Tag: Review
0 Stardog Champion – Exhale – EP (2013)
When I first heard the name Stardog Champion, I immediately thought of the Mother Love Bone song from the 90’s (what a great song!) I can assure you that Stardog Champion has nothing to do with Mother Love Bone, but they are a cool new band worth checking out.
Stardog Champion is the new band with singer Nick Coyle (from Lifer), and guitarist Aaron Fink, bassist Mark James (both originally from Breaking Benjamin). Their new EP Exhale offers up five rockin’ tracks that will likely get a lot of radio play. The first single “When We Fall” was my first introduction to the band, and I took to that song immediately. “When We Fall” is a little heavier that the rest of the songs on Exhale, but if the five songs on this EP are any indication as to the direction of Stardog Champion, this band will have a long and prosperous career.
Stardog Champion’s music leans more towards the alt rock side of the fence, but there are some definite harder rocking moments. If you like bands like Papa Roach, & Shinedown, I think you will enjoy Stardog Champion too. Check them out!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Exhale is available via iTunes, and CD’s through Gallery of Sound.
Track Listing:
1. Aphrodite
2. Nothing To Lose
3. When We Fall
4. House of Cards
5. The Switch
Stardog Champion is:
Nick Coyle – Vocals
Aaron Fink – Guitar
Mark James – Bass
Josh Karis – Drums
2 Sebastian Bach – Kicking And Screaming (2011)
Sebastian Bach is back with a new album, a new(er) band, and a whole new attitude. Fans expecting to hear a new incarnation of hair metal should keep on walking. This is new Bach, and it is highly transformed from old Bach.
The first exceptionally noticeable trait on Sebastian Bach’s latest CD, Kicking And Screaming is how unique the sound is when compared to past Bach. While Sebastian mentioned in several interviews that the new disc was going to be decidedly different from anything he’s previously recorded, it’s hard to know what that means until actually hearing the disc. Bach was not kidding. Fans purchasing Kicking And Screaming hoping to hear regurgitated hair metal from days gone by are in for a big disappointment. Kicking And Screaming is a Sebastian Bach solo record like none that has been heard before and that is great news for metal fans.
Bach’s voice has changed for this release. Known for his primal metal screams and magnificent yowls that ruled the hairspray rock back in the day, Bach has followed more of a modern trend for Kicking And Screaming. The yodeling has been pushed aside for more of an alternative rock sound. Blend together the sounds of Seether, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Soundgarden, and a lot of London LeGrand, and the end result will be Bach’s voice on Kicking And Screaming. It’s neither a good thing nor a bad thing, but it is different. So different that it is immediately noticeable and after a couple of spins through the disc, it’s likeable. The lengths that Bach went to be more than a cliché of his former self shows and it is a welcome breath of fresh air.
After seeing Sebastian Bach live at this year’s M3 Festival, I knew that young guitar wizard, Nick Sterling, was an exceptional talent. However, once I heard his work on Kicking And Screaming I was reminded of Steve Vai on David Lee Roth’s Yankee Rose. Sterling is close to being that elite and his chops on the album are astonishing. Layered with intense solos and spectacular finger picking, Nick Sterling is every bit as good as Sebastian Bach proclaimed him to be. As lead guitarist for Bach’s band, he provides a fresh and invigorating style of guitar that brings out the best in each song. Nick Sterling is the future sound of hard rocking guitarists, and if he keeps up this great work, he is going to be remembered forever. Like Johnny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd before him, this young superstar can be the next IT guitarist. Let’s just hope he keeps his head on straight and doesn’t fade away into the fold.
Overall, if you are seeking a great hard rock album with a modern spike, purchase a copy of Kicking And Screaming. However, if you are looking for old school Bach ala the Skid Row days, you might want to take a pass. There is no Aqua Net required to enjoy this album.
Notable Tracks: Dance On Your Grave, Long As I Got The Music, Dream Forever
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Kicking And Screaming
- My Own Worst Enemy
- Tunnelvision
- Dance On Your Grave
- Caught In A Dream
- As Long As I’ve Got The Music
- I’m Alive
- Dirty Power
- Live The Life
- Dream Forever
- One Good Reason
- Lost In The Light
- Wishin’
Sebastian Bach Is:
Sebastian Bach – Lead Vocals
Nick Sterling – Lead Guitar
Johnny Chromatic – Rhythm Guitar
Rob DeLuca – Bass
Bobby Jarzombek – Drums
3 Manraze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
Don’t judge a CD by its cover. Lets face it, the CD cover for Manraze’s sophomore effort, PunkFunkRootsRock is pretty darn ugly. Don’t let the ugly cover stop you for checking this CD out, as the music is good…..damn good in fact.
