Middle of the week (almost)

I am actually ahead of the game for once as I have finished all of the reivews I promised for the week and it's only Tuesday. I am listening to to a number of new releases in including the new ones from Fall of Troy, Lita Ford and I have a Blaze Bayley DVD that I am looking forward to watching. Surprisingly we are almost down to the final quarter of the year. Which means I need to start working on my top 25 albums on 2009 soon. There are still some prime releases to come out as Slayer, WASP and others are coming and I still have not gotten around to hearing the new Megadeth yet. Here are some questions and my answers.

Album that is going to suck like a Hoover vacum cleaner at the end of 2009-the new KISS

Album that I am most looking forward to at the end of 2009-the new Slayer

Band who is working on an album that I am most looking forward to whenever it comes out-Armored Saint

Band who didn't realease an album this year, but needs to next year- Iron Maiden and if we are just considering studio releases and if you count their live album this year then I 'll say then I would go with Acid King instead.

***Feel free to chime in with your own answers or invent your own end of year questions for others to answer.

Turbo-One Way

Metal Mind
1992/2009

One of Poland's premier metal bands, Turbo had been going for over decade when they released "One way". After this they would surprisingly call it quits before reforming almost a decade later although a number of compilations would be released during the time when this were out of action. This band had started in the early 1980's playing a classic style of metal somewhat similar to early Iron Maiden, but they would soon switch gears and adapt a more thrash approach to their music. Indeed by this album they were full into a an American thrash sound similar to the likes of Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, post-crossover DRI and others. Turbo had their chops down and knew how to push forward. I can't deny that"One Way" is good thrash metal. The pace is brisk and the vocals are fittingly rough.However even by 1992 standards this album is a little dated and even one dimensional. If I had heard it without knowing the release date I would have guessed 1988 or 1989. It's quite possible that the band was running short on ideas by this point. It's a shame that they didn't exist for so long after this, but perhaps they needed time to recharge their batteries and they would return with the quite good "Awatar". This re-issue includes a lyric booklet.

Turbo-Awatar

Metal Mind
2001/2009



There have been several bands going by the name Turbo, but this Turbo hail from Poland and formed way back in 1980. They started out with a classic metal style, but quickly switched to thrash and stuck with that sound until they broke up in the early 90's. Almost a decade later they reformed and this was the first album after reuniting. Right away it's obvious that they chose to mainly skip the thrash style and go for a more mid-paced classic metal style which is actually closer to their roots. At times they remind me of John Bush-era Anthrax only with an even thicker sound and stronger bass lines. I know that some fans didn't openly embrace this album because of the change in style, but quite honestly they handle it very well. It's direct, heavy and to the point. Hearing this now it's a shame I didn't hear it when it first came out. It's also quite possible that Turbo are underrated for sure. Not everyone handles different styles well, but these guys are highly capable of handing differnt sounds. Even though it's primarily straigh metal here there are a few thrash moments tossed in for good measure. This re-issue includes four bonus tracks. Two of the four are cover tracks and they do a fantastic job of putting their own brand onto Deep Purple's "Burn" and Dio-era Sabbath's "Neon Knights". A fine album and a good job on the re-issue as well.

X-sinner-World covered in blood

Image
2009


How can you copy an established band yet still come out sounding good? I don't normally like to begin a reivew with a question because I hope to provide answers more than questions. However that opening question went through my mind while listening to this disc. The band they copy is AC/DC who are easily one of the most copied hard rock bands around. However not everyone that copies or is influenced by them is able to succeed. X-sinner know what they are doing as they know the hooks and the pace, but they also have a fantastic grasp of how to reel how some mighty grooves. "World covered in blood" is very much rooted in the sound AC/DC perfected bewteen about 77-79. The tight squeezed guitar riffs, the raw vocals and the instantly likable choruses are all here. Granted they copy AC/DC down to even tiny details. That's not where their skills end. They go at it with more energy than AC/DC have in thirty years and the attitude that X-sinner are experts at this skill. There are indeed a lot of bands who attempt to produce this sound and many get the chords down, but there is far more to it than just notes and X-sinner know that. This is straight shooting, fun hard rock. I liked it right away and will definitely come back to it often.

Clash of the album covers

It is....


Dark Angel-Time does not heal

vs.


Death-Leprosy

***Which cover do you prefer?

Black Cobra-Chronomega

Southern Lord

2009



This is the first album on Southern Lord from San Francisco's duo Black Cobra. What I love most about this band is perhaps their ability create funnels of heaviness that just pull the listener down with every pulsating note. Much like High on fire, Black Cobra draw on not just doom, but also classic metal acts for influence. That ties in with the fact that not everything is slow on this album. There is a certain simplicty to many of the songs or at last they begin that way. They quickly bring in swirling layers of fuzzed out volume. They effortlessly work their way through different tones and a variety of pace changes. It's amazing that two musicians can create so many sounds yet they have obviously mastered this school. The approach of "Chronomega" isn't too terribly from their previous album although several of the songs this time around and are more instantly memorable. There is no doubt that Black Cobra are really coming into their own and taking contol of their sound. They know how to maneuver and manipulate various sounds and beats to really build up their songs. There are definite moments where they make an effort to push the boundries of their genre. On top of all of the obvious stylistic skills of this duo they also know how to lay down bone shattering heavy foundations. Black Cobra are certainly improving and I can't wait to see where they take us next time out.

