1990 on MCA Records.
This band features former Keel guitar player Marc Ferrari, ex-Wasted guitarist Erik Gamans, bassist Chris McLernon, drummer Anthony White, and singer Rory Cathey.
There was some stink between Cold Sweat and Lynch Mob for a while as Oni Logan who was the
original singer, defected to go sing for George Lynch on the day Cold Sweat was to sign with MCA.
Break Out is a very solid 80′s style hard rock disc that is often forgotten about. Marc Ferrari’s guitar work on this CD is superb. This disc doesn’t have a band song on it, and even features a writing credit on Four on the Floor by current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer.
Let’s Make Love Tonight
This disc has it all! A great power ballad in Waiting in Vain, and a bunch of excellent hard rockers: Four on the Floor, Take This Heart of Mine, Let’s Make Love Tonight and Fistful of Money. This disc also has a pretty cover of the Foghat song, I Just Want to Make Love To You.
This long out of print CD often sells for 20 or more dollars on EBay, but can often be found for lesser amounts. It is a disc well worth seeking out if you are a fan of 80′s hard rock and glam metal. Buy Break Out if you can! You will love it!
You can hear more songs at the band’s myspace page here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Four on the Floor
2. Cryin’ Shame
3. Lovestruck
4. Waiting in Vain
5. Take This Heart of Mine
6. Killing Floor
7. Riviera/Long Way Down
8. Let’s Make Love Tonight
9. Fistful of Money
10. Jump the Gun
11. I Just Want to Make Love To You
8 The Answer – Rise – Special Edition (Release Year – 2007)
When I initially purchased a copy of The Answer’s disc Rise, I downloaded it off of ITunes to save the expense of importing the disc. When the news came across that the Answer was re-releasing the CD in June of 2007 with a 2nd Bonus CD, with B-Sides and 5 new songs, I knew that I would not be able to hold off on buying this disc any longer.
I reviewed the initial release here. After a few months of listening to this first CD, I probably should have rated this disc higher. Rise continues to stay in my play list months after I first purchased it.
The thing that is completely mind-boggling to me is, the United States has not yet got to know the awesome band, as they do not have a U.S. distribution deal. Any band that is armed with so many great songs and videos should be playing on U.S. soil. This collection of tunes is strong enough to garner multi-platinum success for this band.
Under the Sky
Never Too Late
Come Follow Me
Be What You Want
This new release only solidifies what I already knew. The Answer is one of the best new rock bands out there.
The new songs are great, and the inclusion of Keep Believin’ from the 2005 EP is extremely cool.
Keep Believin’
I Won’t Let You Down is another Answer style rock anthem that could easily support another single and video. The cover of Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion is fantastic. While staying true to the original, Cormac Neeson handles the vocals of Steven Tyler quite well. The track Doctor has plenty of bluesy swagger, and So Cold has such a good beat that it could get the ladies out on the dance floor.
The songs Not Listening and Take it Easy have plenty of Led Zeppelin influence on them and are equally great.
If you haven’t picked up The Answer disc Rise yet, pick up the Special Edition version. The second disc gives you plenty of new tunes to listen to, on top of the superb original release. If you like classic hard rock, The Answer has the rock cd for you. Classic Rock Magazine calls this the “Best Debut Rock album of the decade“. I don’t disagree with that statement. The Answer has out done themselves with this collection! You can find the Rise – Special Edition at CD Universe. Go Get it! You wont be disappointed!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Under The Sky
2. Never Too Late
3. Come Follow Me
4. Be What You Want
5. Memphis Water
6. No Questions Asked
7. Into The Gutter
8. Sometimes Your Love
9. Leavin’ Today
10. Preachin’
11. Always
Disc 2
1. Keep Believin’ ( unreleased Chris Sheldon version )
2. I Won’t Let You Down ( unreleased version from Rise sessions )
3. Sweet Emotion ( from the Kerrang! 25 year cd )
4. Doctor ( unreleased version from the Rise sessions )
5. So Cold ( unreleased version from the Rise sessions )
6. Rock bottom blues ( b side )
7. Some unity ( b side )
8. No questions asked ( live session version )
9. Into the gutter ( acoustic session )
10. Only the strong survive ( unreleased version from Rise sessions )
11. Not listening ( unreleased version from Rise sessions )
12. Come follow me (live in Tokyo)
13. Sometimes your love (live in Tokyo)
14. Be what you want / Moment (live in Tokyo)
15. Take it easy ( unreleased version from Rise sessions )
1 The Erotics – Don’t Make Me, Make You
Check out the new video by the Erotics, Don’t Make Me, Make You
Cool Stuff!
3 Femme Fatale – S/T (Release Year – 1988)
Several weeks ago, my wife and I made an unplanned stop at a Used CD store that I used to shop at several years ago. Flipping through the bins, the other customers in the store must have thought I won the lottery. I screamed out in delight when I found the self-titled disc by Femme Fatale. (Ok Bob Vinyl, you can laugh now.)
I have been searching for this disc for several weeks, and have been unsuccessful getting a copy off of EBay. I used to own a copy of this on cassette years ago, and never got around to replacing it. In 2007, it is nearly an impossible task with this out of print disc.
Some of you are probably asking, who is Femme Fatale?! This is an 80′s glam metal band that was fronted by singer Lorraine Lewis. The band members are as follow: Mazzi Rawd (Keyboards, Guitar, Backing Vocals), Rick Rael (Bass Guitar and Background Vocals), Bill D’Angelo Lead Guitar and Bobby Murray (Drums and Background Vocals) Femme Fatale’s self titled debut hit #144 on the Billboard chart and spawned a couple of videos on MTV.
