Tag: CD
1 Awesome Alice Cooper CD Giveaway!!
Hard Rock Hideout has an autographed copy of Alice Cooper’s excellent new CD, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, and unsigned copy to giveaway, to two lucky winners.
Want to win a copy? All you have to do is Like Hard Rock Hideout on Facebook, and complete the information below to enter the drawing! Good Luck!!
Can’t wait for the drawing? You can purchase the digital download of Welcome 2 My Nightmare at iTunes at this link!
1 EDDIETRUNK.COM TO PREMIERE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF UFO’S ROCKPALAST PERFORMANCE FROM 1980
UFO AND MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP ROCKPALAST DVD AND CD IN STORES OCTOBER 25, 2010
Starting today, EddieTrunk.com will be exclusively premiering a clip from UFO’s classic Rockpalast performance which took place November 29, 1980 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany. The clip being premiered is a classic rendition of the UFO favorite “Doctor, Doctor”. This performance is finally being released from the Rockpalast archives and will be in stores on October 25th from MIG Music. Make sure to head over to http://www.eddietrunk.com and check out the clip today.
From the first notes of “Lettin’ Go” you can hear an experienced band celebrating a compact, homogenic, and straight forward performance. During this show they tore through their hits including: “Lights Out”, “Too Hot to Handle”, “Only You Can Rock Me”, “Cherry” as well as a magnificent cover of Elvis Presely’s “Mystery Train”. Ending the night with a breathtaking encore which included “Rock Bottom” and “Doctor Doctor”, this concert remains a stunning document of the power and perfection of one of the greatest hard rock bands that have ever existed
There are more stories about UFO than actual songs that they have composed. Any band who has been in the music business for 40 plus years are bound to have experienced difficult times, but also dazzling success. UFO’s story began in London way back in 1969, when vocalist Phil Mogg, drummer Andy Parker, guitarist Mick Bolton and bassist Pete Way formed the group, borrowing the band name from a legendary London music club. The band distinguished themselves with their very own, unmistakable style, touching a nerve among their growing following with rock numbers like ‘Prince Kajuku’, ‘Follow You Home’ or ‘C’mon Everybody’ from their albums “UFO 1”, “Flying” and “UFO Live”.
UFO’s global breakthrough came when German guitarist, Michael Schenker, joined the fold in 1973, having left his band the Scorpions to accept an offer from Phil Mogg and Pete Way. UFO released three consecutive rock classics with Schenker (“Phenomenon” (1974), “Force It” (1975) and “No Heavy Pettin'” (1976)), featuring classics such as: ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Shoot, Shoot’, and ‘Rock Bottom’. Following the arrival of keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Paul Raymond, UFO released the albums “Lights Out” (1977) and “Obsession” (1978), which included the hit singles ‘Too Hot To Handle’, ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Only You Can Rock Me’. Their live release “Strangers In The Night” came out in 1979 and is still considered to be one of the best live releases of all time, unfortunately, this also brought about the end of the Mogg, Way, Schenker, Parker & Raymond line-up.
Eddie Trunk continues his crusade to keep radio fresh and exciting and play the music he loves. He is currently heard on two national radio shows and seen on VH1 Classic and MSG Networks. He has also appeared on MTV several times and on Fox News Channel, worked as a freelance music journalist, boxing ring announcer, and MC for various concerts and rock events around the USA. He is the host of America’s biggest rock festival Rocklahoma in Pryor OK every July, hosts the events press conference in LA, and also consults on the lineup.
1 The Golden Gods – The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll (2005)
I am not sure how I manged to miss The Golden Gods magnificent piece of revival rock, but I am glad that I have found it now.
This San Francisco three-piece has a sound that borrow heavily from the mid 70’s, without sounding overly dated.
The Golden Gods tap into their influences like Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple to create eleven new tunes that rock hard.
I have read where people have compared singer Simon Scott to Justin Hawkins, as well as Eric Martin, and he does kind of sound like a mixture of the two. Judging from the album cover, you might think this band falls into some of the over the top styling of The Darkness, but The Golden Gods are more of straight forward classic hard rock band.
If you want to hear an album full of hard rocking stadium anthems that will get your blood pumping, you need to make it a priority to check out “The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll”. My reaction every time I hear this is the same. Holy crap?! This band is amazing.
If the opening tracks “Even I Don’t Know”, and “Dynamite Lady” don’t get you rocking, there may be no hope for you. The band’s live energy comes through in their music, and makes a big statement on these songs. It sounds as if The Golden Gods have been infused with soul of Grand Funk Railroad and Humble Pie, and found away for that funky 70’s groove to work for them. One thing is certain, The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll is packed with high energy tunes that are a lot of fun to listen to.
I don’t know if it the funky bass, the cowbell, soulful background singers, or just the overall tempo that captivates me with this CD, but is a very happy sounding disc, and quite frankly, I could use quite a few more of these! “Even I Don’t Know”, “Dynamite Lady”, “Midas Touch”, and “Stone Fox” are my favorites, but there really isn’t a bad tune on this disc.
The Golden Gods close out this album with a cover of the Carole King classic, “I Feel The Earth Move”. This version is so rocked out, you will hardly recognize the song as a cover tune. Cool stuff indeed!
It is a shame that The Golden Gods have broken up, but Simon Scott, and Richard Shelton Davis have formed a new band, called The Resurrection. You can check out The Golden Gods on their myspace page. You can find The Resurrection here. You can purchase “The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll” at this link.
My only disappointment with “The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll” is that I didn’t hear this album sooner. Highly Recommended!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Even I Don’t Know
2. Dynamite Lady
3. Funny Lookin’ Mama
4. Rock And Roll Salvation Part II
5. Midas Touch
6. Un-Ltd. Baby
7. Stone Fox
8. Trouble And Bad Women
9. Liver’s On Fire
10. Test The Fire
11. I Feel The Earth Move
The Golden Gods are:
Simon Scott- Vocals and Guitar
Dynamite Dan Trilk – Bass and Vocals
Richard Shelton Davis – Drums and Vocals
5 D.A.D. – Monster Philosophy (Release Year – 2008)
Question? Is it possible to be legends and still nobody knows who you are? In this instance I am going to say yes because that is exactly what D-A-D are, though I still prefer to call them by their original name Disneyland After Dark just to piss off the mouse company. This Danish band has been recording and releasing records for over 22 years and are considered superstars and legends in Europe and Asia. But with the exception of two albums “No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims” and “Riskin It All” that were released by Warner Bros. D-A-D has been pretty much ignored here in the states which is an outright shame. Unfortunately with their 10th studio release “Monster Philosophy” I don’t see that changing. As great as “Monster Philosophy” is, it doesn’t fit into any of the catagories Americans like to put bands in. D-A-D does have two things most bands wish they could have, an instantly recognizable singer in Jesper Binzer and an instantly recognizable and original sound. In case you haven’t heard D-A-D before the best way to describe the sound is AC/DC meets cowpunk.
“Monster Philosophy” kicks off with “Revolution” after a short intro it blasts off into a foot stompin’, head banging feast with a very cool solo from guitarist Jacob “Cobber” Binzer, all the while letting the listener sing right along with the band.
“Nightmares in the Daytime” is the second track and though it starts off as a mid tempo song it kicks in at the chorus with another great solo from Cobber and excellent performance from drummer Laust Sonne.
“Too Deep For Me” is another mid tempo song but unlike the previously mentioned “Nightmares” it stays mid tempo with a jazzy guitar sound and really good bass from co-founder Stig Pedersen.
“Beautiful Together” gets the band back to the foot stomping rock-n-roll. I think it would hard to find a band that sounds tighter than D-A-D does on this track. It seems like everything fell in place when it was recorded, great vocals and playing throughout.
The title track “Monster Philosophy” is up next and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear this song remixed and playing in dance clubs around the world. Definitely a different sound for the guys.
