Currently Playlist

Here is what we are listening to...

Andy-
AC/DC-Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Rock Goddess-Rock Goddess
Blue Öyster Cult-Agents Of Fortune
Slayer-South Of Heaven
Dark Wizard-Reigh Of Evil
Cutty Sark-Die Tonight
Anthrax-Spreading The Disease
Tarot-The Spell Of Iron
Deep Purple-In Rock
Alice Cooper-Trash

Metal Mark-
Dragon's Cave-Elektro Motion
Goatwhore-Blood for the master
Wizardry-s/t
Blind Date-s/t
Dark Angel-Leave scars
Menchen-Red rock
Hay Perro-Eastern Ideas of death
Anthrax-Fistful of metal
Post Mortem-Message from the dead
Harry Gregson Williams-Cowboys and aliens soundtrack

***What are you listening to?

Forgotten Gems:Chozzen Phate-Chozzen Phate

Steel Legacy Records
2009

Back in January I got a box of mix and match CDs from a fellow tape trader. Over the past month or so since that box (or late Christmas present as I like to call it) landed in my hands I have been listening to the various discs. Some discs have found their way into my CD player more times than others have with Chozzen Phate being in that list. Before that fateful day when I opened up the mystery box (I knew some of what my friend was sending with others being more of a surprise) Chozzen Phate was not a group I had heard off. So, away I went to the Internet to see what kind of good stuff I could dig up about these guys. This San Antonio, Texas five-piece was one of those bands who managed to crank out a demo or two before disappearing into the night never to be heard from again. Or not until Steel Legacy Records came along releasing this CD/DVD combo in 2009 that is. Formed in 1990 the group released a Rehearsal tape in 1991 (more or less a demo really) followed by a 1995 demo. For whatever reason though the music on this disc (pulled from that 1991 demo) just didn't catch on with the right people and somehow these guys slipped through the cracks. Such was the fate of many power metal bands back in the early nineties. Seeing as the music industry was changing it's focus seemingly overnight these sorts of quality progressive/power metal bands didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell. Now, not that it matters much to these ears but since the source material was from a demo recording the quality is so-so. That said fans of technical and progressive power metal would still do well checking out this re-release. Lead singer Paul Deleon has those siren-like vocals reminding me somewhat of the late-great David Wayne. Speaking of Wayne, musically I can hear a bit of early Metal Church in Chozzen Phate's sound as well as some Hellstar, SA-Sanctuary (where supposedly a member or two of Chozzen Phate spent some time) and fellow Texas act Syrus. Some reports also say that Syrus and Chozzen Phate shared members although I can't confirm that. On the progressive side of things I'd wager to say there is more than enough early Fates Warning and Queensrÿche to go around on these 5 songs as well as a layer of two of Watchtower. So if technical/progressive American style power metal sounds good to you then this should be an essential purchase. The bonus material may also be of some interest to you especially if you miss the old scene. Seeing the band live where they are captured in all of their glory (in other words loud heavy metal) made the disc all the more worthwhile. Good things do come out of surprise packages as this CD/DVD combo proved!

Firebrand Super Rock-Firebrand Super Rock

Rising Records
2011



To steal a line from Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles "...What in the Wide World of Sports is a-going on here?" with that lame as all get out name? Are you serious? Pretentious much or did you purposely go out of your way to come up with the most goofy name you could think of? So many questions here for this hard rock/heavy metal four piece. Formed in Edinburgh in late 2004 this 10 track album is the band's debut. Just for the record the band lists bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and Black Sabbath as influences and if it wasn't for the fact that I first heard one of the band's better songs on a Metal Hammer sampler disc (the cool "Wheel Of Pain") I'm not sure if I would have taken the chance to bother. It wasn't a perfect track or anything mind you but it did show enough swagger to at least get me interested in hearing the full-length. These Scottish rockers are lead by the very talented Laura Donelly and my first thought upon hearing more from this band was a more Black Sabbath shaped Skew Siskin. Although with the nods towards Black-era Metallica and some chunky (if not very inspired) Motorhead riffs one could argue that Firebrand Super Rock are more metal than Skew Siskin. If anything though the band's approach pulls in AC/DC barroom blues and a shot or two of sludge making the album interesting if not spectacular. For a debut it has a certain charm and I have nothing against bands wanting to play good old fashioned hard rock/heavy metal like this. But, if I was to be a cynic I'd say this doesn't stand out much from a slew of other female-fronted hard and heavy rock acts. That said they get an "A" for effort and with some work I could see these guys (and gal!) do some great things down the line. If I could chat with the band I'd say do your best to loosen up and dirty your sound some. Make it have some sweat and grit and maybe next time around try some more sludge/stoner rock as well. You can here a bit of Down in their music and a shade or two of Soundgarden. That said though it almost seems as if Firebrand Super Rock are afraid to really rock out and honestly they play it far too safe and too close to the chest. The sound tends to come off as almost flat at times even if it is high-end garage rock/metal. By their next album I would love to see the band let their hair down and just jam a little. If and only if the band commits to getting their hands dirty some then I could see a marked improvement with album number two. As the band grows and gets some miles under their wheels I could see good things coming their way. Right now though this is a decent enough album and I won't say do buy it or check it out since believe it or not after all is said and done I really did enjoy the disc and it does rock. But, at the same time I would never say this is a must-own. In the end it is just one of those albums that falls somewhere between decent and good.