Waiting for the Big One
Falling In and Out of Love
Sadly, after the band’s 1989 tour, they split up and were never heard from again. This self
titled effort is a decent but very hard to find pop metal disc.
Usually, I don’t care for bands with a female lead singer, but there are a few exceptions to the rule, and Lorraine Lewis proves to be a very solid vocalist.
The lead guitar work of Bill D’Angelo (R.I.P.) is good, but sometimes sounds constrained. He occasionally gets some good guitar licks in but is unable to cut lose, as quite a few tunes have more of a keyboard focus.
At times, some of the songs on this disc start reminding me of Pat Benatar tunes, which depending on who you ask, is either a compliment or an insult. I think it is a good thing, as very few female rock singers showed their vocal prowess as much as Pat Benatar did in the 80′s.
I prefer the harder rocking tunes on this disc. The best ones are Waiting For the Big One, Falling In & Out of Love, Fortune & Fame, and Heat the Fire.
Is Femme Fatale the best band I have ever heard from the 80′s era of hard rock? Not by a long shot. This CD does have a few good tracks that still sound good in my playlist today.
You can hear more tracks at the band’s myspace page here.
Copies of this turn up on Ebay from time to time, and have hit as high as $30.00. You can also find this disc at GEMM.com. The prices will likely scare away even the most savvy consumer, for this long out of print disc.
Rating:
Out of 10.
Track Listing:
- Waiting for the Big One
- Falling In & Out of Love
- My Baby’s Gun
- Back In Your Arms Again
- Rebel
- Fortune & Fame
- Touch and Go
- If
- Heat the Fire
- Cradle’s Rockin
25 Bon Jovi – Lost Highway (2007)
Some CD’s should come with yellow and black warning labels that say, “Play at your own Risk!”
Lost Highway is the CD that I knew I would have trouble listening to. The band has thrown away their hard rock sound, for a pop rock / country hybrid that sounds nothing like their past CD’s.
I found this CD completely devoid of the great hooks that Bon Jovi has been known for. If anything Lost Highway is a boring sellout that will probably be played to death on multiple radio formats. If Bon Jovi continues down this musical highway, I doubt they will be covered at the Hard Rock Hideout any longer.
Judging from the 63 used copies that I saw at Amazon today, Bon Jovi fans are discarding this disc faster than Mercury Nashville can print them.
There is one song that almost sounds like old Bon Jovi. If you listen to one song, play We Got It Going On. Load that song on your hard drive, then take the CD outside, and use it for a Clay Pigeon. You will get more enjoyment out of it that way.
The song Make a Memory is getting massive amounts of play on the radio right now, and has hit #1 on VH1′s Top 20 countdown.
I just don’t get it. I find this song, and disc boring. It is hard for me to believe that this is the same band that put out Slippery When Wet. If I was the guitar player, I think I would find myself in rehab. I would have drink myself into a coma, if I had to play these incredibly monotonous tunes.
Don’t waste your money on this CD. There are far better discs out there than this one.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Lost Highway
2. Summertime
3. Make a Memory
4. Whole Lot Of Leaving
5. We Got It Going On
6. Any Other Day
7. Seat Next To You
8. Everybody’s Broken
9. Stranger (feat. Leann Rimes)
10. The Last Night
11. One Step Closer
12. I Love This Town
Bon Jovi is:
Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals, acoustic guitar,
Richie Sambora – guitars, backup vocals
Tico Torres – drums, percussion
David Bryan – keyboards, piano, backup vocals
Hugh McDonald – bass, backup vocals
2 Allen/Lande – The Revenge (Release Year – 2007)
If you have ever visited the Hard Rock Hideout, you probably know that I am fan of Jorn Lande.
Jorn Lande returns with his third disc in 2007 alone. The Revenge is the second collaberation with singer Russell Allen from Symphony X, and guitarist Magnus Karlsson from Last Tribe.
The first disc, The Battle was fantastic, so all of the musicians involved would have to truly raise the bar to surpass that disc. I don’t think the Revenge surpasses The Battle, but it is pretty close to being equal to its predecessor.
Magnus Karlsson once again shows off his superb song writing skills. Without any question, I knew I
would be listening to a superior vocal performance from Allen and Lande, and I was right. On six of the tracks both Allen and Lande share the vocals. The other six are split evenly between the two.
This disc starts off with an awesome track, Revenge. This song has a very cool groove with excellent keyboard melodies. Jorn Lande and Russell Allen both sound great. The keyboard parts on this song remind me of Whitesnake.
Obsessed is Russell Allen’s first solo track on this disc. Allen shows off his amazing voice on this heavy, melodic rocker. This is a damn good song.
Victory has a lighter feel to it at first with some lighter guitar picking, but then blasts off with some full out crunching metal. Lande’s powerful pipes shine through on this track. This is another cool song!
Master of Sorrow is Jorn’s first solo song on the disc. This is a balladesque song with lots of great piano and guitar work by Magnus Karlsson. This is one of my favorite songs off of the The Revenge. Jorn’s phenomenal voice shines here.
Will You Follow is Russell Allen’s 2nd solo track. This is a superb, high tempo rocker that sometimes ventures into Survivor like territory. Karlsson’s heavy guitars are a good match with Russell Allen’s voice. I enjoyed Karlsson’s guitar noodling on this song.