I have been looking forward to this CD, ever since Phil Collen told Hard Hock Hideout about it back in May. I liked Manraze’s debut Surreal a lot, so picking this one up was a no brainer for this hard rock fan. I can gladly say, this is no sophomore slump for Manraze. PunkFunkRootsRock is every bit as good as its predecessor, if not better.
The album starts off with a very Def Leppard like tune “Over My Dead Body”. This is a great song, and an instant hit in my opinion.
“I C U in Everything” also has a Def Leppard like feel, but Phil sings in a lower register that reminds me of (dare I say) Marilyn Manson. He doesn’t sing this way for the whole song, and I think it gives the tune a very cool vibe.
“All I Wanna Do” has a cool 70’s like feel to it. This pop/rock tune is pretty darn catchy.
The CD takes an unexpected reggae-like twist with the song “Closer To Me “. I like reggae every now and then, and I must admit that I like “Closer To Me ” quite a bit. You wouldn’t think a song like this would work on a CD like this, but it does.
“Lies” is a another great rocker. This is an infectious tune that sounds great cranked at maximum volume.
When I first read that Manraze was covering Jimi Hendrix, I was fearful that this cover might blow. Hendrix is such a hard act to cover. Few bands have pulled it off very well. Needless to say, Manraze knocked their cover of “Fire” out of the park. This is an extremely cool version of this song. I love it!
Phil Collen shows that he has plenty of rock left in him with the song, “I, Superbiker”. Hearing a song like this, gives me hope that Def Leppard can one day return to its hard rockin’ roots. Phil shreds on this track. This is killer stuff!!
If Phil Collen, Simon Laffy and Paul Cook keep making CD’s like this, they are going to be in high demand as a live act. This is really good stuff, and there isn’t a bad song in the bunch.
If you liked the first Manraze album, Surreal, then you should definitely check out PunkFunkRootsRock. I think you will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track listing:
1. Over My Dead Body
2. I C U In Everything
3. All I Wanna Do
4. Closer To Me
5. Lies
6. Get Action
7. Edge Of The World
8. Dreamland
9. Fire
10. I, Superbiker
11. Bittersweet
12. Dogbite
Manraze is:
Phil Collen -vocals, guitar
Simon Laffy – bass, background vocals
Paul Cook – drums, background vocals
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
3 Tesla – Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008 – DVD Review
Earlier this year Tesla released a new DVD, “Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008. This is a live concert video taken from the Myth nightclub in Maplewood, MN (near Minneapolis) on February 22, 2008.
If you missed Tesla on tour earlier this year, or even if you haven’t seen them before, and are a fan of the band, you ought to pick this DVD up.
For this concert to be a club show, the video footage, and audio is awesome. I am not sure how they accomplished some of the shots they did, but I was extremely pleased with the way this was filmed. This is high quality footage that has to be seen to be believed.
As far as live concert videos go, the band put on an excellent set that featured a ton of Tesla’s hits, as well as their new song “Dear Pvt. Ledbetter” from 2008 CD “Forever More”.
No only is the live footage superb, the behind the scenes footage is pretty cool as well. I enjoyed getting to see the bands’ arsenal of instruments backstage, as well as some of Frank Hannon’s pedals etc.
I won’t hide the fact that I am a huge Tesla fan, but as far as live concert DVD’s go, this one has to rank close to the top. No Tesla fan should be without this DVD.
Rating: 
Out of 10
“Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008“ track listing:
01. Comin’ Atcha Live
02. What A Shame
03. Modern Day Cowboy
04. Miles Away
05. Heaven’s Trail
06. Mama’s Fool
07. Hang Tough
08. Dear Pvt. Ledbetter
09. Paradise
10. Love Song
11. What You Give
12. Song And Emotion
13. Heaven 911
14. Freedom Slaves
15. Rock Bottom
16. Into The Now
17. Signs
18. Little Suzi
19. Edison’s Medicine
Tesla is:
Jeff Keith – Vocals
Frank Hannon – Guitars
Dave Rude – Guitars
Brian Wheat – Bass
Troy Luccketta – Drums
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.