“Milk & Honey” follows and it more of the classic D-A-D sound reminding me of past songs like “Hate To Say I Told You So” & “Down A Dusty 3rd World Road”
The rest of “Monster Philosophy” is filled with great songs “You Won’t Change”, “You Had A Head”, and “Money Always Takes The Place of Life” really stand out no just on the latter part of the album but the album as a whole.
In all honesty you simply can not go wrong with “Monster Philosophy” if you are already a fan listening to this album is like seeing a old friend you haven’t seen in years and if you are checking out D-A-D for the first time it is a great introduction to the band before you go back to check out the rest of their catalog.
22 years and 10 studio albums and D-A-D have never disappointed me, I just hope that someday the U.S. gives this band the respect that they deserve.
You can preview songs from “Monster Philosophy” at the D-A-D myspace page.
Track Listing:
1. Revolution
2. Nightmares In The Daytime
3. Too Deep For Me
4. Beautiful Together
5. Monster Philosophy
6. Milk And Honey
7. You Won’t Change
8. You Had A Head
9. I Am The River
10. Chainsaw
11. Money Always Takes The Place Of Life
12. Nightstalker
13. If I Succeed
D-A-D is:
Jesper Binzer – Vocals
Jacob Binzer – Guitars
Stig Pedersen – Bass
Laust Sonne – Drums
0 Clutch – Full Fathom Five (Release Year – 2008)
Clutch has released a new live CD that captures performances by the band in Sydney, Australia as well as Pittsburgh, PA, and Sayreville, NJ. This is a fifteen track CD that clocks in at an hour in length. The CD also has a DVD companion (sold separately) that has five additional songs.
With the performances on this CD coming from so many locations, you would think that “Full Fathom Five” would be a hodgepodge mix of bad live cuts from Clutch. It is just the opposite. Clutch’s live performances have always been their strong suit, and “Full Fathom Five” represents the band well.
Full Fathom Five starts off with the very heavy grunge like song, “The Dragonfly”. For those of you cringing to the word grunge, don’t worry, Clutch is hardly a grunge band. The band intertwines hard rock, with a sludge metal sound through in some Deep Purple like organ sounds, a little funk, some humorous lyrics here and there, and you have a brief idea of what Clutch sounds like.
Guitar aficionados will find a some heavy tunes that incorporate a large variety of guitar sounds to feast their ears on. One listen to the guitar and bass wizardry on “The Yeti” and you ought to be hooked!
One of my personal favorites, “The Devil & Me” has a cool Led Zeppelin like sound to it. Neil Fallon’s gruff vocals give this tune a completely different vibe.
“Full Fathom Five” is the kind of CD that you need to spin a couple of times to completely absorb. Maryland’s favorite sons have put together one hell of a live CD. This is a must own release for Clutch fans everywhere.
You can purchase Full Fathom Five at CD Baby.com or at the Clutch website. For more information on Clutch, check out their myspace page.
Check out the Clutch Full Fathom Five E-Card below!
Track Listing:
1. The Dragonfly
2. Child Of The City
3. The Devil & Me
4. Texan Book Of The Dead
5. Animal Farm
6. The Mob Goes Wild
7. Cypress Grove
8. The Elephant Riders
9. Ship Of Gold
10. The Yeti
11. Promoter (Of Earthbound Causes)
12. 10001110101
13. Mr. Shiny Cadillackness
14. Electric Worry
15. One Eye Dollar
Clutch is:
Neil Fallon-Vocals, Guitar
Tim Sult-Guitar
Dan Maines-Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster-Drums
Additional Musicians:
Eric Oblander – Harp
Bryan Hinkley – Guitar
Mick Schauer – Organ & Keys
21 Download Nickelback’s New Song “Gotta Be Somebody” For Free!
Nickelback has announced Dark Horse as the name of their new album, which will be released in November.
TODAY ONLY, Nickelback is giving away a free download of their new song, “Gotta Be Somebody” For Free for the next 24 hours!
5 Shinedown – The Sound of Madness (Release Year – 2008)
Shinedown has been a real hit and miss band for me over the last few years. There are some songs that I like a lot by the band, but I typically struggle to listen to an entire album from beginning to end. The Sound of Madness is the first Shinedown album to change that.
The Sound of Madness has no less than 5 songs that could be instant radio hits. Yes, it really is that good.
The first time I listened to the song “Devour“, I thought it sounded more like a Disturbed song, than a Shinedown tune. Nonetheless this song has grown on me quite a bit, and a like it a lot.
The title track “Sound of Madness” is driven by a heavy bass line and rhythm guitar. This is another cool tune that is radio worthy.
I have always felt that best instrument that Shinedown has is the voice of Brent Smith. On “Second Chance” he lets his voice shine. This is one of my favorite songs on this record.
“Cry For Help” is the kind of chunky rocker that I would expect from Velvet Revolver, not Shinedown. This song does a good job at breaking up the pace on the record. This is the type of song that will pump the crowd up when played live.
“The Crow and the Butterfly” is a massive tune. This ballad like tune reminds of Guns ‘N Roses, “November Rain”. The production is huge on this song. This will be a major hit for Shinedown.
I was hoping for another rocker at this point on the album. “If You Only Knew” is a mid-tempo tune that sounds tailor made for radio. It is a good tune, but I wanted to hear something a little heavier. Luckily, I got my wish with “Sin With A Grin“. This rocker gets better with every listen.
“What a Shame” is one of the few songs that just hasn’t got its hooks into me yet. It kind of feels like it is trying to repeat the success of Shinedown’s tune “45”, but this song isn’t as good as that.
“Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide” is another heavy tune that rocks hard. I like this song a lot.
Something about “Breaking Inside” reminds me of Buckcherry’s “Sorry“. It doesn’t sound like “Sorry” but it has that same formula that could help propel this song to hit status.
“Call Me” closes out The Sound of Madness with a very good piano driven ballad. This is another solid tune, on an album that is full of them.
I must admit that I didn’t expect much from The Sound of Madness and it far exceeded my expectations. This is a strong album for Shinedown, and one of my favorites this year. Check it out!
For more information on Shinedown, check out their myspace page.
Track Listing:
1. Devour
2. Sound Of Madness
3. Second Chance
4. Cry For Help
5. The Crow & The Butterfly
6. If You Only Knew
7. Sin With A Grin
8. What A Shame
9. Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide
10. Breaking Inside
11. Call Me
Shinedown is:
Brent Smith – Vocals
Barry Kerch – Drums
Zach Myers – Guitar
Nick Perri – Guitar
Eric Bass – Bass
0 New Video – Jailbait – We Are The Revolution
Swedish rockers Jailbait have a video out for their song, “We Are The Revolution”. If you like what you hear, you can download this song for free off of the Jailbait myspace page.
0 Badmouth’s Debut CD Coming in September!
Forged in the furnace of the European rock scene, BADMOUTH has captured the attention of fans around the world, and the eye of industry pros even before the release of their first album. The guys wanted to write rock tunes that stood out from the rest, drawing on the classic rock roots of bands like Dokken, AC/DC, Guns and Roses and Aerosmith, that have been lost in the drone of today..s rock music. Tom, Chris, Randy, Mike and Rick realized that their job didn..t end with writing their music, it had to be recorded and produced by the right people. Their self-titled debut album was produced at Fortrocks Studio in California by the renowned producer Paul Sabu. The end result? An album that hooks rock and roll junkies with an addictive mix of driving beats, rich vocals and tons of attitude.
Here is the track listing for Badmouth’s self titled CD.
01 Pedal to the metal
02 Kick it up
03 Cocaine girl
04 The last train
05 Dance little sister
06 El Diablo
07 Rivethead
08 Hell tonight
5 Rockarma – Bring It (Release Year – 2008)
Fans of 80’s style Hair Metal rejoice. Rockarma released a cd earlier this year that will Rock your world. It is their second cd, titled “Bring It!” and is absolutely an incredible piece of work.