Reviews for suckas-Queensryche-Operation Mindcrime 2

Over most of the last twenty years Queensryche have certainly been guilty of numerous musical atrocities, but none quite as bad as Operation Mindcrime 2. I asked Mr. T to share his opinion on this album.





"Those fools from Queensryche were bad enough with their crazy jibba jabba on the first Operation Mindcrime, but then they went and put out another one! I like to give out the pain not receive it! Nothing makes me madder than some idiot trying to get something for nothing and this pathetic albums is pretty close to nothing. Listen to these fool songs. "Murderer?" The only thing they are murdering is my ear drums with this garbage. Then there's "Sign says go", the look on my face says these suckas better go away from me after playing this noise. "Re-arrange you"? I'll re-arrange their faces for trying to pass this pitiful garbage off as music.
As I listened to this album I thought "Fool me once shame on you, try to fool me twice and I'll bust you in the head". Queesryche were trying to fool people into buying this junk. I pity these sad hasbeens and the suckas that bought this album."

Tokyo-San

Yesterrock
2012

For the first time every Germany's AOR masters Tokyo will release "San" on CD. What does this mean for you the reader? Well, for starters it means you'll be able to fully experience this AOR classic in all of it's glory. For those who have never experienced Tokyo some have compared them to Toto while others have mentioned bands like Foreigner, Survivor, Journey and Kansas. Personally I'd say the Toto tag might be the closest fit but even then Tokyo possessed more pure pop and rock than Toto ever did. Also, despite being from Germany and for that matter having the name Tokyo these five guys had a very American sound to them. Traces of acts like Foreigner were present as was groups like Chicago. Very well you say but that isn't exactly rock bands your talking about. I hear what your saying. True enough Tokyo might be more pop than rock in their approach and nobody ever will confuse these guys with say even REO Speedwagon. But pop/AOR like this is classy and frankly timeless. Tokyo had the guitar hooks, flashy keyboards and thanks to having three vocalists they had the smooth vocals down flat. And even though album number three might not be as good as their other two releases it still sounds amazingly fresh and tight. With the bonus tracks "Diana", "You’re A Liar", "See You Again", "Ocean Of Love" and "Too High" added on this new re-issue is a real gem. With the exception of "Too High" (which is a newly recorded version of the original song) all of the bonus cuts were recorded during the eighties. Originally archived as demos they are previously unreleased and make this new version of "San" a real treasure for Tokyo and AOR fans alike. With a solid and upfront new sound (thanks to the excellent remaster job) "San" is a great option for those looking for new AOR acts to check out. In between songs I really got a good feel for what made these five guys tick and really while "San" might not be perfect AOR it is a great album with a classic rock vibe and feel.

Forgotten Gems-Inzest-Another religion.....another violence

Topping my "you probably have not heard this, but you sure need to list" is this album. This four song seven inch flexi disc was self-produced by Japan's Inzest back in 1987 . This is total noise (for the time) with some shades crossover mixed in, but mostly just noice. Although unlike more well known noise of the time like Cryptic Slaughter, these guys actually had some direction and knew how put their energy into it instead of just blasting around without a purpose. Every track is under two minutes in length so before you know it the whole thing is over. They look like little kids with nothing to do on the cover. Yet they knew how to put pure rage into their brief bone busting songs. The lyrics are rather barely audible rants about war, money, religion and other rather typical topics of the time. Yet where this band really excel is in how they mix power and speed into raging attacks. I so wish these guys had gotten to record a full length efofrt. Plus I definitely feel that any grindcore, hardcore or thrash band of today could certainly learn a thing or two by listening to this blistering little album.