Rating: Out of 10
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 Underride – One of Us (Release Year – 2008)
I have to admit I cringe every time I hear a band is from the Seattle area, mainly because I still hold all of the “grunge” bands responsible for killing the hard rock scene back in the 90’s. Of course there are exceptions namely Queensryche, Metal Church, War Babies to name a few. Now you can add Underride to that list. Underride are about as far from “grunge” “post grunge” or any other genre with the word grunge in it as you can get. These guys are a straight up in your face, kick ass, take no prisoners, make no apologies, rock-n-roll band and they will be more than happy to show you on their new album “One of Us”, which is actually their third full length album and along with 2 e.p.’s I am really surprised I had never heard of them before. With a sound that falls somewhere between Beautiful Creatures and Velvet Revolver they definitely made a believer out of me.
“One of Us” gets started with “Side By Side” try to picture if you can Joe Leste singing for the Backyard Babies. Lead singer “Rev” channels Joe Leste to perfection with bassist “El Barto” laying down some fat bass lines, while guitarists “Rex Nomad” and “Dr. Pondscum” battle back-n-forth. What really surprised me was the fact that drummer “Double A” arms and feet did not fall off after not only this song but the whole album he is playing at 120 mph.
Oh before I forget, if you are looking for a ballad on this album you will be sadly disappointed, there is nothing on this album that even comes close to a ballad. As a matter of fact there is nothing that even comes close to being considered a mid tempo song. But every song is worth rolling down the windows and being played at maximum volume.
Just as “Rev” channeled his best Joe Leste on “Side By Side” he channels Scott Weiland just as well on “Candy Girl” it reminds me a lot of “Crackerman” off of STP’s debut “Core”. It has a great groove with a sing a long chorus. “On The Radio” is up next and it seems like “Rev” finds his own voice instead of mimicking other people and it is actually quite good. Like the two songs prior it has a great sing a long chorus with out giving up it’s heaviness.
“Throw It Away” is a slower rocker with a Theory of a Deadman feel to it, it isn’t a bad song but I could also live without it too.
“Upstart Coming Up’ is a balls out rocker and it has the one thing that was pretty much missing from the four songs before it…a solo a pretty damn good solo at that. “Kink Into My Heart” finds the band back in STP territory but once again it has a great groove and another smokin’ solo.
The rest of “One of Us” is filled with more straight up rock-n-roll with “Lights Off Baby”, “Riot Stick” and “No Means No” the best of the bunch.
Hopefully with the release of “One of Us” Underride will finally get the attention they deserve. They definitely got my attention and they delivered with some kick ass music in return.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Side By Side
2. Candy Girl
3. On The Radio
4. She Gets Paid
5. Throw It Away
6. Upstart Coming Up
7. Kink Into My Heart
8. Road To Nowhere
9. My Little Hell
10. Lights Off Baby
11. Shotgun Breakdown
12. Riot Stick
13. We Don’t Want What We Want
14. No Means No
Underride is:
Rev – vocals
Rex Nomad – guitar
Dr. Pondscum – guitar
El Barto – bass
Double A – drums
0 Stephen Pearcy – Under My Skin (Release Year – 2008)
With the news of RATT getting started on preparing a new album next year I thought it would be a good time to check out Stephen Pearcy’s new solo album “Under My Skin” . I think it is safe to say that Pearcy has one of the most unique and identifiable voices in rock-n-roll and has made some great music over the years with both RATT and Arcade, but to be honest most of his solo projects have been a little lacking in my opinion. With that in mind I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed listening to “Under My Skin”. If you’re expecting a RATT sounding album you may be mildly disappointed and it really doesn’t sound like an Arcade album either but I would say it is about 60/40 with the sound leaning more towards the heaviness of Arcade.
The first three songs “You’re Alot Like Me”, “Big Nothin”, and “Watcha Doin” are all in your face rockers . All three have great sounding guitars and big sounding drums of the three “Watcha Doin” would probably fit best on a RATT album it also has a great solo that would make Warren DeMartini proud. Track #4 “Time Slips Away” seems to be Pearcy’s tribute to the life his former bandmate and friend Robbin “King” Crosby, while I wouldn’t call it a ballad it is a slower song but still maintains it heaviness with Pearcy letting everyone know how he misses his fallen bandmate as the song comes to a close.