Just A Dream is another song with the dualing vocals of Allen and Lande. This was the first song that I couldn’t really get into. The music is good, but there are more progressive elements in this song, and it seems to lack the cohesiveness that the songs before it possess.
Her Spell is Jorn’s second solo track. I have listened to this song a few times now, and for whatever reason, I can’t get into this song. I can’t put my finger on it, but there are better songs on The Revenge than this one.
Gone Too Far is the third solo effort by Russell Allen, and probably his best. This is the type of song that will keep me coming back for more collaberations with Magnus Karlsson. This is about as good as melodic rock will ever get. Great Stuff!
Wake Up Call is a powerful rock anthem, that had me headbanging from the start.
Under The Waves is the final solo output from Jorn Lande. This song is much better than Her Spell, and a close second to Master of Sorrow. Jorn’s vocals are more low key on this song, but he still sounds very good.
Who Can You Trust is one of the heavier songs on The Revenge. This is another standout effort from Lande, Allen and Karlsson. If you don’t like this track on the first listen, your speakers must be broke.
When Time Doesn’t Heal should be essential listening to all hard rock fans. This track is an exceptional ballad, and a pretty impressive way to close out The Revenge.
Once again, Allen and Lande deliver again with another great melodic rock disc. This one is worthy pickup for any hard rock fans. You can check out more of Allen Lande’s music from Revenge at their myspace page here. The CD is available for purchase through CD Inzane and Impulse Music. You can also listen to two of the songs below!
The Revenge -
Master of Sorrow -
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. The Revenge
2. Obsessed
3. Victory
4. Master Of Sorrow
5. Will You Follow
6. Just A Dream
7. Her Spell
8. Gone Too Far
9. Wake Up Call
10. Under The Waves
11. Who Can You Trust
12. When Time Doesn’t Heal
3 Dave Evans – Sinner (Release Year – 2005)
In case you didn’t know, Dave Evans is the first lead singer from AC/DC. He has been in a few bands over the years since his initial days with AC/DC, and is now starting to make a name for himself in the United States.
Sinner is the debut CD released by Dave Evans in the United States. If you love good hard rock music, you are going to love this disc.
Sinner is full of kick ass, hard driving, rock and roll! Dave Evans voice is well tailored for good heavy rock, and this disc rocks hard. Mark Tinson’s song writing skills shine, as there isn’t a bad song on the disc.
My favorite cuts are Back on the Firing Line, Take Me Down Again, Only the Good Die Young, Carnal Knowledge, Turn it Up and Out in the Cold.
Fans of AC/DC and good hard rock music are going to love this disc. You can hear more of Dave’s songs at his myspace page here. You can pick up Sinner at CDBaby.com and ITunes. For those of you who haven’t caught the Dave Evans podcast yet, be sure to check it out here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Back on the Firing Line
- Rock ‘N Roll or Bust
- Take Me Down Again
- Only the Good Die Young
- Sinner
- Carnal Knowledge
- Turn It Up
- Out in the Cold
- Go Down Fighting
- Sold My Soul to Rock ‘N’ Roll
- D.O.A.
- The Thunder Down Under
2 Heavens Edge – S/T (Release Year – 1990)
Heavens Edge is a glam metal from Philiadelphia, PA that got signed to Columbia Records. This self titled debut had little success, and the band disappeared shortly thereafter.
This disc is one of the better glam metal discs from the early 90′s. As a result it is averaging around 25 – 30 on EBay today, but is certainly worth seeking out.
Heavens Edge features Mark Evans on vocals and guitar, Reggie Wu on guitar, keyboards and background vocals, Steven Parry on guitar and background vocals, G.G. Guidotti on bass and background vocals, and David
Rath on drums and percussion.
Neil Kernon (Autograph, Dokken, Queensryche) produced this CD, and the sound of this disc is very Dokken like.
Highlights on this disc, are Skin to Skin, Play Dirty, Bad Reputation, Find Another Way and Hold on To Tonight.
I still play this disc from time to time, and wonder why these guys never hit it as big as some of other bands that were on the scene at the same time. It is a great glam metal disc and worth seeking out if you don’t own a copy! You can hear more of the band’s song at their myspace page here.
Find Another Way
Skin to Skin
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Intro
02. Play Dirty
03. Skin To Skin
04. Find Another Way
05. Up Against The Wall
06. Hold On To Tonight
07. Can’t Catch Me
08. Bad Reputation
09. Daddy’s Little Girl
10. Is That All You Want?
11. Come Play The Game
12. Don’t Stop, Don’t Go
Heavens Edge are:
Reggie Wu – guitars, keyboards
Mark Evans – vocals
David Rath – drums
Steven Parry – guitars
George “G.G.” Guidotti – bass
4 American Angel – Vanity (Release Year – 2007)
It has been 15 long years since American Angel has released their last CD, the “EP 1992″
The new CD Vanity is full of great 80′s style hard rock that was found on their 1989 debut CD.
The lineup of American Angel now features Rocco Fury on lead vocals, Dennis Zehrer on guitar, Mike Bisulca on guitar and back up vocals, Jay Druzsba on bass, Marc Ambrosy on drums and Eric Ragno on keyboards.
Rocco Fury’s voice is strong as ever and
at times reminds me of Sebastian Bach. The band is extemely tight, and Vanity has actually gotten better with a couple more listens.