For some reason, this cd has escaped notice by the mainstream….but after a quick listen to the myspace tunes you will want to put “Bring It!” in your library for sure.
From the very first tune, “Badjune”, sit up and take notice. Rockarma’s music is so tight, so melodic and so perfect that you will be projected back in time. Back to an era when good-time, rock-hard, party-hard, bring-on-the-girls type Rock N Roll ruled. And if you didn’t grow up in that era, “Bring It!” will make you will wish that you did!
“Get Me Outta This Hole” is the obligatory anthem song that every Hair Metal band places on their cd, and this example is just killer.
The title track “Bring It!” tells a short tale of success, which is exactly what this entire cd encompasses.
And the last tune on the cd, “Same Ol Song” is a wonderfully bluesy effort that will leave you with two thoughts racing through your mind:
“This was a great cd that I’ve gotta play it again right now!” and “Man! I can’t wait to hear what Rockarma does next!”
While the four tracks mentioned above are my favorites, make no mistake, every song is of the highest quality in both musicianship and production.
This four man, Canadian band has given us a CD with all the qualities to make it a choice for top Rock cd of the year.
You can purchase Rockarma’s “Bring It!” at http://www.rockarma.com/
Track Listing:
1. Bad June
2. Between You And Me
3. All 4 You
4. Get Me Outta This Hole
5. I Know
6. Missin You
7. Bring It!
8. Hereafter
9. Feels Like I’m Falling
10. Lets Go
11. Thats All
12. Same Ol Song
Rockarma is:
Damon Kelly – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Pete Fry – Lead Guitar
Jeff Kahn – Bass Guitar
Chris Ryan – Drums
Reviewed by Bic and Que.
0 Win A Copy of The Very Best of Billy Idol CD
Billy Idol has recorded two brand new songs for The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself, a new career-spanning CD, Deluxe Edition CD/DVD and digital collection to be released June 24 by Capitol/EMI. The two songs, “John Wayne” and “New Future Weapon,” will be exclusively available on the new release, which features all seven of Idol’s Top 10 hits among its 18 tracks, including two #1s. The Deluxe Edition adds 13 music videos making their DVD release debuts, including two alternate video edits that have never before been released in any format. The CD and CD/DVD packages are both designed by Shepard Fairey and include liner notes by David Wild.
The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself gathers together the music that Billy Idol has taken to stages all around the world, as well as two brand new songs. The new tracks find the man still at the peak of his powers, working with longtime partner and guitar great Steve Stevens and his other current band members, drummer and songwriting collaborator Brian Tichy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. On June 24, Idol will perform songs from the new release on the outdoor stage of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Of his new song “John Wayne,” Idol says, “When I’m singing it, I’m thinking about the characters John Wayne played. They were usually men with a flaw in their character or something dark in their past they’re trying to rise above before the end of the movie. So it’s not about the kick-in-the-door John Wayne or the barroom fight John Wayne — it’s more the man who overcomes.”
Of the collection’s other new track, “New Future Weapon,” Idol says, “I was reading about the new stealth fighter plane the Raptor, and I was struck by the ambivalence of the pilot talking about the enemy. Musically, it’s got a bit of the Spaghetti Western about it. It’s a sick song, as you might expect.”
The two new songs are produced by Josh Abraham, whose production discography includes Velvet Revolver’s double platinum, Grammy Award-winning Contraband, 30 Seconds To Mars’ platinum A Beautiful Lie, Staind’s eight-times platinum Break The Cycle and double platinum 14 Shades of Grey, Limp Bizkit’s seven-times platinum Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, and Courtney Love’s America’s Sweetheart, among many others.
The Deluxe Edition CD/DVD adds 13 music videos that helped forever define Idol as a rock icon, including previously unreleased edits of “Cradle Of Love” and “Hot In The City.” “We worked hard so there would be some consistency to the videos and so we wouldn’t have to be embarrassed one day,” Idol says. “We sweated over them – video hell, we would call it.” As with his vital music, Idol liked to use his videos to shake things up as much as possible. “That was a pretty bland time of corporate rock and afternoon television music, and we wanted to bring in a little more danger and after hours fun into it,” he explains. “Maybe that’s why we looked like vampires.”
Part of the Bromley Contingent of early Sex Pistols fans, Billy Idol was inspired to front the popular British punk band Generation X from 1976 until the band’s break-up in 1981. From there, he decided to try his luck in America. “I definitely took punk with me wherever I’ve gone,” Idol says. “That was the whole idea really. I wanted to transform my music, but I didn’t want to ever lose sight of that punk rock attitude. Whether we turned to hard rock or disco or whatever the hell else we did over the years, that helped give the music a spirit it would not have had if I hadn’t come out of the punk movement.”
Idol’s first solo album was released by Chrysalis in 1982, but it didn’t hit its chart peak until the following year. The self-titled album’s “White Wedding” and “Dancing with Myself” (a new version of a song Idol first recorded with Generation X) were major club hits in 1983, fueled by heavy video play on MTV. “White Wedding” also crossed over to the Top 5 of the Mainstream Rock chart, while “Hot In the City” made the Top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100, and Billy Idol was certified gold with U.S. sales totaling more than 500,000 units.
Idol really smashed through with his 1984 double platinum album, Rebel Yell. Stocked with major radio and MTV hits, including “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without a Face,” “Flesh For Fantasy” and “Catch My Fall,” the album reached #6 on the Billboard 200.
1987’s platinum-selling Vital Idol collection presented his hits in expanded remixes, including the chart-topping smash “Mony, Mony;” that same year, Idol released a new album, the platinum Top 10 Whiplash Smile, with its standout singles “To Be A Lover” and “Don’t Need A Gun.” The platinum-certified Charmed Life album followed in 1990 with “Cradle Of Love” and “L.A. Woman.” 1993’s Cyberpunk included the Top 10 Mainstream Rock hit “Shock To The System.” A platinum-selling Greatest Hits collection, released in 2000, re-charged Idol’s catalog, and 12 years after his last new album release, he returned with Devil’s Playground in 2005 (Sanctuary). The album’s “World Comin’ Down” is included in the new collection’s tracks.
“It’s funny what you have to do to carve out your own niche,” Idol says with a laugh when asked about the new collection’s Idolize Yourself title. “But everyone should idolize themselves, shouldn’t they?” The niche that Billy Idol has created over these past few decades is no laughing matter. Beyond the platinum sound and the platinum hair, Idol is respected as the original punk rocker who long ago found a way to take that sneering punk attitude to the top of the charts.
Listening back to The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself, the man himself felt a real sense of pride. “I was knocked out,” Idol says. “For all the up and downs, there’s some quality there. So I feel like I can walk into my house justified. The highs were very high — sometimes too high — and the lows were low, but somehow it still holds up.”
Track Listing:
1. Dancing With Myself
2. Hot In The City
3. White Wedding Part 1
4. Rebel Yell
5. Eyes Without A Face
6. Flesh For Fantasy
7. Catch My Fall
8. To Be A Lover
9. Don’t Need A Gun
10. Sweet Sixteen
11. Mony, Mony (Live)
12. Cradle Of Love
13. L.A. Woman
14. Shock To The System
15. Speed
16. World Comin’ Down
17. John Wayne – new exclusive track
18. New Future Weapon – new exclusive track
HardRockHideout.com has one copy of The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself to give away to one lucky reader.
Enter your name and email address below to enter the drawing for the CD.
7 Judas Priest – Nostradamus (Release Year – 2008)
In 2008, I have been very anxious for four bands to release their new albums, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Judas Priest and Motley Crue.
Out of the four, I was mostly concerned with the new Judas Priest disc, Nostradamus, as it is a concept album. That style of album rarely turns out well for most hard rock and metal acts.