The title track “Under My Skin” is next while it is a decent song there is nothing that is really remarkable or memorable about the song. “In Outta Love” is #6 and it is another in your face rocker with a great groove and bass line throughout. “Here We Go Again” seems to be the anthem of the album and like “In Outta Love” it has a great bass line and groove. The next three songs “Bottoms Up”, “Are You Ready”, and “Injector” are pretty much like “Under My Skin” all decent songs but nothing remarkable to any of them and I will leave it up to you guys to decide if he is singing about women or race cars.
To finish out the album is the obligatory cover of a RATT song and if I gave you one guess as to which song it is it would be a pretty safe bet 92% of you would say “Round & Round” and you would be right. This time Pearcy has a little help in the form of the Donnas. It is pretty much a loyal cover to the original version with Pearcy trading verses back-n-forth with lead Donna Brett Anderson which amounts to a pretty enjoyable listen.
While there are no songs that can match the original “Round & Round” or Arcade’s “Dancin’ With The Angels”, in the end “Under My Skin” is a pretty decent album with a handful of good songs.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. You’re A Lot Like Me
2. Big Nothin’
3. Watcha Doin’
4. Time Slips Away
5. Under My Skin
6. In Outta Love
7. Here We Go Again
8. Bottoms Up
9. Are You Ready
10. Injector
11. Round & Round (featuring The Donnas)
Stephen Pearcy Band is:
Stephen Pearcy – lead vocals, rhythm & lead guitars
Erik Ferentinos – rhythm & lead guitars, bass guitar
Matt Thorne – bass guitar
Fred Coury – drums
Scott Coogan – drums
Dog Boy – 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.
Rating: 
Out of 10
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
0 Wednesday 13 – Fang Bang (Release Year – 2006)
The first time I heard Wednesday 13 was a song called “Your Mother Sucks C**k in Hell” from Metal Sludge’s compilation “Now That’s What I Call Sludge”. I listened to the song and pretty much forgot about Wednesday 13, until a couple of weeks ago. A co-worker was playing “Fang Bang” at work at first I thought it was Stevie Rachelle. Boy was I wrong!
Although he does sound a lot like Stevie Rachelle his songs are closer to mid 80’s Alice Cooper than Tuff and like Cooper back then it sounds like Wednesday is having fun singing about American Werewolves, Haddonfield (Home of Halloween’s Michael Myers), and partying at Crystal Lake waiting for Jason Voorhees to pay a visit on “Till Death Do Us Party”.
If Wednesday is having fun singing you can’t help but have fun listening. Honestly how many times can you say you had a smile on your face singing along to a song called “Happily Ever Cadaver”? I’m guessing not to many.
But that is exactly what you will end up doing listening to “Fang Bang” and there are plenty more songs to go along with the ones already mentioned like ” My Home Sweet Homicide”, “Too Much Blood”, and “Curse of Me”. In today’s day and age it is nice to hear an artist having fun and not taking themselves too seriously and that is what you get with Wednesday 13 a guy singing fun Horror Punk wrapped in 80’s hard rock. “Fang Bang” is not going change the world or pave the way for a new rock-n-roll revolution. But for what it is “Fang Bang” is a pretty good album and most of all fun record, the perfect soundtrack for Halloween.
You can buy a copy of Fang Bang, at this link.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Morgue Than Words
2. American Werewolves In London
3. My Home Sweet Homicide
4. Faith In The Devil
5. Happily Ever Cadaver
6. Curse Of Me
7. Haddonfield
8. Too Much Blood
9. Till Death Do Us Party
10. Buried With Children
11. Kill You Before You Kill Me
12. Die Sci-Fi
13. Burn The Flames (Bonus Track)
Wednesday 13 is:
Wednesday 13 – lead vocals and guitars
Jamie Hoover – bass, background vocals, guitar, organ
Ghastly – drums, percussion
Kid Kid – background vocals
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.
Rating:
Out of 10
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 Backyard Babies – S/T (Release Year – 2008)
Back in ’99 I bought Backyard Babies “Total 13” and was absolutely blown away. I have been like a junkie needing a fix every since, getting my hands on anything from BYB that I can and the guys have never disappointed me. Since it’s been 2 years since Nicke Borg, Dregen, Johan Blomqvist, and Peder Carlsson released an album of new material I couldn’t wait to get this album in my hands.