I have spun this disc a few times now, and the highlights on this disc are Pantomind, Vanity, Don’t Wait Up and the power ballads, Warm Inside, and Another Day.
Pantomind
Warm Inside
American Angel isn’t breaking any new musical ground on this disc, but I wasn’t expecting them to. Vanity is a fun throw back in sound to the Big Hair era of music. If you like any of the late 80′s Hard Rock Bands, you are going to love. American Angel’s Vanity. You can hear more tunes at their myspace here.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. While I’m Away
2. Pantomind
3. Vanity
4. On The Hunt
5. Seven
6. Warm Inside
7. Don’t Wait Up
8. Breathe
9. In Perfection
10. End of the Night
11. Another Day
12. Turns To Grey
13. Permanent Pause
14. Don’t Wait Up (Remix)
1 Bloodbound – Book of the Dead (Release Year – 2007)
The Swedish metal band, Bloodbound returns with their second studio effort, Book of the Dead. This is a band that often gets lumped into the black or death metal category, but to me isn’t fitting of the music they put out. Their lyrics are often dark subject matter, but the songs are highly listenable. I would consider this group’s sound a cross between Iron Maiden and possibly Helloween.
Book of the Dead is the first disc, featuring singer Michael Bormann. Michael is well known in Europe for his time spent in the band Jaded Heart. I have several releases in my collection with Michael as the front man, so I was interested to hear the new Bloodbound CD. It seems like an odd pairing for him to join a band like Bloodbound (Imagine Jon Bon Jovi joining a metal band like Armored Saint as a comparison) but it actually works very well.
Bloodbound has a sound that is very tight and polished. The reason for it is the roster of seasoned musicians in this band. Two Bloodbound members, bass and keyboard player Fredrik Bergh and lead guitarist Tomas Olsson have been playing together for a long time in the band Street Talk. Both Fredrik and Tomas are the primary song writers on all of the 11 songs on this disc.
Sign of the Devil and Book of the Dead are very cool songs that I replay a lot. The Tempter reminds me of something Iron Maiden would do.
Drummer Pell Akerline sets the high speed pace of Bless the Unholy, and Tomas Olsson provides the guitar noodling and Fredrik Bergh adds the haunting back up vocals. It is an interesting track that is growing on me more with every listen.
After reading the lyrics to Lord of the Battle, I liked this song a whole more than I did on the first pass. It is a well written song, but the chorus may be a little too lengthy to drive the song home.
Flames of Purgatory has that monster bass and guitar riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden again. This is another song that was helped out by the lyrics that came with the CD booklet. On the first pass, I didn’t care for this song. Once I could read along with the lyrics, I started liking this song a lot more.
Into Eternity is one of those power metal songs where the band tries to play at a pace that is far too fast. I do not enjoy songs like this. Yes, the musicianship is good, but this is not for me.
Black Heart is a low tempo ballad that has a sound similar to some of the Scorpions low key songs. It is another highlight on Book of the Dead.
Black Shadows is another hard driving track that I found myself repeating. The guitars of Tomas Olsson really kick on this track.
Not even the lyrics could keep me interested in the song, Turn To Stone. I think this song is just a little too out there for me lyrically.
Seven Angels clocks in at over 7 minutes in length. This is another song that borrows from Iron Maiden’s high paced bass riff. It is a little too long to hold my attention.
Book of the Dead offers a few great tracks, and some that are just average. Power Metal fans may find some of the faster paced tracks more enjoyable than I did. As a whole, it is a solid effort by the new band line up. I hope this band can mature, and produce more tunes for another release in the future.
You can listen to more tracks at the band’s myspace page here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Sign Of The Devil
- The Tempter
- Book Of The Dead
- Bless The Unholy
- Lord of the Battle
- Flames Of Purgatory
- Into Eternity
- Black Heart
- Black Shadows
- Turn To Stone
- Seven Angels
2 Hellfueled – Volume 1 (Release Year – 2005)
Occasionally, I will stumble on a band that completely surprises me. Hellfueled not only surprised me, but also put a big smile on my face.
Volume 1 is the debut CD by the Swedish hard rock band Hellfueled. If Ozzy Osbourne, and Zakk Wylde had sons following in their footsteps, it would sound a lot like Hellfueled. Singer Andy Alkman sounds like a young Ozzy, and guitarist Jocke Lundgren must have gone to the Zakk Wylde School of Guitar Playing.
Since picking this CD up, I have actually listened to this one more than the new Ozzy
CD, Black Rain. Volume 1 starts firing immediately with two heavy rockers, Let Me Out, and Midnight Lady. Jocke Lundgren has heavy solos in just about every song on this disc. His playing may be styled after Zakk Wylde, but even he has learned not to overuse the pinch harmonics.
The video for Midnight Lady, is extremely cool, and reminds me of something Ozzy would have done in the 80′s.
Mindbreaker
My favorite cuts on this disc, are Let Me Out, Midnight Lady, Mindbreaker, and Eternal.
You wont find any wimpy piano ballads on this disc. Hellfueled rocks hard from beginning to end. It is an amazing debut by a band that will be one worth checking out for years to come. Hellfueled should be mandatory listening for all Ozzy Osbourne fans!
You can pick up Hellfueled – Volume 1 at CD Baby.com.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Let Me Out
2. Midnight Lady
3. Second Deal
4. Someone Lives Inside
5. Eternal
6. Mindbreaker
7. Sunrise
8. Live My Life
9. Rock ‘N’ Roll
10. Break Free
11. Hunt Me Down
12. Midnight Lady [*][Multimedia Track]
7 Def Leppard – Yeah! (Release Year -2006)
Ok, first off, I am an old school Def Leppard fan. I will take Pyromania and Hysteria over anything else that this band has done. I just don’t think they have done better than those two discs.