With this being a two disc set, I wanted to take some extra time before I put my thoughts down in a review. There is over 90 minutes of music over the two disc set. That is a ton of music to take in at once.
I have no problem with the subject matter of Nostradamus that was used for this disc. I thought if Judas Priest wrote the right songs, this album could be something special.
The first disc starts off strong enough, with the first couple of songs. Prophecy, and its intro, Dawn of Creation are pretty good tracks. I also next two songs, Awakening and Revelations. Revelations is full of those trademark guitar riffs that Judas Priest is known for.
Things start to get a little theatrical with the songs The Four Horseman, and War. It picks up the pace again somewhat with Pestilence and Plague. The song doom laden song, Death sounds more Black Sabbath like, than it does Judas Priest. This lengthy metal track has some killer guitar work, but you have to struggle through parts of the song to get to it.
Disc 1 continues to drag on, and I must admit, I had a really hard time getting through the latter half of this disc.
The first song on Disc 2 that I enjoyed was the mid-tempo track Alone. This song is a little long, but pretty good. The rest of material on this disc I felt was very average until I heard the title track, Nostradamus. This song could have easily been on Painkiller. Sadly, their are not enough songs like this, in this two disc set.
If you are looking for another British Steel, or Painkiller album, Nostradamus is not it. If you have an open mind, you may find some songs to enjoy. If you are looking for instant, memorable hits, you will not find those on Nostradamus. This isn’t Judas Priest’s best work by any means. This album has the potential to grow on you, if you give it the proper chance. Nostradamus isn’t a complete disappointment, but I hoped for more from Judas Priest.
You can listen to the song Nostradamus, and download it for free, from the Judas Priest myspace page.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
Disc: 1
1. Dawn Of Creation
2. Prophecy
3. Awakening
4. Revelations
5. The Four Horseman
6. War
7. Sands Of Time
8. Pestilence and Plague
9. Death
10. Peace
11. Conquest
12. Lost Love
13. Persecution
Disc: 2
1. Solitude
2. Exiled
3. Alone
4. Shadows In The Flame
5. Visions
6. Hope
7. New Beginnings
8. Calm Before The Storm
9. Nostradamus
10. Future of Mankind
Judas Priest is:
Rob Halford – Vocals
K.K. Downing – Guitars
Glenn Tipton – Guitars
Ian Hill – Bass
Scott Travis – Drums
22 Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles (2008)
After much too long of a wait, 8 years to be exact, we finally have a new Motley Crue disc with all new material.
It has been far too long since the L.A. bad boys have released any good new material. Their last couple of studio albums have been disappointing in my opinion. I have been hoping that Saints of Los Angeles would put Motley Crue back in form.
So was S.O.L.A. worth the wait?
The opening cut, L.A.M.F., sounds like the band was looking for an epic opening ala, In the Beginning from Shout at the Devil. Sadly, this isn’t it. This track is annoying, and should have been left off of the album.
Face Down in the Dirt is the song that should have led off Saints of Los Angeles. This hard rocking tune is one of the better tracks on S.O.L.A.
What’s It Gonna Take is an o.k. track that feels a little bit like filler to me. It isn’t the worst Crue song I have ever heard, but it is far from their best.
I like the tune, Down at the Whisky pretty well. This song would have fit in well with the Girls, Girls, Girls album.
Chances are you have already heard the title track, Saints of Los Angeles a few times as have I. I liked this tune as soon as I heard it, and still do.
Motherfucker of the Year is pretty much the main lyric of this aptly titled song. The song writing is pretty simple stuff, but Motley Crue makes it work. The content has pretty much guaranteed that this tune will get no radio airplay. I doubt the band cares. I like it.
The Animal in Me is a mid-tempo song that feels like another filler song. It isn’t terrible, but just an average Crue song. It does break up the pace of the record, but that is about it.
Welcome to The Machine is not a Pink Floyd cover song (thank goodness). This hard rocking tune is growing on me with each listen.
Just Another Psycho is one of those songs that you either love or hate. Mick Mars has some cool guitar riffs on this song. The lyrics are kind of silly, but this song is catchy.
Anyone that has read the Nikki Sixx book, The Heroin Diaries, will automatically recognize the song title, Chicks = Trouble. This seems like a quick cash in for Nikki Sixx. Vince Neil makes this song work. This song also sounds as if it would have been home on the Girls, Girls, Girls album.
This Ain’t A Love Song is another tune that is just o.k. This isn’t as good as Sick Love Song from the 2005 Red, White and Crue greatest hits compilation, but it doesn’t suck either.
White Trash Circus has a cool sleazy groove to it. I didn’t like this song at first, but it is definitely another tune that will grow on you.
Goin’ Out Swinging is the song that Motley Crue went back into the studio to record, after the album was finished. This late addition was desperately needed on S.O.L.A. Not only is this one of the better songs on the disc, but it gives the Crue a hard hitting tune to close out the album with.
I played the heck out of this disc while I was on vacation last week. While I don’t think this is Motley Crue’s best work, it is most certainly a return to form for the L.A. hard rockers. For this listener, S.O.L.A. was worth the wait!
Recommended Listening!
You can buy a copy of Motley Crue’s Saints of Los Angeles CD at this link.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. L.A.M.F.
2. Face Down In The Dirt
3. What’s It Gonna Take
4. Down At The Whisky
5. Saints of Los Angeles (Gang Vocal)
6. Motherfucker of the Year
7. The Animal In Me
8. Welcome To The Machine
9. Just Another Psycho
10. Chicks = Trouble
11. This Ain’t A Love Song
12. White Trash Circus
13. Goin’ Out Swingin’
Motley Crue is:
Vince Neil – Vocals
Mick Mars – Guitar
Nikki Sixx – Bass
Tommy Lee – Drums
1 Danko Jones – We Sweat Blood (2003)
Canadian, Danko Jones has been putting new music out since 1998, but it is still largely unknown in the United States.
We Sweat Blood, is Jones’ second full length release (they now have four ). The beauty of Danko Jones music is in its simplicity. This Toronto trio isn’t breaking any new ground with their music, but they can certainly craft some catchy tunes.
Most tunes are focused around a funky bass groove and an upbeat drum rhythm, and Danko Jones unique vocals. Throw in some basic AC/DC, guitar riffs, and you can pretty much figure out the basic sound of this band.
Danko Jones vocal style sounds like a blend of Jimi Hendrix and Lenny Kravitz pureed in a blender full of punk rock.
The tunes on We Sweat Blood have a funky groove and the kind of energy that would translate well when the band performs the songs live. Some of my favorite cuts are Forget My Name, Hot Damn Woman and I Want You.
If you are looking for some new upbeat tunes to get your summer rocking, give We Sweat Blood a look. You can get copies of this disc for very little money, off of Amazon.com.
For more information on this band, check out their website, DankoJones.com
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Forget My Name
2. Lovercall
3. Dance On The Ruins
4. I Love Living in the City
5. I Want You
6. Sound Of Love
7. Heatbreak’s A Blessing
8. Wait a Minute
9. Strut
10. Home To Hell
11. Hot Damn Woman
12. The Cross
13. Love Travel
14. We Sweat Blood
Danko Jones is:
Danko Jones – Vocals/Guitar
John Calabrese – Bass
Dan Cornelius – Drums
7 New Iron Maiden Tribute CD from Kerrang!
“Iron Maiden are 10% cooler than every other band!” Lars Ulrich, Metallica.
Kerrang! team up with Metallica, Machine Head, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold and more for an a world exclusive, all star Iron Maiden tribute album!
15 of Kerrang!’s favourite bands have come together to pay tribute to the planet’s greatest metal band – Iron Maiden!
Following on from our 2006 Kerrang! Remastered CD in honour of Metallica’s Master Of Puppets, this latest collection – Maiden Heaven – features bands covering tracks from Iron Maiden’s legendary career, and will be given away free in Kerrang! issue 1219 on sale July 16.