Why these guys are not huge in the states confuses the hell out of me. When it comes to Backyard Babies, you know exactly what you are getting, which is straight up in your face rock that is going to beat you senseless and have you singing along while it happens. Which is exactly how the new album gets started with “Fuck Off & Die”. I have to admit the first time I heard I was a little disappointed, but the second time it felt like the song punched me square in face and kept beating me all the way to the end of the song. Peder play the drums on this song as if his life depended on it and Dregen pulls off a great solo. Nicke’s vocals are in your face from beginning to end. Johan is able to keep everyone in line and tight together.
Without giving me a chance to recover next in line is “Degenerated”. The best way to describe this song is BIG, Big sounding guitars, drums, and gang vocals, another great solo from Dregen. “Degenerated ” is definitely a roll the window down, crank the stereo, and sing along kind of song, as is most of the album.
While there isn’t a bad song on this album, “Come Undone” is my one of five favorite songs on the album. Peder once again plays like a monster on this track and Johan gets his chance with a very cool groove throughout.
The fifth track “Abandon” another one of my favorites gives your ears a break for a minute before starting the assault all over again and it continues all the way to the last song “Saved By The Bell”. While I would have preferred BYB went out with guns blazing they slowed it way down. This is the only song that Peder doesn’t get a chance to shine because there are no drums used on this track.
Fans of BYB know Dregen is the mastermind behind the band and along with Nicke the stars but Peder is the star on this album with phenomenal drumming throughout. In a year when some much great hard rock has been released BYB definitely made their case for Album of the Year with this release.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
01: Fuck Off And Die
02: Degenerated
03: Come Undone
04: Drool
05: Abandon
06: Voodoo Love Bow
07: Idiots
08: Ship
09: Nomadic
10: Back On The Juice
11: Where Were You
12: Zoe Is A Weirdo
13: Saved By The Bell
Backyard Babies are:
Nicke Borg – vocals, guitar
Dregen – lead guitar, backing vocals
Johan Blomqvist – bass
Peder Carlsson – drums
Reviewed by Rocknrollcoastie.
3 Zebrahead – Phoenix (2008)
I am not sure why it took so long for me to discover Zebrahead. This Pop/punk/rap core band has had their music in a plethora of movies and video games, and yet they have stayed off of my radar until now.
With their brand new album “Phoenix” the band has a sound that is like a blend of The Offspring, Green Day, and Sum 41. The music does have a little bit of rap in it, but it doesn’t define the music. Zebrahead makes it work for them.
Is this music hard rock? No, it isn’t. I think the harder guitar riffs and rapid fire drum beats will certainly make this music palatable to both hard rock and power pop fans.
The songs on Phoenix are extremely upbeat and easy to listen to.
Typically, I wouldn’t like a lot of music like this, but Zebrahead works for me, as they aren’t trying to sound like any of the acts that I am usually listening to. I have been playing this disc in my car for 
a couple of weeks now, and I have been surprised how much I have enjoyed this.
Some of the songs have a punk rock style with a heavy edge to them, and some fall more into the pop rock category.
Some of my favorite cuts are “HMP”, “Mental Health”, “The Juggernauts” and “Ignite”
As an added bonus, this CD comes with a DVD, Broadcast the World, the Fucking DVD, that is packed with Zebrahead music videos from their previous releases as well as home videos, and live footage. If you haven’t listened to Zebrahead before, this CD/DVD set is the perfect introduction to the band. I am enjoying Phoenix, and I think you will too.
Check out Zebrahead at their myspace page here. You can pick their CD up through Amazon.com.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. HMP