With that being said, I wanted to hate this disc. I am pretty tired of cover song albums. I prefer new material over rehashed songs any day. Strangely enough, this disc doesn’t suck.
I honestly think this is most guitar playing I have heard out of Vivian Campbell since he joined the band. Joe Elliott and the rest of the guys sound great.
I must admit some of the songs covered here, I am not familiar with. It is almost like hearing a new track for the first time. That is pretty cool.
These are definitely some of the better cover tunes I have heard as of late. I have to give the DL guys props for making these songs sound so good.
Of the tracks I am familiar with, I really like the version of 20th Century Boy on here. I swear I have heard another band cover this tune once before but I can’t recall which band it was. This version is great!
20th Century Boy
I have never liked Rock On when it was on the radio back in the 80′s. Def Leppard’s version is definitely better than the original. No Matter What sounds almost exactly like the original Badfinger tune. Stay With Me is a killer track with Phil Collen on vocals.
Stay With Me
For all the tragedies this band has been through, its nice to see them still putting out quality music. It would be a bigger tragedy to not get another original rock CD from this great band!
Yeah! probably wont set your speakers on fire, but I am sure the Def Leppard fans out there will eat it up.
Its a good CD, and a one of the better ones that I have listened to this week.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- 20th Century Boy (T.Rex)
- Rock On (David Essex)
- Hangin’ On the Telephone (The Nerves)
- Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks)
- Hellraiser (Sweet)
- 10538 Overture (ELO)
- Street Life (Roxy Music)
- Drive-In Saturday (David Bowie)
- Little Bit of Love (Free)
- The Golden Age of Rock’N’ Roll ( Moot the Hopple)
- No Matter What (Badfinger)
- He’s Gonna Step On You Again (John Kongos)
- Don’t Believe A Word (Thin Lizzy)
- Stay With Me (Faces)
3 Guns ‘N Roses – The Spaghetti Incident? (Released-1993)
Guns ‘N Roses got into the cover disc game back in 1993. This disc was named after a band related incident, in which they got into a spaghetti throwing fight with their drummer, Steven Adler.
Spaghetti Incident? was only meant to be a stop gap in between records, not the swan song it became.
The music on this disc is outstanding, and some of the songs are so obscure, it is hard to tell they were cover tunes. The thing I immediately noticed on this disc was the huge guitar sound Slash has on it, and how big the production is. There are several instances where Duff McKagan takes
over on lead vocals (New Rose, Raw Power, Attitude and You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory)
I prefer the songs sang by Axl on this disc though. Some of the stand outs include Human Being, Ain’t it Fun, Black Leather, and as much as I hate to admit it, Hair of the Dog.
Since I Don’t Have You
New Rose
You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory
Ain’t It Fun
Spaghetti Incident? is still worth picking up today. It isn’t the best Guns ‘N Roses disc out there, but it does have quite a few quality tracks that are still worth discovering.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Since I Don’t Have You (The Skyliners)
2. New Rose (The Damned)
3. Down on the Farm (UK Subs)
4. Human Being (The New York Dolls)
5. Raw Power (The Stooges)
6. Ain’t It Fun (The Dead Boys)
7. Buick Makane/Big Dumb Sex medley (Buick Makane – T. Rex, Big Dumb Sex – Soundgarden)
8. Hair of the Dog (Nazareth)
9. Attitude (The Misfits)
10. Black Leather (The Professionals)
11. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Johnny Thunders)
12. I Don’t Care About You (Fear)
Hidden track: Look At Your Game Girl (Charles Manson)
2 Helloween – Metal Jukebox (Release Year-2001)
I am betting that you won’t hear a more unique batch of covers than the ones offered by the power metal band, Helloween.
The opening track, He’s a Woman – She’s a Man is a high speed rocking affair. It is a track that demands several replays. Roland Grapow and Michael Weikath tear it up on the guitar on this song.
The version of Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath is far heavier than the original. Helloween has nearly turned this into a thrash song. Very cool!
One of the strangest groups for a metal band to cover would have to be Abba. The progressive metal elements that Helloween adds to the track, Lay All of Your Love on Me, makes this one of the coolest sounding covers in a long time.
He’s a Woman, She’s A Man
Lay All of Your Love on Me
The cover of Space Oddity remains pretty true to the original, and doesn’t really add anything new. It sounds ok, and I do like the original. It would have been cool to see Helloween do something different with it, but they didn’t.
It is interesting to hear Helloween’s version of Faith No More’s From Out of Nowhere. I thought it was strange that Helloween would cover a newer track like
this, considering the age of the other songs on this record. Quite frankly, I like the Faith No More version of this song better.
The super fast bass licks on the Beatles, All My Loving turn this into an interesting sounding track. It is very short, and is over in the blink of an eye.
I am sure that you have heard Hocus Pocus a thousand times on mainstream rock radio. Helloween’s version is a little bit heavier than the original. I like this version a lot.
I have not heard the original version of Faith Healer, so I do not know how it compares to the original. It takes far too long for this song to get going, and it doesn’t hold my interest.
Juggernaut is much better than the track preceding. Once again, I am not familiar with Frank Marino’s music. If it sounds anywhere near as good as this Helloween cover, then I need to be finding some of his stuff.
