Hard 10 |
September / October 2008Motley Crue | The Queers | Lizzy Borden | Time to Kill | Etheral Architect | Judas Priest | Rahway | Genetic Control | Canvas Solaris | Destination: Oblivion Motley Crue I've been a Motely Crue fan pretty much from the word go. I missed out on "Too Fast For Love" because music wasn't part of my world during that time. But, when "Shout At The Devil" came out, that got the ball rollin' for me. That was the first cassette tape that I ever bought. The rest is history, man. I grew up with Motley Crue. I picked up every album as it came out. Bought most of them more than once because I would wear them out rather quickly. From "Too Fast For Love" right up to "Decade Of Decadence," those albums STILL excite me. I can listen to 'em over and over again without gettin' bored. After that...well...in all honesty...there wasn't too much that really got me excited. I mean...yeah...there's some stuff I like, there's some stuff I don't. But, I won't get into that right now because I wanna talk about "Saints Of Los Angeles." Fuckin' A, dude...this album kicks some major ass. When I first heard this, I thought, "This is the album they should've made right after "Dr. Feelgood." That's the fuckin' truth, man. I feel like a kid again. I've got a Motley Crue album that I'm excited about. Think I'm fuckin' kidding? I hit the repeat button and I had this playin' non-stop for damn near EIGHT hours and I didn't feel like it was gettin' old. They've got that fuckin' magic back. I know this is just my opinion, but, there's not a weak song in the bunch. This is a strong, solid effort from start to finish. I can't even pick a stand out track because I like 'em all. If I had to choose, off the top of my head, I'd probably go with "Face Down In The Dirt," "Mutherfucker Of The Year," "This Ain't A Love Song" and "Saints Of Los Angeles." But, you shouldn't really judge this album track by track. You need to listen to it as a whole to see just how great it is. I don't know what else to say...it's just so fuckin' impressive. Album of the year if you ask me. Number one all the way. Someone needs to carry the torch for rock 'n' roll and Motley Crue's more than happy to hold that fuckin' flame up high. Yeah...Motley Crue just kicked your ass. Be sure to thank them. http://www.motley.com The Queers Ah, man...The Queers are punk as fuck. They're like The Ramones. They've got fast, quick, upbeat tunes...and there's 31 of 'em on this release, which is a soundboard recording from a performance at the legendary CBGB's. It's got a raw sound and the quality is a little bit better than a bootleg recording. This is the way music like this should be heard. A little something extra here...a portion of the sales will go to the Hilly Kristal Foundation for Musicians & Artists. Oh, yeah...they're here, they're Queer and they rock balls. Lizzy Borden It's been a long wait for this album, both literally and figuratively speaking... an epic, conceptual Heavy Metal album with songs that are not only strong individually, but together stand as a cohesive unit. In my opinion, one of the few undesirable aspects of Lizzy Borden's last effort 'Deal With The Devil' was that it sounded a bit disjointed at times, almost as if some of the tracks belonged on a different album. 'Appointment With Death' does not suffer from that problem whatsoever. In fact, I found myself struggling to pick out one tune as an example of the new record, because every moment is an accurate representation of its entirety. Just remember, a reviewer listens to a ton of Metal CDs, and I myself seldom come across something like this, honestly. The band apparently hit the nail on the head, since I know what they were going for; everything you'd expect... and more! All the elements of a traditional Lizzy Borden release are here, without sounding dated. It's all here; the amazing vocals, flawless musicianship, and of course the hooks! The overall production is top-notch & nearly every track could be a single. The guest appearances by some of Metal's finest are just icing on the cake. If you love true Metal as much as I do, make sure to treat yourself to this masterpiece. After a couple listens, you won't be able to get enough! Time To Kill One song on this CD is called "No Forgiveness" and that's a good way to describe this band's music. Time To Kill seem to think it's just that! They really go for the throat! This CD is only 27 minutes long but it will kick your ass (and eardrums) black and blue! TTK's music is fast, furious, and aggressive, with a lot of influence from Slayer, Pantera, and old school thrash. However, they also add a contemporary touch to their music, along the lines of Slipknot, Mudvayne, Lamb Of God, or Killswitch Engage. One foot in classic, one foot in current, both feet in kickass! They are fronted by a woman, Nicole Williams, who sings aggressively but without sacrificing her femininity. You can actually tell she's a woman, which is not always the case with many of today's female fronted metal bands. That's certainly a point in their favor. This band has many things going for them-they can play, they have a distinct style, they play straight up, rip roaring metal with extreme prejudice! Nothing pretty, nothing trendy, just thrashing it out full force from start to finish! Mind you, they do sound a bit amateurish, but this is their first album, so one must let that slide. They are sure to grow into themselves given time. Need a new bunghole? TTK will be happy to rip you one! Etheral Architect Well I've heard more than my share of Dream Theater clones over the years, and this band are yet another. They're basically another run of the mill prog metal band (and what's "progressive" about that, may I ask?) Now that's not to say they're bad. They can play quite well and the three songs on here are decent enough. They just seem to be doing everything by the numbers, the way so many other bands do it. To their credit, they can play and they're a little harder than many other prog bands, with less use of keyboards and more guitars. Some of the guitar work is quite good and reminded me of Criss Oliva's style (there's some Savatage influence in this band generally) The first song, "Thief", is a straight up metal tune. All the songs are well written and structured. However, as I said, they're really not doing anything new. If you've heard Dream Theater, you've heard em all. Having said that, though, I've only got three songs to go on here, so maybe if I heard a whole album by