2. Hell Yeah!
3. Just the Tip
4. Mental Health
5. The Juggernauts
6. Death by Disco
7. Be Careful What You Wish For
8. Morse Code for Suckers
9. Ignite
10. Mike Dexter Is a God, Mike Dexter Is a Role Model,
Mike Dexter Is an Asshole
11. Junkie and the Halo
12. Brixton
13. Hit the Ground
14. Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right, But Three Rights Make a Left
15. All for None, And None for All
16. Sorry, But Your Friends Are Hot
DVD Track Listing:
Music Videos:
Anthem
Postcards from Hell
Broadcast to the World
Karma Flavored Whisky
The Walking Dead (Previously Unreleased)
Home Movies
Live Footage
Zebrahead is:
Ali Tabatabaee – vocals
Matty Lewis – guitar, vocals
Ed Udhus – drums
Ben Osmundson – bass
Greg Bergdorf – guitar
1 Tantric – The End Begins (Release Year – 2008)
“The End Begins” is an appropriate title for Tantric’s first album in four years. After recording the follow-up to 2004’s “After We Go” the band watched as the album was shelved and forgotten by Maverick Records. This eventually led to the three original members, Jesse Vest, Todd Whitener, and Matt Taul walking away leaving vocalist Hugo Ferreira to soldier on alone. Instead of fighting to get “Tantric III” released Ferreira decided to start fresh with new members Kevin Miller, formerly of Fuel, on drums, Erik Leonhardt on bass, Marcus Ratzenboeck on electric violin (???) and guitarist Joe Pessia, who had previously played in Dramagods with none other than Nuno Bettencourt and Kevin Figueiredo from Extreme.
Everything gets started with “Regret”, which sounds a like bit like “the Cult meets Cold” with the opening guitar and Ferreira’s vocal style. Joe Pessia may not have the worshippers of the Guitar Gods bowing at his feet, but he is able to pull off a nice solo and after a couple of listens you will find yourself tapping your feet and playing air drums on the steering wheel as you are driving down the road.
Next up is the lead off single and video “Down & Out”, I think the song stands much better by itself than with the video which is the way it is supposed to be. It took me a while to get into the song because it reminds me of the rap/rock days which I am not very fond of. Electric violinist, Marcus Ratzenboeck makes the most of his chance to stand in the rock n’ roll spotlight with a nice piece of playing throughout.
The third track “the One” was originally recorded for the afore mentioned Tantric III. Ferreira decided to recut the track as a duet with Candlebox’s Kevin Martin. Both singers go back and forth trading the lyrics which in my opinion works as “the One” is my favorite song on this album and it should be a big hit on Modern Rock Radio.
I was a little turned off by the jazz feel of “Love Song” but it picks up at the chorus after which I found myself able to get into it a little more. A few other songs I was able to get into were Wishing, Lucky One, Why Don’t You, and Lay.
Now “The End Begins” isn’t going to change the rock n’ roll world, but then again I can only think of a handful of bands or artists that have ever done that. What this release is going to give the fans of “post grunge” music and rock in general is a pretty solid performance from beginning to end. If you were a fan of Tantric before you will be a fan after hearing “the End Begins” if you weren’t a fan before, Ferreira and his boys might be able to open your ears with some nice musicianship throughout.
For more information on Tantric. Check out their myspace page.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Regret
2. Down And Out
3. The One (Clean)
4. Love Song
5. Wishing
6. Something Better
7. Lucky One
8. The End Begins
9. Monopoly (Clean)
10. Why Don’t You
11. Lay
Tantric is:
Hugo Ferreira – Vocals
Joe Pessia – Guitars
Erik Leonhardt – Bass
Kevin Miller – Drums
Marcus Ratzenboeck – Electric Violin
Reviewed by Rocknrollcoastie
13 Slipknot – All Hope is Gone (Release Year – 2008)
It has been 4 long years since Slipknot’s last studio album. “All Hope is Gone” is rumored to be (say it isn’t so!) their last album. Slipknot’s fan base has swelled to massive proportions over the years, and judging from the live show that I saw by them recently, this is a band that needs to continue.
“All Hope is Gone” pushes Slipknot further away from the Nu metal genre, and more towards the heavy and thrash metal side. This album is extremely heavy. With that being said, most hard rock fans may dislike this, but metal heads will rejoice when they play this.
There are moments where this album is heavy as hell, and there are a couple of songs that seem to fall closer to Corey Taylor’s other band Stone Sour. In fact, the song “Snuff” is an acoustic based song, that is probably the least heavy song Slipknot has ever done. This tune seems to fall much closer to Stone Sour than anything Slipknot has done. I like this tune a lot, but the maggots (Slipknot fans) are going to flip out when they hear this.
One listen to “Sulfer” and I thought wow to myself. What an incredible feast of metal this is. “Psychosocial” might be one of the coolest Slipknot tunes ever. The awesome groove on this tune had me hooked immediately.
Is it just me or do I hear “Metallica’s Enter Sandman” creeping its way into “Dead Memories”? This song sounds like a blend of Metallica and Tool. This song is more of a mainstream metal tune. Some songs on this disc such as “Gehenna”, “Dead Memories”, “Snuff” and “All Hope Is Gone” will get a ton of radio air play. The rest may be far too heavy for terrestrial radio formats.