Helloween’s cover of the Cream song White Room, has a much heavier edge than the original version. It is an above average remake of this song. This sound of this song reminds me a bunch of older Leatherwolf tunes. It has that same kind of feel.
The final two tracks, Mexican and Rat Bat Blue didn’t really do anything for me. They are just ok.
Much like the Overkill release, Helloween’s Metal Jukebox is a solid cover disc, but not exciting enough for most fans to pick up. This is a disc that will be essential to Helloween fans only.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. He’s a Woman – She’s a Man (Scorpions)
2. Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull)
3. Lay All of Your Love on Me (Abba)
4. Space Oddity (David Bowie)
5. From Out of Nowhere (Faith No More)
6. All My Loving (The Beatles)
7. Hocus Pocus (Focus)
8. Faith Healer (Alex Harvey)
9. Juggernaut (Frank Marino)
10. White Room (Cream)
11. Mexican (Babe Ruth)
12. Rat Bat Blue*(Deep Purple, Bonus Track)
6 BB Steal – On the Edge (Release Year – 1991)
On the Edge is the debut CD by Australian Rockers, BB Steal.
The band BB Steal (Beg Borrow Steal) features Craig CSongrady on Vocals, Kevin Pratt on Guitar, James Young on Drums and Warren Masson on Bass Guitar.
This CD by is a disc that is becoming increasingly harder to find and has been selling for as much as $30.00 on Ebay as of late.
This disc was produced by Def Leppard’s Phil Collen. Phil must have had a major influence on this music as it sounds very much like early 90′s Def Leppard.
Would I consider this disc essential? That depends on your love for the band Def Leppard. If you like that band, then you will love BB Steal.
On The Edge has quite a few decent tracks, including Big Love, Suffer In Silence, Live It Up, and Love Me and Leave Me.
Live It Up
Love Me and Leave Me
Craig Csongrady has a style and sound that is very similar style to Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott. The guitars of Kevin Pratt have a big clean sound that is very pleasing to the ear.
On The Edge may not offer you anything that sounds completely original, but it an above average sounding melodic rock disc, and certainly one worth seeking out.
You can find more info on BB Steal at their website, BB Steal.com. or at the band’s myspace page here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- On The Edge (Lizzy Town)
- Big Love
- Ride On
- Suffer In Silence
- Live It Up
- Shot Full Of Love
- Precious Love
- (Don’t You) Love Me And Leave Me
- Heartbeat Away
- Troubled Child
0 Firehouse – Prime Time (Release Year – 2004)
One of the bands that will be taking the stage late Saturday Afternoon during the Rocklahoma Music Festival, is Firehouse. This is one of the bands that I would love to catch live again, as they always put on a good show.
The last disc Firehouse put out, Prime Time, was a far heavier disc than they have released in recent years, and one of my personal favorites.
The first track Prime Time is a heavy funky number that has a very RATT like bass feel to it. Bill Leverty has a great solo in this song.
The music on Crash is quite infectious and rocks hard!
The first time I heard Door to Door, my first thoughts were Hell Yeah! A hard rock band that wrote a song about NASCAR. I love it when two of my favorite things come together this well. This song was actually sung by drummer, Michael Foster. Great Song!
Perfect Lie is a heavy number that has a keyboard track added in. I love to hear Firehouse rocking out like this! Very Cool!
Bill Leverty takes over the vocals on Holding On. He has a very good Southern Rock style of voice. When paired with this great music, it sounds pretty cool.
Body Language is one of the heaviest, sounding numbers on Prime Time. This is one of my favorite tracks on this disc.
I’m the One features Bill Leverty on vocals and has a very bluesy older Whitesnake feel about it. This song keeps the pace moving nicely, and is quite good.
C.J. Snare takes over the microphone on Take Me Away. This song is a very upbeat, hard track with more great solos by Bill Leverty.
Home Tonight is an up tempo number. To me this is the only song on Prime Time that is average. The pacing of the lyrics is kind of strange at times, but the music kicks ass. I guess its a trade off, but is my least favorite song on this disc.
Let Go is a very nice piano based ballad. I thought it was odd to close the disc out with this track instead of putting it more towards the center of Prime Time.
In Conclusion, Prime Time rocks harder than any recording that Firehouse has released, but stays true to the bands’ sound. Hard rock fans are sure to enjoy this CD and should pick it up. Rocklahoma concert goers are sure to hear some of these kick ass song live in July!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Prime Time
2. Crash
3. Door to Door
4. Perfect Lie
5. Holding On
6. Body Language
7. I’m the One
8. Take Me Away
9. Home Tonight
10. Let Go
0 Gotthard – Domino Effect (Release Year – 2007)
Swiss rockers Gotthard return with their 8th studio album, Domino Effect. This is an excellent follow up to their 2005 disc, Lip Service, and has already hit #1 in Switzerland.
No one can accuse Gotthard of not giving you a release worth your money. Domino Effect has 14 songs and a bonus track, for almost a full hour of music.
This disc starts killing me almost immediately. This first two tracks, Master of Illusion and Gone Too Far are melodic, heavy rockers in the vein of the Scorpions. Singer Steve Lee, has a killer voice. He sometimes reminds me of Firehouse’s C.J. Snare, but these tunes are far heavier than anything Firehouse has ever done.
Domino Effect starts off with a riff that sounds like it came from Rob Zombie’s Thunderkiss ’69, but this song has a life all its own. It is a great song with a
killer groove, and is extremely catchy.