The CD includes world exclusive performances from Metallica, Machine Head, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed And Cambria, Gallows and more!
Chatting exclusively to Kerrang!, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich tells the readers how much respect the Bay Area thrashers have for the Brit metal legends.
“Iron Maiden are 10% cooler than every other band,” says Ulrich. “From their relationship with their fans, to their album covers to their stages, to their live presentation, to their photos – whatever they did was always cooler than what everyone else did! I have always had an incredible amount of respect and admiration for them and obviously getting a chance to be part of this CD feels that that has come a full circle. We played Remember Tomorrow as it was basically the blueprint for songs like Fade To Black and Welcome Home (Sanitarium), and some of the more epic ballady type of songs that Metallica had done later. We had so much fun with this!”
Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn is equally excited to be a part of this project.
“When I was a kid Iron Maiden were a very big deal to me and the influence they had on Machine Head has been huge,” he reveals. “We decided to cover Hallowed Be Thy Name for this CD because it’s just such a great song, in fact it’s a classic. I just love the way the vocal line goes up and down, so dramatic. If someone who’d never heard them wanted to know what Iron Maiden sounded like I’d point them in the direction of Hallowed Be Thy Name.”
Metal heroes Trivium are happy to admit their own brand of heavy tunes could never have existed without Maiden’s worldwide influence.
“Iron Maiden helped create what we know as heavy metal,” states frontman Matt Heafy. “Their influence can be heard on classic and contemporary bands alike; their fan base spans across the youngest and newest of heavy music recruits all the way to the diehard, life-long metal elite. We chose to play the track Iron Maiden, as the song that screamed out our love for them musically, and we knew it would be a really fun song to jam out in the studio. It was an honour to be able to play one of Iron Maiden’s tracks and have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing CD. We hope everyone has as much fun listening to it as we did making it!”
Meanwhile, Avenged Sevenfold – who have been picked to support Maiden at their upcoming Twickenham Stadium show on July 5 – say they are “honoured” to be part of this Kerrang! tribute. “Maiden are by far the best live band in the world and their music is timeless,” says vocalist M Shadows. “This also gives us a chance to expose this great song to some of our younger fans who maybe aren’t as familiar with Iron Maiden.”
UK hardcore punk rockers Gallows chose to contribute a version of Wrathchild to the collection.
“We’re actually all huge Maiden fans and while learning Wrathchild we discovered a new found respect for the band as musicians,” says guitarist Laurent Barnard. “Some of their riffs are pretty fast and Steve Harris has definitely earned his place as a bass legend! We’re so happy we were asked to be included!”
This Kerrang! Maiden Heaven CD’s arrival coincides with the band’s European leg of their Somewhere Back In Time World Tour – and follows on from the release of their own collection Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 80-89.
“Maiden much appreciate and are very flattered by all the time spent on this by a lot of great bands,” says Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood, “and would like to thank them, and also Kerrang!, for the honour. Thanks everyone!”
Pick up your copy of Kerrang! issue 1219 on sale July 16 for your own copy of Maiden Heaven.
MAIDEN HEAVEN tracklisting
Black Tide – Prowler
Metallica – Remember Tomorrow
Avenged Sevenfold – Flash Of The Blade
Glamour Of The Kill – 2 Minutes To Midnight
Coheed and Cambria – The Trooper
DevilDriver – Wasted Years
Sign – Run To The Hills
Dream Theater – To Tame A Land
Madina Lake – Caught Somewhere In Time
Gallows – Wrathchild
Fightstar – Fear Of The Dark
Machine Head – Hallowed Be Thy Name
Trivium – Iron Maiden
Year Long Disaster – Running Free
Ghostlines – Brave New World
3 Koritni – Lady Luck (Release Year – 2007)
Thanks to Classic Rock Magazine, I discovered a new band from the land down under, Koritni. Sonically, Koritni has a sound similar to AC/DC, but lead vocalist Lex Koritni has a great voice that differs from the other AC/DC like bands. He has a cool raspiness, and almost a twinge of southern rock ala Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant and quite similar to Cormac Neeson from The Answer. Give it a listen and you may hear something different, but nonetheless, I like his voice, and the sound of this band.
Red Light Joint is a pretty damn good rocker to start this disc off with. This is a great foot stomping rocker with a cool Angus Young like guitar riff.
Under the Overpass is the song that I first heard from this band. This was on the February CD sampler in Classic Rock Magazine. This too is a very good upbeat rocker.
Heaven Again is an excellent mid tempo rocker that reminds me a little of Buckcherry in sound.
Highway Dream and Never Say Goodbye are both fun little rockers. My only complaint on these songs is they are a little short, clocking in less than 3 and half minutes. Both songs are extremely catchy though and a good listen.
Sick Again is a funky rocker with another killer guitar riff by lead guitarist Eddy Santacreu. This is a well written song that has a nice groove to it. It is one of my favorites on this disc.
Not Your Man is the first track that I thought was average at best. Even at that, I found it listenable, it just isn’t one of my favorites. I See the Light is a track that I could easily hear on the radio. It has a cool guitar groove to it, and is very upbeat.
If it wasn’t for the guitar work on Starving Fast, I probably wouldn’t care for this track very much. Just like Not Your Man, I thought this one was average at best.
Lady Luck could easily be a moderate hit on U.S. rock radio if given a chance. This is a pretty solid track.
Got To Get You Into My Life is an extremely cool cover of the Beatles song. This version is a bit more rocking than the Beatles version, but still stays fairly true to the original song. Great!
Ain’t No Love Song is a low to mid tempo heavy bass laden rocker. It is a solid track, but not one of the better songs on Lady Luck.
You can listen to some of the band’s tunes at their myspace page. You can also find more info on the band at their website at www.koritni.com
If you have 10 bucks that is burning a hole in your pocket, you can download this now from ITunes, or you can pick this up from some of the great CD retailers that I have listed at the Hard Rock Hideout. This CD is a must have for straight forward hard rock fans, and especially those that like bands like AC/DC, Rhino Bucket, Salty Dog and possibly some Buckcherry. Lady Luck is one of my early favorites in 2007. Check it out!!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Red Light Joint
- Under the Overpass
- Heaven Again
- Highway Dream
- Never Say Goodbye
- Sick Again
- Not Your Man
- I See the Light
- Starving Fast
- Lady Luck
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Ain’t No Love Song
Koritni is:
Vocals: Lex Koritni
Guitars: Eddy Santacreu
Guitars: Luke Cuerden
Drums: Chris Brown
Bass: D. Matt Hunter
6 The Showdown – Temptation Come My Way (2007)
The Showdown is a five piece metal band from the small town of Elizabethton, Tennessee.
Temptation Come My Way completely overhauls the sound from the debut, A Chorus of Obliteration. The metalcore screams are 99% gone, and this release solidifies a sound for that band that is in the same vein as the later Metallica albums. It is a more mainstream approach that should bring mass appeal to this amazing quintet.
The first song that I heard off of this disc was the band’s cover of the Kansas song, Carry On Wayward Son. Once I heard that track, I knew I had to hear more from this group.
Fanatics And Whores is a very heavy head banging tune that put a big smile on my face. This is obviously not a band that is afraid to rock!
Head Down is a song that deserves to be heard on rock radio everywhere. This track is so damn cool, words can not do it justice.
The guitar work of Travis Bailey and Josh Childers is very cool on the song Six Feet Under. This is a heavy rocker with plenty of crunching guitars. David Bunton’s vocals are clean and very enjoyable.
After listening to We Die Young a couple of times, I came to the realization that band is putting a lot more guitar solos into their songs. I am not used to hearing that from a lot of newer bands these days. This is the way it used to be done in the late 80’s, when the guitar solos reigned supreme. We Die Young is another solid offering from The Showdown.