Is “All Hope is Gone” Slipknot’s best work? While it has some great moments, I don’t think this disc stands up to their album Iowa. While Iowa is still my favorite, I think Slipknot fans will like this. The band hasn’t put out an album this brutal since their 1999 debut.
The sound on All Hope is Gone falls some where in between Iowa and Vol. 3. There are things missing on All Hope is Gone that disappoints me. The cool percussion and drums of Chris Fehn and Shawn Crahan are back on the song “Psychosocial”, but seem to be missing elsewhere. I didn’t hear a lot of samples or use of the turntables on this record either. There are a lot more guitar solos on this record than on past releases which is a nice addition. As a whole, this is Slipknot’s sound moving in a slightly new direction. “All Hope is Gone” is another solid effort and is worth picking up.
For more information on Slipknot, check out their myspace page.
Rating:Out of 10
Psychosocial
Track Listing:
- .execute.
- Gematria
- Sulfur
- Psychosocial
- Dead Memories
- Vendetta
- Butcher’s Hook
- Gehenna
- This Cold Black
- Wherein Lies Continue
- Snuff
- All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot is:
Sid Wilson – Turntables
Joey Jordison – Drums
Paul Gray – Bass
Chris Fehn – Percussion
Jim Root – Guitars
Craig “133” Jones – Keyboards/samples
Shawn “Clown” Crahan – Percussion
Mick Thomson – Guitars
Corey Taylor – Vocals
2 Hanoi Rocks – The Nottingham Tapes DVD (2008)
Before Poison ever unlease Talk Dirty to Me on the world, there was another up and coming glam rock band, Hanoi Rocks, that should have been the next big thing.
The Nottingham Tapes catches Hanoi Rocks in their prime, performing live at the Rock City club in Nottingham, England, back in 1984. The video and audio quality isn’t the greatest, but it is above average. This footage does a good job capturing the live spirit of the band.
It wasn’t too much longer before drummer Razzle, lost his life in the accident with Motley Crue front man Vince Neil. This turn events seemed to make Hanoi Rocks self destruct.
The Nottingham Tapes will make you wonder what would have happened if the band didn’t break up back in the 80’s. The band had all the tools that would bring them success, but split apart before that would happen. This DVD is the best way to catch them in their most popular lineup from ’84.
If you are a fan of Hanoi Rocks, The Nottingham Tapes is must own DVD. It may not be the best footage you have ever seen, but you will be glad to see this part of hard rock history.
You can help out Hard Rock Hideout by ordering the DVD here.
Rating:Out of 10
DVD Track Listing:
Back To Mystery City
Up Around The Bend
I Cant Get It, Motorvatin
Mental Beat
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Dont Never Leave Me
Tragedy
Malibu Beach Nightmare
Underwater World
Lost In The City
I Feel Allright
Taxi Driver
Blitzkrieg Bop
Hanoi Rocks is:
Michael Monroe – Vocals
Andy McCoy – Guitars
Razzle – Drums
Nasty Suicide – Guitars
Sammi Yaffa – Bass
1 Coldspell – S/T – (Demo – 2008)
WOW!! Now this is the music that I like to hear. I recently received a copy of a 7 song demo CD from Kiruna, Sweden’s Coldspell. Quite a few of the demos that I receive have a mixed production quality, and songs that are barely listenable. Neither one of these issues are present on this demo from Coldspell.
This demo ought to get the band signed, and signed quickly. (SPV, Frontiers, Chavis are you reading this?!) The music on this disc reminds me of a cross between Lynch Mob, and Whitesnake.
Coldspell states their influences as Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Mr. Big, and Yngwie Malmsteen. They obviously don’t try to hide their influences, and their music is awesome as result. For Micke Larsson to be a virtually unknown guitar player in 2008 is pretty amazing. His fretwork is reminiscent of some of the top guitarists of the 80’s including George Lynch, and John Sykes.
Keyboardist Matti Edlund sounds a whole lot like Deep Purple and Whitesnake’s Jon Lord. Niclas Swedentorp is one of the better undiscovered singers that I have listened to as of late.
Coldspell flat out rocks. This CD is far too good to be a demo. Every hard rock fan needs to keep an eye on this band. They are destined for great things in the near future.