Gotthard shows that they can slow it down with the best of them. The track Falling sounds like it could have been on a Steve Perry era Journey record. Once again, another excellent track.
I must admit that the first time that I listened to The Call, I didn’t like it much. It was maybe a little too mellow. Then I watched the following video, and did a complete 180° on my opinion. This could be a huge multi-crossover hit in the United States, if any radio stations had the balls to play it.
After the last two mid tempo numbers, Gotthard goes back to rocking with The Oscar Goes to You. This is another track that has a huge sound with radio possibility ala Bon Jovi. It is another highly enjoyable melodic rocker.
After listening to The Cruiser (Judgement Day), I am amazed how freaking great this CD is. Leo Leoni and Freddy Scherer sound so damn cool on this track.
Heal Me has all of the great catchy heavy elements that 8o’s hard rock fans are going to love. The bass on this track by Marc Lynn, reminds me a bunch of Nikki Sixx in styling. The guitars on this track are great as well.
Letter to a Friend slows the pace back down again, but only temporarily, as this track busts out into a multi tempo number that has HIT written all over it. This song has elements that reminds me quite a bit of the Scorpions. Great Stuff!
Tomorrow’s Just Begun is an acoustic based power ballad that really delivers the goods. This is another track with multi-crossover hit potential.
Come Alive has a funky drum and bass groove, that could actually be a pop/rock radio hit. This track kind of reminds me of a cross between Bon Jovi and Def Leppard.
The keyboards of Bad to the Bone have a sound the reminds a little of Deep Purple, but quite frankly, this song is closer to the style of Slippery When Wet era Bon Jovi. Steve Lee uses those same vocoder effects from Living on a Prayer. Cool Stuff!
At this point, the disc could have ended and I would have been extremely happy with the content. The final three tracks are solid though, and I am glad they are here.
Now is a hard rocking number that is Bon Jovi-esque.
Something about Where is the Love When It’s Gone had the music feel of a Jon Mellancamp track, with the addition of a heavier bass track. This track is unlike anything else on this disc.
The bonus track, Can’t Be the Real Thing is not a throw in at all. It is an upbeat heavy number, that is quite catchy. What a great track to close out this disc!
I have listened and reviewed quite a few new releases in 2007, and none of them represent that great 80′s style hard rock sound as well as Gotthard’s Domino Effect. This disc kicks major ass, and is essential to every hard rock fan on the planet. It is mind boggling how few of people in the United States knows about this band. If there is any disc that will finally put them on the map here, Domino Effect would be the one.
You can pick this one up today from Impulse Music.com You can find out more about Gotthard at their website here.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Master of Illusion
- Gone Too Far
- Domino Effect
- Falling
- The Call
- The Oscar Goes to You
- The Cruiser (Judgement Day)
- Heal Me
- Letter To a Friend
- Tomorrow’s Just Begun
- Come Alive
- Bad to the Bone
- Now
- Where is the Love When It’s Gone
- Can’t Be the Real Thing (Bonus Track)
6 Britny Fox – Bite Down Hard (Release Year – 1991)
One of the bands performing in the Rocklahoma music festival that is probably getting the least amount of hype, is Philadephia’s Britny Fox.
Bite Down Hard is the third studio disc by Britny Fox, and is the debut by new vocalist Tommy Paris. Very few bands improve with a change of singers, but in the case of Britny Fox, Tommy Paris is a much better singer than original vocalist “Dizzy” Dean Davidson.
I am not knocking the Davidson era of Britny Fox at all though, I enjoyed the discs he sang on, but Paris has more range, and adds more to the songs than “Dizzy” Dean did.
The current band you will see play live, is Tommy Paris on vocals, Greg D’Angelo (ex-White Lion) on drums, Billy Childs on bass, and Tommy Krash on guitar. Johnny Dee and Michael Kelly Smith were unable to tour, so Greg and Tommy are filling in right now.
Chances are, you are going to hear quite a few tunes from Bite Down Hard, and that is a good thing, as this is one kick ass hard rock disc. Bite Down Hard also features guest appearances by Zakk Wylde and Rikki Rockett, but I doubt you will notice any difference on the tunes they are on.
The stand out tracks are Six Guns Loaded, Louder, Close to Your Love, Shot From My Gun and Look My Way. This is a solid hard rock disc, and easily as good as the Britny Fox debut. This disc was reissued by Wounded Bird Records in 2006, so you should have no trouble finding this one. I envy you folks that will get to see Britny Fox perform these tunes live at Rocklahoma. Until they hit my hometown, I will have to settle for the video below.
Louder
Rating:
Track Listing:
1. Six Guns Loaded
2. Louder
3. Liar
4. Closer to Your Love
5. Over and Out
6. Shot from My Gun
7. Black and White
8. Look My Way
9. Lonely Too Long
10. Midnight Moses
1 Crank County Daredevils – Livin’ In the Red (2006)
Another sleaze band worth keeping an eye on is North Carolina’s Crank County Daredevils.
Lead Singer Scotty P. may not have the voice for everyone. His voice is so cigarette and alcohol stained that he could nearly be a Death Metal growler, yet somehow his voice works here.
The Music on Livin’ In the Red is loud and furious. Don’t look for any power ballads by these guys. This is hard as nails, in your face rock and roll.
My biggest problem with Livin’ In the Red, is there are no real stand out tracks. If you hear one song, you pretty much get the same feel and heaviness from the rest of them. I can see that this band has loads of potential, but Livin’ In the Red is not the career defining album for these guys.