Breath of the Swamp is the heaviest of the songs so far. This song nearly ventures into Pantera like territory. David Bunton nearly sounds like Phil Anselmo on this song.
It Drinks From Me smartly slows the pace back down again. This song reminds me of a Saliva tune. Very Cool!
The title track, Temptation Come My Way, starts with a heavy bass groove that nearly has a Black Sabbath like feel to it. David Bunton breaks out his Anselmo like vocals once again for this heavy groove laden track.
Forget My Name is another instant classic. This is an up tempo rocker that is going to firmly implant itself in my regular play list.
Spitting In The Wind is another good rocker. It isn’t the best song on this disc, but it is another solid slab of rock.
I, Victim (Here’s To The Year) starts to venture a little towards the Nu-Metal side of the fence, and I didn’t really care for this song too much.
I am sure you have heard, Carry on Wayward Son hundreds of times over the years. The Showdown puts a nice metal touch on the song, while staying fairly true to the original. I like the original song, and this cover is pretty cool too. If it wasn’t for this song, I may not have found this band, so I am glad the recorded it.
Death Finds Us Breathing is a very bass heavy mainstream sounding rock song, with a few of those Metalcore screams that I don’t really care for. It is however, a decent track to close out this disc with.
The Showdown shows a lot of maturity on this release, and will be a band worth keeping an eye on for years to come. I enjoyed this disc very much, and will be playing this one quite a bit in the upcoming weeks. To preview some of the tracks below, visit the band’s myspace page here.
If you like it, go buy it. This band deserves your support!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Fanatics And Whores
2. Head Down
3. Six Feet Under
4. We Die Young
5. Breath Of The Swamp
6. It Drinks From Me
7. Temptation Come My Way
8. Forget My Name
9. Spitting In The Wind
10. I, Victim (Here’s To The Year)
11. Carry On Wayward Son
12. Death Finds Us Breathing
The Showdown is:
David Bunton – Vocals
Josh Childers – Guitar, Vocals
AJ Barrette – Drums
Eric Koruschak – Bass
2 Ruffians – Desert of Tears (Release Year – 2006)
If you are looking for a good metal CD in the vein of Iron Maiden, you ought to give the Ruffians new disc, Desert of Tears a listen.
I stumbled on this disc by listening to the Boneyard’s(XM 41) Breaking Bone show. This is a radio show where they introduce new hard rock and metal music to the Boneyard listeners.
Desert of Tears is a very heavy disc. Judging from the quality of the tunes here, I am surprised that I haven’t heard of these guys before.
I Believe is an explosive metal anthem to start this disc off with. Running Blind is a heavy Iron Maiden style track. Day of Champion is another powerful track that has guitar harmonics that sound very close to George Lynch.
I Will Fly reminds me of some older Leatherwolf tunes. Rich Wilde really howls on the vocals, on this cool track.
The lyrics on Desert of Tears sounds like something Bruce Dickenson would write. This is another excellent Maiden style track.
It Ain’t Over is one the only track I didn’t like on this disc. It breaks up the pace on the album as this is a low tempo number, but I didn’t care for it.
Live By the Sword, Soldier’s Fate, Chosen One are all very good heavy tracks.
Freedom starts with a very cool acoustic guitar and builds into a beast of a metal anthem. This is a very cool track to end this disc with.
The guitar tandem of Chris Atchison, and Craig Behrhorst, absolutely smoke on this disc, and vocalist Rich Wilde sings like he is out to put the Ruffians on the Heavy Metal map. Judging from the Desert of Tears CD, this band will be one to watch in 2007.
Metal fans need to check out this killer disc!
You can also hear more tunes from the band at the Ruffians my space at Ruffian’s metal .
Rating:Out of 10
Ruffians – Do or Die Video
Track Listing:
- I Believe
- Running Blind
- Day of the Champion
- I Will Fly
- Desert of Tears
- Darkest of Light
- It Ain’t Over
- Live By the Sword
- Chosen One
- Soldier’s Fate
- Freedom
- Do or Die (Bonus Video Track)
The Ruffians are:
Chris Atchison – Guitar
Craig Behrhorst – Guitar
Luke Bowman – Drums
Rich Wilde – Vocals
Eric Wong – Bass
3 New Night Ranger CD, Hole In the Sun, July 1st!
There are a lot of reasons to celebrate the July 1 release of Night Ranger’s HOLE IN THE SUN, notably that it marks the band’s first studio album in a decade and commemorates the pioneering hard rock outfit’s 25th anniversary as a band. The best reason, as has been the case throughout Night Ranger’s heralded career, is to celebrate the music itself.
“People will hear this record and recognize our dual blazing guitars and vocals, and big choruses and melodic verses, because that’s definitely how you can describe this album,” explains singer/bassist Jack Blades of the self-produced new release, the band’s eighth studio album, and first for VH1 Classic Records. “It’s new Night Ranger, but in a lot of ways it’s classic Night Ranger.”
Guitars grind and swirl through the unrelenting opener “Tell Your Vision,” delivering a progressively-fueled crush that sets the tone for the eleven new tracks that follow, from Keagy’s Jim Morrison-like soft parade of vocals atop the blinding guitars of “Drama Queen” and the blitzing melodic charge of “You’re Gonna Hear From Me,” through the enduring depths of the piano-driven power ballad “There is Life,” and back again. HOLE IN THE SUN rings with the vibrancy of vintage Night Ranger, yet echoes with a modern relevance that endures throughout the album.
“We wanted to sound new, but still keep our roots,” says Keagy of the new release. “We grew up in the ‘70s, when pop music was really starting to thrive. Sometimes it drove you crazy because the songs were so poppy that you couldn’t get them out of your head, but they were still amazing songs. We wanted to portray some of that on this album.”
While there is definitely a pop glisten to HOLE IN THE SUN, there’s also a heavy dynamic that plants the band firmly in the millennium. “Brad brought in a lot of great ideas, some more modern-sounding things, but we were still able to keep that melodic sense in the songs. We wanted a lot of songs like ‘Drama Queen,’ great, gritty songs that reestablish our roots in hard rock,” continues Keagy.
Night Ranger—original members bassist/vocalist Jack Blades, drummer/vocalist Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis along with guitarist Joel Hoekstra and keyboardist Christian Cullen—will be on the road throughout 2008, including a stop in Pryor, OK on Friday, July 11 to perform as part of Rocklahoma. They’ll also be doing various shows with Styx & Boston, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Cinderella & Warrant.
The band has been touring all over the world the past few months, including a stop at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to perform for the men and women stationed there. For Night Ranger, it was a life changing experience.
As Keagy described, “There could not have been a more proud moment in my career then when we stepped foot on Guantanamo Bay to play for the troops there. We all had mixed emotions about going and we didn’t really know what they do there. Well we certainly found out, but the world should know that the people that are being held should be there because they are (I believe) the most dangerous people on this Earth. We heard the facts in a briefing given by one of the highest ranking officers on the base. It was amazing! To the men and women that work so very hard to keep us safe from the kinds of things that happened on 911, I salute you.”
“Going to Guantanamo Bay Cuba to play for the troops is right up there as one of the wildest things Night Ranger has ever done,” Blades continues. “We’ve been all over the world, but never have we sung “You Can Still Rock In America” in a Communist country with armed Cubans watching us in guard towers just a few clicks away. Everyone was so appreciative of us being there, and seeing them rock out was the greatest. We were given a tour of the detention facilities, got the REAL story first-hand and went face-to-face with the detainees (nice stare-down moment that I shall not soon forget). Saw it all and it made us even more appreciative for what our soldiers, sailors, marines and airman are doing to keep us safe. They’re doing their part, so we’ll keep doing our part. Rock in America baby!”