Earth-Angels of darkness, Demons of Light 2

Southern Lord
2012



This is the second part to Angels of darkness, Demons of light from Earth. The first part was released early last year and was one of my favorite albums of 2011. Since this band is an instrumental drone band it's not easy to figure what the second part was going to be like. The length of the songs are similar to the first album and there are five on each album. Other than the two albums are rather different. This second part isn't nearly as dark and music is a bit less focused. However those are not complaints. On the contrary Earth use this album to be it's own entity and it certainly achieves that goal. Since there are five tracks it's perhaps easiest if I cover each one individually. "Sigil of brass" opens up the albums. It's rather short at under three and a half minutes long. It's an extremely slow effort that focuses on singular notes and getting the most out of those as well as the echoes they create. It's different for an opener, but in a way sets the mood by letting you know these songs are not going to be spoon fed to you. Instead you have to be a careful listener. "His teeth did brightly shine" comes on next with riffs that somehow have a tone surprisingly like AC/DC with some twang only the pace is of course much more stretched out. This track makes me think of someone going on a long journey. It's not a terribly adventurous song, but the bent notes keep it marching forward. "Waltz (A multiplicity of doors" certainly darkens the mood of the album for the first time. We get seriously deep and laboring tones with rich drum beats slowly thudding along as well. "The Corascene Dog" dog follows and despite numerous plays this was the one song on the album that didn't do much for me. Repetition and drone are a matter of course for Earth. This track had me for about the first two minutes, but then it never really opens or proceeds onto anything that different. For the first time on the album I felt my attention drifting away. They almost get back on track towards then, but this song falls short of the standard set by the first three tracks. "The Rakehell" is a twelve minute closer and again expects some patience from the listener. This one surprised with the mood rather neutral as I was expecting the final track to be either a dark, brooding type track or an upbeat winding song. Instead it just kind meanders around for over ten minutes. The tones are interesting, but the mood is rather one dimensional by comparison to the first three songs. Oddly the last 15 or so seconds of this one have more energy than the rest of the song combined. This album isn't the masterpiece the first part was. It's far more hit than miss, but given the talent of this band it should have been a much better album overall.

Dark Empire-From Refuge to Ruin

Nightmare Records
2012

With vocalist Jens Carlsson being replaced by Brian Larkinand this latest release from New Jersey's Dark Empire (album number three) finds the band in familiar territory only with a new and improved map to guild them. For those who might be concerned though by Carlsson's departure rest assured that this New Jersey band continues to churn out music that will appeal to older fans as well as those of you into the likes of Symphony X, Nevermore and Opeth. Lead by the skills of guitarist/backing vocalist Matt Moliti (who is the main songwriter in addition to being the death vocal counterpoint to Larkin’s more traditional sound) Dark Empire started off as more of a power metal outfit before morphing into a progressive/thrash/death tinged band. More than anything though the band is metal at it's core. Melodic and technical in nature the new album also features the talents of bassist Randy Knecht and the drumming of session player Matt Graff. Mixing in with the melodic and technical power metal/thrash and modern progressive metal is more vintage progressive influences from the likes of Genesis and King Crimson. Dark Empire works vintage Mellotron and Hammond Organ samples into the mix as well as 12-string acoustic interludes creating quite the counterpoint to their often commanding take on epic and dark riff-filled thrash. The work of lead guitarist Matt Moliti is nothing short of superb whether you are talking about the beautiful touch of class given to the title track or the classic doom of 13+ minute album closer “The Cleansing Fires” and new lead singer Brian Larkin gives a superb performance throughout. He steps right in replacing Jens Carlsson and offers more of the same in regards to commanding lead vocals. His voice helps make album number three a sort of walkway connecting the band's early work with the new stuff. It helps that he is more than capable holding his own and breath's life into the songs. Musically these new influences end up giving you an album full of various styles, textures and emotions making "From Refuge to Ruin" an album worth searching out. Throughout the album I found traces of prog, traditional metal, thrash, death, doom and epic metal making "From Refuge to Ruin" a enjoyable listen to say the least. I'll be listening to this one more down the road mark my words.