this band, I could judge them a bit better. http://www.myspace.com/etheralarchitect Judas Priest With the hype that has been following an incredible journey by "The Metal Gods" in the making of this album, what is one suppose to think? How is one to prepare for what is said to be the most incredible metal release of the decade? Or century? I was like a giddy school girl since I first heard the title track teaser that was released online. Anticipating the day or release. To my amazement, a promo copy was sent a week early. Yes, yes, yes…. So for any of you mushrooms out there who may not know yet, Judas Priest has been painstakingly at work for the past two years on a concept album about the life and predictions of Nostradamus. Hence the title. And as a huge Priest fan, I've talked about it with many other metal heads for the past two years. The time has come boys and girls, 'Nostradamus' is here!!! And which ever copy you purchase, (the $85 vinyl set is the shit! Got it the day it came out!) there are three different formats for you to choose from. You may or may not be disappointed. With several weeks of listening to the title track, (which sounds like it came from the Painkiller era Priest) I was all but geared up for a slamming new album. At first spin I was just a bit confused. I know that is not hard to do, but really, this was nothing I had expected. The title track is by far the heaviest track on the two-disc set. And if you old-school Priest fans are expecting hard-driving classic Priest, it is not here. There are several melodic tracks wedged between some of the more hard rock/metal fueled tracks. What is here is an awesome spectacle, a stretching of the heavy metal that this band has been producing for the past three decades. It's pretty much all here. As well as a sound that is fresh and new to the band. What is great about the story is that it's not just about predictions. Something that others have done when writing a song about Nostradamus. But this is more mixed-up than that. This, from track to track reflects on the personal feelings and thoughts of the man. Imagine what he must have gone through back in those days. This album helps to let you the listener in on that aspect. As well as some of the writings/predictions. This is by far the most remarkable of all concept/rock opera albums out there to date. Classic Priest fans may need a couple more listens to appreciate the awe-inspiring music Priest has made. This is a story that once again needs to be heard. Judas Priest are probably one of the only bands who could have pulled this one off the way they did. Track number one through track number 23 is like a roller coaster ride of metal frenzie and fury that only Priest can deliver. So some stand out tracks are : 'Nostradamus, Revelations, Death, Persecution, Visions, Exiled, and Alone'. Judas Priest do not disappoint on this one. The Metal Gods are back!!! http://www.judaspriest.com Rahway Rahway play some hard ass metal/rock, with quite a lot of Pantera influence. The guitar is very Dimebag and they have that Pantera aggression and knockout punch. However, they are not mere knockoffs or copycats. Their singer sings in a clean, melodic voice, and many of them have a "rock and roll" vibe to them, like they injected a bit of Aerosmith, GNR, or Crue into their sound. They even use a cowbell in a few songs. It's hard to inagine Pantera meeting Aerosmith, but Rahway pull it off pretty well. They play a good balance of aggression and melody. All the songs are tough as nails but with a rockin' groove to them. The album's closer, "I Can Feel It", is a ballad with some acoustic guitar. There's also a hidden bonus track (its name isn't given), which is a blues tune. There last two songs see the band venturing out a little bit. Rahway can play, they can rock, and they've made a kickin' album here. Genetic Control These guys seem to be pretty big fans of the 60s, because their music has a lot of 60s influence, by everyone from the Beatles and the Stones to Bob Dylan and Simon and Grafunkel. There's a good mix of rock, pop, and folk in the music, and even touches of reggae in a couple of songs. There's smooth pop melodies combined with edgy rock guitars; Beatle like harmonies along with Stones like grittiness. Along with this, they also use folksy acoustic guitars, and Dylan-like song structures. Many of the songs have a mournful feel to them, with lyrics about the "down" side of life. The guys are talented as musicians and songwriters, and give a modern twist to classic 60s styles, bringing a classic style into the present. The band also keeps thing down to the nitty gritty-no frills, nothing fancy, just a good down to earth sound to their music. This can't really be categorized or pigeon holed into a particular genre. They've just taken some classic styles from the 60s and given their own twist to them. Canvas Solaris Instrumental music isn't really my cup of tea. So, this wasn't a release that got my boat to float...so to speak. But, it's good for what it is. Could be the soundtrack to your imagination. It's got a nice, smooth flow and it's easy to get lost in the music. Example...I threw this disc on while I was off doing something else. The music filled the room and even though I was trying to focus my energy on doing what I was doing...my mind kept coming back to the music...it made me pay attention. Like, "Hey...this ain't bad!" I'm still not gonna jam with it on a regular basis. But, I'm sure there's people out there who really get off on this kind of music and, if that's YOU...well...I think you'll really enjoy this one. Nice album cover too. http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris Destination: Oblivion I might be wrong...but...this looks like a band made DVD. Back when I had a video camera...this is how my shit would turn out. Well, maybe not as good as this. But, you get the picture. You watch the behind the scenes footage...which was kind of fun...and you'll hear the band mention that this show was recorded at The Roseland Theater on July 27th, 2007...and they had the pleasure of being the headline act. They were quite happy about that. I guess that would make for a good DVD, huh? Yeah...anyway...they do a show...it's pretty cool...goth, rock, industrial...it's pretty straight forward stuff. You might have tried to make a more interesting cover package though. Music might be kick ass. But, if people are gonna dig your stuff, you're should try to catch their eye as well. Just my opinion. |