If you are a fan of Sleaze, you ought to give them a look on their myspace page to see what you think of them. Livin’ In the Red might be your cup of tea, but it did not do it for me. I found that it was needing two or three great tracks to push it along, and I never could find them.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. We Want It All
2. Fueled By A 5th
3. Love Me Like A Suicide
4. Livin’ In The Red
5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Homicide
6. That’s How We Roll
7. Speed Kills
8. Devils Ride
9. Back To Piss You Off
4 China – S/T (Release Year – 1988)
For the first edition of the new review feature, Rare Rock Rewind, I want to introduce you to a band that hit the music scene in the late 80′s. There were a lot of great bands getting signed during this time, but quite a few never got the marketing push by their record labels, and went greatly unnoticed by the public.
China is perfect example of this!
China is a swiss rock/glam band that started back in 1987. This band features Math Shiverow on vocals, Freddy Laurence and Claudio Matteo on Guitars, John Dommen on Drums, and Marc Lynn on bass. This band was signed by Polygram and got a little help from Krokus members Marc Storace and Fernando von Arb. Krokus front man, Marc Storace sang back up on a few tracks and Krokus guitar player Fernando von Arb has the writing credits on the track, “Back to You“.
I was one of many people that never heard of this band back in the day (and I thought I knew them all). I recently heard a track off of this disc on an internet hard rock radio station that I frequently visit. My first reaction was, who in the hell was that?! I liked it enough to seek out a copy. My persistence paid off, and I was finally able to grab a copy of this one off of Ebay.
I am glad to say that this disc is full of killer 80′s big hair style rock. Some songs have a little more keyboards than I would prefer, but as a whole, this disc rocks!
Check out the video’s below for a couple of the bands songs Shout it Out and Rock City. The sound quality isn’t the greatest, but will give you a good taste of China’s style.
Rock City
Shout it Out
This disc is full of good songs and no filler. All throughout this disc you can hear hard guitar licks mixed with cool keyboard melodies and the great vocals of Math Shiverow. It is harder than typical AOR music and maybe a bit more melodic than some 80′s hard rock groups. I prefer the harder songs on this disc. The stand outs are Shout it Out,Back to You, Rock City, Living on the Stage, and I Need Your Love.
If you can find this disc, I highly recommend picking this one up. Fans of 80′s style hard rock will love this disc!
It has been out of print for a while, so happy hunting!!
China is participating in Switzerland’s SPIRIT OF ROCK Festival in June, so maybe there is hope for new tunes by these guys in the future.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Intro
- Shout It Out
- Back to You
- The Fight is On
- Wild Jealousy
- Rock City
- Hot Lovin’ Night
- Living on the Stage
- I Need Your Love
- One Shot to the Heart
- Staying Alive
- Don’t Look Back* (Bonus Track)
2 Fatal Smile – Neo Natural Freaks (Release Year – 2006)
A killer new hard rock band I recently discovered is Fatal Smile. These Swedish rockers have been together for a while (1995) and Neo Natural Freaks is their 2nd release. I saw recently that they were opening for W.A.S.P. in the UK. I knew W.A.S.P. had to have a quality hard rock act opening up for them, so I had to dig up some information on them. Once I heard a few of the tunes, I knew I had to pick this one up.
They have a sound that reminds me of a cross between Black Sabbath and Dokken (musically, not vocally). Lead Singer, H.B. Anderson has an excellent metal voice. He can handle the heavy and melodic parts perfectly.
Neo Natural Freaks is a blistering hard disc, and is highly listenable. This is 80′s style hard rock with a heavy modern feel.
The title track Neo Natural Freaks starts the disc off with high speed, head banger. This is a great song to start off the disc with, and immediately leaves you wanting more.
Bleeding Kiss starts with a heavy Sabbath like riff, and kind of reminds of an Accept tune, but H.B Anderson uses more of a pure singing voice than the throaty screams of singer UDO Dirkschneider. This track
has a heavy bass and guitar riff that will please most hard rock fans out there.
The first two tracks were great prep work for the audio assault that is Crash & Burn. This heavy song is one of my favorite tracks on this disc.
Nothing prepared me for the Skid Row like heaviness of Learn-Love-Hate. The band recorded a video for this ultra cool song. Check it out below!
The deep bass and heavy guitars on Quiet Chaos gives this tune a heavy Black Sabbath feel to it. This is another great track worth hearing!
Practise What You Preach is another heavy track in the vein of Accept .
H.B. Anderson almost sounds like Doug Pinnick of King’s X on Dead Man Walkin. This song seemingly looses cohesion towards the end and loses me. Color Blind keeps the vocal feel of King’s X, but is much better than the track before it.
Common People has more of an 80′s sleaze feel to it. This is another stand out track on Neo Natural Freaks.
11th Hour closes this disc with another good Skid Row like number.
Fatal Smile was a great surprise for me. It is always great to hear new bands that are carrying on that 80′s hard rock sound. I would have loved to had a few more tracks in the vein of Love-Learn-Hate, but as a whole I am quite pleased with this disc. You can listen to and pick up Neo Natural Freaks at CD Baby.com.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Neo Natural Freaks
2. Bleeding Kiss
3. Crash & Burn
4. Learn – Love – Hate
5. Quiet Chaos
6. Practise What You Preach
7. Dead Man Walking
8. Color Blind
9. Common People
10. 11th Hour