You can check out Coldspell at their myspace page, and their website.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Fadeaway
2. Keep Believin
3. Ravin Mad
4. All I Want
5. Surrounded
6. Solid Ground
7. Greed
Coldspell is:
Niclas Swedentorp – Vocals
Micke Larsson – Guitars
Tommi Partanen – Bass
Matti Eklund – Keyboards/Hammond organ
Tobbe “Toby” Broström – Drums
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 10,000 B.C. – Movie Review
I was lured into watching the DVD, 10,000 B.C., mainly by its creative trailer (below), which led me to believe this would be a movie with massive special effects and a good story to follow.
10,000 B.C. is one part action flick, one part love story that is rolled into a time that most people (self included) are unfamiliar with.
The cast does not employ any A-List actors. Stephen Straight plays the warrior, D’Leh, and Camilla Belle plays his kidnapped love interest, Evolet. Even without big name actors and actresses, the cast makes this story work.
The movie starts off a little show, but picks up pace quickly and has a few cool surprises along the way. 
I thought 10,000 B.C. would have a lot more special effects than it did. It is not not loaded with effects, but when they are used, they are used well.
The scenes with the Sabretooth, Wooly Mammoths, and the Velociraptor like Terror Birds were pretty cool, although short.
There are a ton of factual errors in this movie, but I doubt most movie watchers will care about those.
10,000 B.C. has a good story, good effects and overall is an entertaining film. This is definitely a flick, worthy of a rental.
Rating:
Out of 5
3 Chastain – In Dementia (Release Year – 1997)
Recently, a friend of mine let me borrow a copy of his Chastain CD, In Dementia. I have always enjoyed David T. Chastain’s guitar work, but I have not checked out his latest music.
The one thing that surprised me about this Chastain disc, was the razor sharp vocals of Kate French. There are some exceptions to the rule, (i.e. Doro Pesch, Lita Ford, etc.) but I usually don’t care for female lead singers in most hard rock or heavy metal bands.
Kate French has made me rethink this once more. You would not expect a metal style voice to come out of this blonde bombshell, but she delivers the goods. Her Mustaine like snarls seems to be tailor made for David T. Chastain’s virtuoso style of guitar playing.
Chastain’s playing on this record seems to be a good balance of chugging heavy riffs, and melodic fret work that he has always been known for.
I am not sure how In Dementia compares to other Chastain releases, but I thought this was a pretty solid metal record. If anything, this disc put Kate French on my radar. Kate recorded one more CD, after this with Chastain before moving on to the band Vainglory. I will be checking out those releases as a result of hearing this disc.
If you are looking for some good metal to add to your collection, give In Dementia a look. You can hear samples of this record at Amazon.com.
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Human Sacrifice
2. Blackening
3. Seven
4. Sick Puppy
5. Tongue
6. In Dementia
7. House of Stone
8. Conformity
9. Desperately
Chastain is:
Kate French – Lead and backing vocals
Kevin Kekes – Bass
Dennis Lesh – Drums
David T. Chastain – Lead guitars and keyboards
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
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
5 Incredible Hulk – Movie Review
In 2003, Universal Pictures released a real clunker of a movie called Hulk. After seeing that disaster of a film, I was on the fence about seeing Marvel Studios latest concoction, the Incredible Hulk.
This movie is not a sequel of the original, in fact, The Incredible Hulk relaunches the Hulk franchise with a new story, a new cast and a fairly new direction.
In this movie, Edward Norton (Fight Club) stars as Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings) at Banner’s love interest, Betty Ross, and William Hurt as General Thunderbolt Ross.
The Incredible Hulk cast had a much better story to work with, than the 2003 flick. As result, Edward Norton played a good version of Banner. William Hurt did a solid job. Liv Tyler, on the other hand, was ultimately forgettable.
Tim Roth, who is the Hulk’s antagonist in this movie, is easily the character that was the most fun to watch.
This Hulk looks a lot less cartoony than the version from 2003, and a little more scary. The special effects, and CGI are top notch in this film. The action is also quite good.
If anything, the Incredible Hulk erases the awful memories of the 2003 flick. This movie will not challenge Iron Man for top grossing movies of 2008, but it is a solid film that is worth checking out on the big screen. Marvel should have another hit on their hands!
Rating: Out of 5
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
Hard Rock Hideout 