Ministry-Relapse

AFM/13th Planet Records
2012

What happened to Al putting Ministry to rest once and for all? It sure does not seem like that lasted very long did it? Anyway, for the record this is Ministry's first studio album featuring new and original material since 2007's "The Last Sucker". Thankfully Al has moved past his George Bush is the devil nonsense and tackles new subjects on "Relapse". Thank God for that because personally I can only take so much political crap out of Al and company. Although, with the country in the state it is these days it does make me wonder why Mr. Jourgensen doesn't take pen to paper and write up some witty material about Obama? There is more than enough out there to fill up several albums. I'm getting off point though so here we find ourselves with another Ministry album to work out some pent-up rage to. And so with this new album Al joins up with pals Al Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), Tony Campos (Static X), Tommy Victor (Prong) and Casey Orr (Rigor Mortis/Gwar) to craft more industrial metal insanity. With opener "Ghouldiggers" Al climbs his soapbox to name check dead musicians in an attempt to show the evils of the industry. It's fairly typical thrash/industrial mayhem and fans of Ministry's last few albums will eat it up. Same goes for "Double Tap" which offers blitzkrieg metal sown together with industry beats and a back edge that could cut through raw steel. On "Freefall" the Ministry gang weave various samples with bloody thrash to leave you feeling a little breathless. I'll give Al is due and say as usual this is pretty intense stuff and he never let's up throughout the album. "Kleptocracy" traces Al's roots back to hardcore bands like C.O.C. and S.O.D. And speaking of S.O.D. the band takes on the classic "United Forces" with pretty good results. "99%" was the first single to be released from the album and I'll let you figure that one out on your own. The title track is more wicked thrash from Al and reminded me of why I was first drawn to the band back in high school. "The Land of Rape and Honey" was my first introduction to Ministry and things have only picked up steam from there as far as Al's rage goes. While he has obviously moved more into thrash metal with each release (check out the sweet mid-song solo on "Relapse" for proof) he does still swim around in his underground industrial beginnings. Now, if there is one drawback to this album it is the same thing that has bothered me about most Ministry album's and that is the same-same quality of some of the songs. Granted industrial metal is like that to me and as much as I like Ministry (their older stuff admittedly) some songs do sound an awful lot alike. Thankfully the extra emphasis on metal riff age helps out. "Weekend Warrior" for example actually slam dances around in traditional heavy metal guitar riffs. Just so Al doesn't get accused of abandoning politics all together he gives us "Git Up Get Out 'n Vote". I couldn't agree more about getting out and voting although it would be nice if we didn't have to count your long-dead relatives vote in the next election. I'm just saying is it that hard to show some form of ID when we vote? Really? Moving on and "Bloodlust" and "Relapse Defibrillator Mix (Special Limited Edition)" wrap up this latest party in nice fashion. With it's mixture of industrial metal and primitive Bay Area thrash Al has delivered yet again an album that Ministry fans will lap up. Is it his strongest work yet like the promo proclaims? Maybe or maybe not depending on your view point. For me it is a solid release with some killer tracks and some I could do without. Then again most Ministry albums are like that for me at least so maybe I'm not the best judge of things. I'm certain of one thing though and that is that this album will sell like crazy especially with all the sense of frustration and loss out there these days. Al knows how to draw people in with his sense of anger and intensity and in a world living in chaos kids will listen to what he is preaching.