Says Gillis of the band’s current tour plans: “We started with our classic backline with the American flag and the Night Ranger logo, and then we built it all up from there – bigger lights, bigger sound, bigger everything! We’ve got the ramps, the vintage t-shirts, the old-school Night Ranger antics, and it’s going to be nothing but fun.”
Night Ranger has left an indelible mark on the music world thanks to a number of best-selling albums—starting with their 1982 DAWN PATROL debut–that sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The band’s popularity has been fueled by an impressive string of instantly recognizable hit singles and signature album tracks, including “Sister Christian,” “(You Can Still) Rock In America,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Sentimental Street,” “Goodbye” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” Harnessing the frenetic drive of heavy metal to hook-laden rock songs, throwing in a stunning twin lead guitar team, and melodious, radio-friendly power ballads, Night Ranger inspired new descriptive phrases such as “melodic metal” and “metal power pop.”
“Music is constantly evolving and changing, and people need to keep evolving in life, spirit, soul and everything, or you might as well pack it in,” notes Blades. “That’s why I’m so proud of Night Ranger, and that’s why we will continue to evolve. With this new album, we’re just going to roll with it, have a blast doing it, and keep playing as long as it’s fun, and as long as people want to come out and hear us play. There are still a lot of people out there that want to get up and sing, ‘motorin’…’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,’ ‘You Can Still Rock in America,’ the list goes on and on…”
Click here to check out the new single, You’re Gonna Hear From Me. You can see Night Ranger Live at one of the dates listed below!
DATE CITY VENUE
Sat 6/14 San Juan, PR Anfiteatro Tito Puente
Thu 6/19 Oshkosh, WI Waterfest Concert Series
Fri 6/20 Brookville, IN Bicentennial Celebration
Sat 6/21 Sioux City, IA The Awesome Biker Rally
Sun 6/22 The Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Styx/Boston)
Sat 6/28 Cheyenne, WY William H. Brimmer Amphitheatre
Wed 7/2 Arlington Heights, IL Frontier Days Festival
Thu 7/3 Hays, KS Frontier Park
Fri 7/4 Glenview, IL Great Lakes Naval Base
Sat 7/5 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion at Lincoln Park
Sun 7/6 San Jose, CA Discovery Meadow Park
Fri 7/11 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma
Sat 7/12 Grapevine, TX Glass Cactus at Gaylord Texan
Sat 7/19 Fort Smith, AR Harry E. Kelly Park
Fri 7/25 St. Clair, MI Palmer Park
Sat 7/26 Maquoketa, IA Jackson County Fair Iowa
Sun 7/27 Lake Ozark, MO Horny Toad Entertainment Complex
Sat 8/2 Rifle, CO Garfield County Fair
Sat 8/9 Windsor, ONT. Lakeshore Soccer Park
Sun 8/10 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fair/Grandstand (Cinderella/Warrant)
Sun 8/17 St. Joseph, MO Trails West Festival
Sat 8/23 Tower, MN Fortune Bay Casino
Sat 8/30 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
Sun 8/31 Sparks, NV John Ascuaga’s Nugget – Parkin
Sun 9/28 Jackpot, NV Cactus Petes Casino/Ameristar Amp (Foreigner)
Wed 10/1 Tulsa, OK Tulsa State Fair
1 Hard Rock Hideout Wants to Rock Your World!
Hard Rock Hideout has a free copy of the new Bret Michaels CD, Rock My World, to give away.
Click type your full name and email address in the box below, if you would like a copy!
Contest will end Saturday, June 14th. The winner will be posted on Sunday, June 15th!
1 New Video – Black List Union – Breaking Bread With The Devil
Black List Union has a new single, video and album under the moniker, Breaking Bread With The Devil. The new album will be released July 22nd. For more information on the band, check out their myspace page.
4 Voodoo Six – First Hit For Free (Release Year – 2008)
First Hit For Free is the second debut of sorts for Voodoo Six.
In 2006, the band put out their debut CD, Feed My Soul. Their label didn’t promote the record, and rolling into 2007, the band was still virtually unknown.
Voodoo Six brought in new management, and Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica, Van Halen) who remixed the album. Voodoo Six didn’t stop there. They also added the killer new tune, Faith, to their album, First Hit For Free.
So how is the new disc? If you missed their debut, Feed My Soul, then First Hit For Free is an excellent new way to check out Voodoo Six. Voodoo Six has a cool classic rock sound that is listening to Led Zeppelin with a blend of Soundgarden.
Henry Rundell has a solid rock voice that could push Voodoo Six to the next level. This album is chock full of great vocals, killer guitar work (yes, their are solos,) and a solid rhythm section. Voodoo Six will join the likes of bands like Airbourne, Z02, and The Answer, that will bring real rock back to the mainstream. The only negative thing with First Hit For Free, is that some of songs don’t stand out very well, and can be a little repetitive. Aside from that, First Hit For Free is pretty good record. Hard rock fans have a brand new classic rock record to check out.
My favorite cuts are Faith, Feed My Soul, Crawl and I Am the Sun.
You can download this album via ITunes or buy a copy from Voodoo Six today. Don’t miss this disc!
For more information on Voodoo Six, check out their website!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Faith
2. No Friend Of Mine
3. Feed My Soul
4. Walking On Nails
5. Crawl
6. I Am The Sun
7. Saint & Sinners
8. One More Day
9. Mistaken
10. Shine On
11. Century
12. Slip Inside
Voodoo Six is:
Henry Rundell – vocals
Matt Pearce – guitar
Chris Jones – guitar
Tony Newton – bass
Dave ‘Grav’ Cavill – drums
9 Disturbed – Indestructible (Release Year – 2008)
2008 is shaping up to be an incredibly strong year for hard rock and metal music, and Disturbed’s Indestructible is another good release to add to the mix.
From the opening air raid sirens of the title track, Indestructible, you almost know you are going to hear something cool. The title track starts off in awesome fashion. It is a very good track to open this disc up with.
Disturbed already has # 1 radio hit with the song, Inside the Fire, and their are several tracks that could follow this one on to radio.
Deceiver is one of the heavier songs I have heard Disturbed record. This track has plenty of double bass drumming, and some very heavy guitar licks. This is easily my favorite tune on this CD. This song is going to be massive for Disturbed.
The Night has that awesome rhythm that so many Disturbed songs are known for. The driving drums and bass will definitely get the head bangers going. Dan Donegan has some tasty guitar licks in this song as well.
Perfect Insanity is another one of those tunes where David Draiman does his typical vocal chant. Listen to this one once, and repeat after David…..Losing My Mind. This song gets in your head.
At this point, Indestructible needs a song to break it up from being too repetitious. Haunted takes it down between mid to high tempo, but aside from some semi creepy parts, it is too much like everything else on this record. It isn’t a band song, but I needed to hear something to break this album up.
The cool thing about the song Enough is Draiman sings more than he chants. His voice shines on this track, while Mike Wengren serves up some extremely cool drum beats.
The Curse is another tune that will ignite your inner head banger. The music on this song is pretty cool. I thought the chorus was kind of weak, but it isn’t the worst Disturbed has ever done.
Torn is another song that I had trouble getting into. Dan Donegan has some cool guitar parts on Torn, but as a whole, their isn’t anything that makes me want to replay this song.
Divide is more like it. This is the kind of stadium anthem that will have people singing along with the band in no time. Cool Tune!
Those thinking that Disturbed have gotten a little lighter over their last couple of releases will be happy to know that Indestructible is a return to the heavy sound that made Disturbed one of the more popular metal bands over the last ten years. This is easily their heaviest record yet, and quite possibly their best effort to date. If you are a fan of Disturbed, don’t even hesitate to pick this one up. Indestructible hits stores June 3rd, 2008!