Van Halen-A different kind of truth

Interscope

2012

So one of the most anticipated and most hyped hard rock albums in some time is finally released. I loved the Roth-era of Van Halen and still do because I listen to those first six albums regularly. The Hagar-era never impressed me and that was more because of the writing than just because of Hagar's voice or the fact that he wasn't Diamond Dave. So a few years ago the band reforms with Eddie's kid in for Michael Anthony and Dave comes back in the fold. They tour and talk about a new album coming and we wait a couple of years and finally here it is. About a year ago I was listening to Van Halen's 1976 demo (AKA the Gene Simmons demo). Some tracks on it like "Runnin' with devil" would soon be on an album and others like "House of pain" would take years before being on an album. I wondered why tracks on that demo like "Big Trouble" and "Let's get rockin" never got put onto vinyl because they were certainly good enough. Well now over 35 years later these songs and several others from this demo get the re-worked treatment. "She's the woman" is the only track from this demo where they kept the original title for the new album although "Bullethead" appeared under the same name on another early Van Halen recording as well. So almost of this album is reworked material. Okay, that means it's not totally original, but it does help towards it having that classic Van Halen sound. So let's break it down and see what we have. We all heard "Tattoo" before this album hit the shelves and the reactions were mixed which is understandable. It's alright song, but rather repetitive. Next up is "She's the woman" which captures the early vibe of this band pretty well. "You and your blues" is a steady track with a strong opening and a very tight pace. "China Town" opens with Eddie noodling around and then lets loose into the kind of speed this band hasn't touched on decades and Dave keeps up well enough. "Blood and fire" definitely reaches back to the early 80's Van Halen sound. It's nothing new but maintains a nice flow and has a fun vibe too. "Bullethead" is a rather primitive song that plunges ahead pretty well, but it has some clunky moments. "As is" opens up the with an offbeat thudding sound before making way for a powerful attackthat may have been at home on "Women and children first" or "Fair warning". "Honey babiesweetiedoll" goes from static and noise to an odd pace and Dave talking a bunch of nonsense in a deeper than usual tone. Despite a longer than normal solo from Eddie this track still comes through as filler. "The trouble with never" comes on with some swirling guitar work from Eddie and Dave does more talking than singing, but the backing vocals and the totally tight pace keeps this one going. "Outta space" flat out rocks even though it's one of the borrowed tracks I mentioned earlier. However the lyrics and theme are changed around and this is one of the most impresive songs on the album. "Stay frosty" is vein much in the style of "Ice Cream Man" from the debut. Nothing special or surprising but above average. "Big River" revolves around another familiar riff and this song was"Big Trouble" on the band's 1976 demo. This track really works because it's so smooth and unlike a lot of other songs on this album Dave sounds very comfortable and they really take their time with this one. "Beats workin" is a simple song that drags in place. Not bad at all, but I may have liked it a little better if this song had been second to last and "Big River" was the closer. So overall this is a good album with enough high points to make it worthwhile. Is it perfect or one of their best? No, but no one should have expected that. There are not many new ideas on this one and Dave's voice isn't what it used to be. However it's a good effort and they manage to capture a fair amount of the spirit that this line-up once had.

Liberty n Justice-Stretch Armstrong Single

Roxx Records
2012


"Stretch Armstrong" is the new single by Liberty n Justice from "Hell is Coming to Breakfast" and in typical Liberty n Justice fashion we know two things: The first thing is that it is going to feature some top-notch guest stars. In this case the new single features the talents of Louis St August of Mass and Keri Kelli of Alice Cooper. The second thing you should know is that it is going to be solid hard rock. Sure enough this new single hits both marks and makes you hunger for "Hell is Coming to Breakfast" even more. The track is crunchy and offers great hard rock hooks. With just enough punch to make it light metal "Stretch Armstrong" is a real charmer and a sign of good things to come from Liberty's camp.

Current playlist

What we are currently listening to...

Andy-
1) Fifth Angel-S/T
2)Exodus-Bonded By Blood
3)Ramones Mania
4)Geddes Axe-Escape From New York 1980-83
5)Anti-Nowhere League-The Punk Rock Anthology
6)Cold Steel-Freakboy
7)Pandemonium-The Kill
8)Death-Human
9)Cobra-Lethal Strike
10)Rapid Tears-Honestly/Cry For Mercy

Metal Mark-
Ted Nugent-Full bluntal Nugety
Sacred Few-Beyond the iron walls
Black Breath-Sentenced to life
Wo Fat-Psychodelanaut
Van Halen-A different kind of truth
Sigh-In somniphobia
Mystic Force-The eternal quest
Genocide-Submit to Genocide
Salem's Wych-Betrayer of kings
Zebulon Pike-Space is the corpse of time

***What are you listening to?

Forgotten Gem: Forever's Edge-Chaotic Silence

Nightmare Records
2010

This particular piece of musical bliss was sent to me by my friends at Team All About The Music. In the past this group has sent me great promos from the likes of A Band Of Orcs, Above This, Krampus and Truth Corroded (among others). This latest one, "Chaotic Silence" continues in that tradition which means this is one fine release and that Team All About The Music really knows their stuff and doesn't get behind a band unless there is real talent. Now, since this release is obviously a few years old I have decided that the best way to present this album would be as a Forgotten Gem. With that I'm throwing this solid release out there to you the masses as a present. Those of you who love progressive power metal especially should perk up as "Chaotic Silence" was the debut album from New Jersey's own progressive minded power metal outfit Forever's Edge and ladies and gentlemen this one is easy on the ears and good for your soul. This is a release sure to appeal not only to Suspyre fan's (since it does feature Suspyre members Clay Barton on vocals, Andrew Distabile on bass, and Gregg Rossetti on saxophone) but also progressive power metal lovers and melodic power metal fans alike. The three Suspyre members are joined by guitarist Salvatore Pisano (Into the Dementia), drummer Sam "Samus" Paulicelli (Decrepit Birth, Eliminator, Reign of Vengeance, Abigail Williams, Abysmal Gates as well as many others!) and keyboardist Stephen Kain. Now, let me just start off by saying that even though "Chaotic Silence" does feature three members of the band before you go off thinking that all this is just some sort of Suspyre side-project that isn't always the case. From the word go all of this is the result of guitarist Salvatore Pisano ambitions and drive and despite the obvious connections to the Jersey's Suspyre this does have the ability to stand firmly on it's own feet. However much you might want to paint this as Suspyre part 2 the band started out as a vision of Salvatore Pisano and as such it has a somewhat different flow to it from it's symphonic introduction to album closer, "Closed Eyes" . "Everlost" and "In The Dark" are both great power metal numbers as is the solid “Damnation – We Rise". While these tracks might appease traditional power metal fans I much preferred the mellow number “Divide In I”. The number features guest vocals by Sharon MacPherson and her voice is nothing short of memorizing. The song features plenty of splashy keyboard touches but it is the duet between MacPherson and Clay Barton that really makes it special. This number spoke to me on a personal level and I just loved the softer approach it offered. I also really like "Demon Creation" which presented itself with more of a progressive metal edge. The contrast between these various songs made the album an interesting listen and one suspects that with time any flaws this debut shows (such as the lack of distinction between certain power metal numbers) will be corrected as the band grows and moves forward. For a debut album this is a great starting point and I can see great things from this band as they improve upon their humble beginnings. As they go forward I can see Forever's Edge gaining greater skill as a power metal outfit and hopefully a band that shakes things up thanks to other influences and genre samplings. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect out of "Chaotic Silence" and as the album's ten tracks wrapped up with the excellent "Closed Eyes" I couldn't have been happier. This is certainly not an album that will appeal to each and every metal fan out there but for those who love the experience of emotionally driven music this is one release worth checking out!

Midnight Blue-Take the Money And Run 2012 Re-Release

Yesterrock
2012

For those of you not familiar with British melodic rock band Midnight Blue they are perhaps best known for having featured the one and only Doogie White. While he currently might be fronting British metal band Tank the fact is White has been at the game for a long time now starting off with La Paz back in 1984. Around the time of Midnight Blue's formation in 1988 White had been in Rainbow after having auditioned for and losing out to both Iron Maiden and Pink Cream 69. With Midnight Blue here was a chance for White to front a band and have quite the bit of input instead of simply just playing the hired gun role. Joining him for this lone 1994 release would be Heavy Pettin'/Gun/Bruce Dickinson guitarist Alex Dickson, Tobruk/FM/UFO keyboard player Jem Davis, ex-Blackwych bass player Niall Canning and ex-Tobruk drummer Eddie Fincher. Based in London at the time "Take the Money And Run" saw a Japanese release in 1994 on Zero Records. Despite a sound rich in style and substance and an eye toward the melodic rock of groups like FM, Heartland, Praying Mantis and Tobruk the band were never able to get that one big deal that would have put them over. Now, here it is 2012 and thanks to Yesterrock this top notch melodic rock masterpiece gets a second chance to shine bright and lest I mince words this is a stellar release folks. "Take the Money And Run" is melodic rock at it's best full of great guitar hooks, flashy keyboard driven numbers and wonderful sing-a-long chorus moments that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. Doogie White may still sound great to these ears now in 2012 but with Midnight Blue he was at the top of his game. He offers a commanding presence on numbers like the rocking opener "I Surrender" and the excellent "Till The Morning". The backing band gels together so well through cuts like "Call Me" "Little Heartbreak" and "Hands Of A Lover". Even the ballads "Remember" and "One Way To Heaven" sound great and offer moments of melodic rock bliss. While the original 13 track album was great with the re-release Yesterrock has tacked on two unreleased bonus tracks called "Hurts When We Do It" and "Only Girl'. Both tracks are easy on the ears making this re-release a must-own for melodic rock fans. With it's new cover artwork and improved sound (whoever had a hand in the remastered process really made this gem shine!) Yesterrock has put out one over the top release. Simply put this is the sound of melodic rock done right. "Take the Money And Run" is available for purchase at http://www.yesterrock-shop.com/.