To preview more songs off of Indestructible, check out the Disturbed myspace page. You can purchase Indestructible at the Hard Rock Hideout storefront at Amazon.com!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Indestructible
2. Inside the Fire
3. Deceiver
4. The Night
5. Perfect Insanity
6. Haunted
7. Enough
8. The Curse
9. Torn
10. Criminal
11. Divide
12. Facade
Disturbed is:
David Draiman – Vocals
Dan Donegan – Guitar
Mike Wengren – Drums
John Moyer – Bass
2 Big Bad Wolf – S/T (Release Year – 1998)
What happens when former Jefferson Starship members set off on their own, to make their own music? More boring AOR? No, not at all.
In fact, the four members of Big Bad Wolf have crafted a CD that hair metal fans will want to get on their hands as soon as possible.
Big Bad Wolf has a sound that I would describe as Firehouse with Def Leppard style backup vocals. If you are a fan of either of these bands, you will probably enjoy the music on this CD.
Big Bad Wolf had toured with Sammy Hagar, and had some label interest, but their sound was already nearly 10 years past its prime. Guitarist Craig Chaquico hit the solo trail, and spelled the bands’ impending doom.
The band only recorded one album, but it is a might fine piece of hair metal that is worth seeking out. You can find this one on Amazon.com and Ebay. Happy Hunting!
You can preview a couple of the songs below. Enjoy!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Midnight Angel
2. Whereyawannago
3. I Can’t Get Over You
4. Walk Don’t Run
5. Crystal
6. Shot Down by Love
7. Cutting Edge
8. Three Chords of Steel
9. Light on for You
10. Blame It on Rock
11. Don’t Say Good Bye
Big Bad Wolf is:
Rolf Hartley – Vocals, Keyboard, Acoustic Guitar
Brett Bloomfield – Bass, Vocals
Craig Chaquico – Lead, Rhythm and Acoustic Guitars
Kenny Stavropoulos – Drums, Vocals
0 New Steelheart Album Good 2B Alive – Sept 15th
Miljenko Matijevic has taken rock music to a whole new level. Fusing the past, present and the future together, he has created an undeniable piece of art “A modern day led Zeppelin” (Mitch Lafon BW&BK). Matijevic’s vocals are better than ever, every song takes you on a journey; a journey that paints a portrait of his life and in doing so enables the listener to feel the song as if it were his own. A voice full of passion, power and depth, this is one album that seriously rocks. The album consists of everything from raw heavy
guitars to a full orchestra which was recorded at Sky Walker Sound. Written, produced, designed and conceived by himself, he truly has embarked on a new beginning.
He invites all of you to sit back and enjoy the ride….
The new Steelheart album, Good 2B Alive, will be released September 15th, 2008.
Track Listing:
01. Samurai
02. LOL
03. Buried Unkind
04. Twisted Future (Orchestra)
05. Shine a Light for Me
06. I Breathe
07. Underground
08. You Showed Me How to Love
09. Good 2B Alive (String Version)
1 Disturbed Performance only video for “Inside the Fire”
Disturbed will be releasing their fourth album, Indestructible on June 3rd. The multi-platinum rockers are giving their hardcore fans a special bonus if they pre-order the album from iTunes. Each pre-order will include 4 exclusive live tracks recorded at Chicago’s Riviera Theater. Disturbed has also released a new, all-performance version of their intense new single, “Inside the Fire” which you can check out at their official YouTube channel.
0 Saving Abel – S/T (Release Year – 2008)
Mississippi isn’t exactly well known for its rock heritage. Aside from the band, 3 Doors Down, not too many famous rock acts have come out of the Magnolia State. The five gentlemen from Saving Abel may not be famous, but with their new cd, they could change that soon.
The band already has a radio hit with their song, Addicted, and judging from the other songs on their debut, this is just the first taste of success for Saving Abel.
At first, I was ready to dismiss, Saving Abel, as another Nickelback clone, but after a couple of spins, I thought their music has a slightly heavier edge. Some songs fall into that safe radio ready rock area, but as a whole I found this CD highly listenable.
Jared Weeks has a very clean sounding voice, and it really starts to shine on some of the slow to mid tempo numbers. I can hear some southern rock influences in Saving Abel’s music, although it isn’t predominant throughout the record, it is obviously a factor in the songs 18 Days and Drowning (Face Down).
The record has several hit worthy tunes include the heavier numbers, New Tattoo, In God’s Eyes, and 18 Days.
If you are a fan of mainstream rock, you will probably like this record a lot. If you are an old school 80’s rock fan, this album may not excite you as much. There really isn’t a band song on this disc, and it is available for the paltry sum of $7.99 at Amazon.com. You can listen to several of the tunes here at the Saving Abel myspace page. Check ’em out.
Rating:Out of 10
Warning: The following video is an uncensored version of Addicted. This video is not work safe, nor is it appropriate for minors.
Track Listing:
1. New Tattoo
2. Addicted
3. She Got Over Me
4. 18 Days
5. Drowning (Face Down)
6. In God’s Eyes
7. Sailed Away
8. Beautiful Day
9. Out Of My Face
10. Running From You
11. Beautiful You
Saving Abel is:
Jason Null – Guitar
Jared Weeks – Vocals
Scott Bartlett – Guitar
Blake Dixon – Drums
Eric Taylor – Bass
1 New Video – Gavin Rossdale – Wanderlust
7 Badlands – S/T (Release Year – 1989)
After coming off of the Ozzy Osbourne, Ultimate Sin tour, Jake E. Lee, formed Badlands with singer Ray Gillen.
If you were a fan of Jake E. Lee’s awesome metal guitar licks on Ozzy disc, The Ultimate Sin, then you may have found his work on Badlands a surprise, as on this disc, he moved in a more bluesy, hard rock direction.
As much as I enjoyed Lee’s work with Ozzy, it wasn’t until his work with Badlands where he truly shined. Jake E. Lee’s awesome guitar licks, combined with Ray Gillen’s incredible voice is one potent combination, and it shows on the brilliant debut record from Badlands.
This record didn’t chart as high as some of other hair metal acts at the time, but Badlands sound nothing like the majority of the acts from the 80’s. If anything their music was ahead of its time. It is excellent, bluesy hard rock that still sounds incredible to this day. I still consider this one of my top ten records of all time.
Sadly, this record is out of print, and prices for it are starting to soar on the internet. Hopefully, this record will get reissued, as music this good needs to be heard by rock fans who would like to check it out. Grab this if you can find it! Happy Hunting!
Rating: Out 0f 10
Track Listing:
1. High Wire
2. Dreams In The Dark
3. Jade’s Song
4. Winter’s Call
5. Dancing On The Edge
6. Streets Cry Freedom
7. Hard Driver
8. Rumblin’ Train
9. Devil’s Stomp
10. Seasons
11. Ball & Chain
Badlands is:
Ray Gillen – Vocals
Jake E. Lee – Guitars
Eric Singer – Drums
Greg Chaisson – Bass
0 Soundstone – Scratchin’ At My Door (Release Year – 2007)
If the the four gentlemen in Northern Ireland’s Soundstone have their way, they will soon be following their countrymen The Answer, into the mainstream.
Their three song EP, Scratchin’ At My Door is a modern rock CD that has a sound with elements of 70’s classic rock, and a small bit of 80’s hard rock. The tunes are good enough for current rock fans to digest, and could easily work on rock radio today.
Adrian McAleenan has some very cool guitar solos. Declan Bannon’s vocals are pretty good. His sound reminds me of a cross between Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother, and a small dash of Ian Astbury from the Cult.
Scratchin’ At My Door shows a lot of promise for this Irish four piece. I hope they put out a full length disc for us to listen to soon.
To here these songs, and ton find more information on Soundstone, check them out on their myspace page.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Still I Wake
2. Everybody Knows
3. Good For the Soul
Soundstone is:
Declan Bannon – Vocals
Guitar – Adrian McAleenan
Bass – Ryan Lilly
Drums – Nicolas Pascual