I don't own these on CD

I started my music buying primarily on cassettes unfortunately although I did buy a few albums back then as well eventually bought more vinyl in the mid-late 80's as more underground metal wasn't availible on cassettes and vinyl became cheaper around 89-91 as stores started trying to get it off their shelves. Eventually I was purchasing titles on CD, but if I had it on vinyl I probably thought that was enough and didn't buy it on CD. So there are bands I claim to like that I really don't have a lot of titles on CD. A few that come to mind are KISS as I only own four titles on CD, but have a pile on vinyl. Aerosmith I only have two on CD, but a lot more on vinyl. I once went through a Venom phase before my CD days so I have no Venom on disc and a huge pile on vinyl.
These would be my current top ten titles of common (non-import/ in print) that I have heard, but have just never gotten around to getting a copy of on CD. In no particular order.

Armored Saint-Raising Fear
Judas Priest-Sin after sin
Judas Priest-Point of entry
Mercyful Fate-Melissa
Grim Reaper-Fear no evil
Motorhead-Bomber
KISS-Lovegun
KISS-Dressed to kill
Alice Cooper-Schools Out
Kreator-Terrible Certainty

What's coming up?

A new Big Lots opened near me and I picked up some $3 DVD sets. Some for now and some for stocking stuffers for my kids. One we picked up was Josie and the pussycats for my daughter. They borrowed voices, plots and some music from Scooby Doo, but it's still likable enough.
It's been a busy week with work and the kids have been a little sick too unfortunately. I hope to have out the following topics this week

Reviews of...
Turbo-Avatar and One Way
Black Cobra-Chronomega
X-sinner-World covered in blood

Clash of the album covers or maybe even two

***Have a great week!

Outbreak of metal volume 2

Slaney
2009


Following hot on the heels of volume one comes another split disc from Slaney records. I enjoyed the first volume a lot was very excited about this one. Just the concept of getting the equivalent of EPs from two different bands makes it feel like you are getting a lot on one disc. Of course the music actually has to be good for this to mean anything. Fortunately that is the case on this disc. This time around we get half a dozen songs each from two bands playing old school thrash. First up is a Poland's Destroyer who are fairly new to the scene since they just formed in 2007. It took all of a few seconds into the opener "Rip your brain" for me to know that these guys are strongly influenced by the Bay area sound that was so popular twenty plus years ago. Primarily "Kill em all" era Metallica, early Exodus and early Testament. The lyrics are as cliche as possible, but they make up for it with an intense and tight presentation. They could use some more variation in the music at times, but for the most part they capture what makes thrash likable. Currently they are working on their debut album and I am definitely looking forward to it. The second half of the disc is done by Norway's Violated. This band has some black and death metal background as members were in those style of bands before deciding to form a thrash band. While Destroyer played Bay area thrash Violater focus more on the Slayer/Dark Angel variety primarily around the years of 85-86. The big difference is they are definitely more aggressive and actually louder than the bands that influenced their sound. I certainly appreciate how heavy it is and the fact that they bring some of the traits from their more more extreme metal background and add it to the thrash approach. The results are that it sounds a little more current than many of the bands who merely re-hash old thrash albums. The vocals on Violated's tracks are fairly limited and that could use some work. Both bands certainly showed enough here to make this another fine effort. I will keep my eyes out for future efforts from both of these bands and I hope that Slaney records keeps this series going because I have certain;y enjoyed the first two volumes.

JFA-To all our friends

DC JAM
2009



If a band puts out a strong live album then you know that any subsequent live albums are going to be measured by that standard. JFA's Live 1984 Tour LP was a great measure of where this skare punk band was at that point. It was very honest and packed with the energy that band brought to their live performance. I am not sure why these guys chose to do another live album at this point. Of course it's not on the same level as the live album they did a quarter of a century ago because they just don't have the youthful fire they had back then. They might actually be tighter this time around just due to experience. They still rip into their songs and plunge forward. All too often an older band comes out and they just sound tired and come across as a pale version of their former selves. Fortunately that's not the case for JFA. They may be in their forties, but the spirit and foundation of what made them so likable and even fun in the 80's is still there to some extent. Their version of the Charlie Brown theme is still vibrant although their version of "Lowrider" isn't quite as strong primarily because Exodus did such a great version twenty years ago. Anyways JFA still knock out a fast and furious set.

Essenza-Devil's Breath

Bigmud
2009


This trio from Italy have been around since 1993. They went through some demos in the 90's and finally several albums this decade. The changed drummers a few years ago and just recently began to record their songs in English. That brings us up to the present and their most current release "Devil's Breath". The opener and title track had me thinking mid-paced Judas Priest only a bit crunchier. The rhythms are steady and direct, but the vocals are gritty. Just when I thought I had a handle on them they switch gears on "Deep into your eyes". The sound this time is reminiscent of early-mid 90's Megadeth, but not quite so basic. The rest of this album is similar to this sound. The major influences are Megadeth, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and maybe even AC/DC. It's not just copycat here either because Essenza blend in some subtle yet effective progressive bursts. The results are that they have managed to put enough of themselves into the sound to really create an interesting and active blend of metal. The eight tracks presented here are mostly of the mid-tempo variety and that seems to suit the vocal style. They have a fine knack for raising the intensity at will, but still staying very much in control. Essenza have taken the ideas from 80's and 90's metal bands and put their own stamp on it. It's definitely an approach that they can continue to work on and grow with. Wish it could have been more than eight songs and the mix could have been slightly richer, but a very good effort for sure.

Whiplash-Unborn Again

Pulverized
2009




My first exposure to New Jersey's Whiplash was when I heard them on the compilation "Speed metal hell" back in 1985. That compilation also included Exectuioner, Medieval, At War, Savage Grace and others. Not too long after that I heard their crushing debut "Power and Pain". This was around the time when thrash bands were just starting to pour out everywhere. As in any scene there were leaders and followers. Whiplash established their own sound on their debut with the swirling guitar sound and Tony Portaro's frantic vocals. "Ticket to mayhem" followed in 1987, but actually included a number of songs that appeared on their demos several years earlier. The style on their sophomore effort was perhaps more varied, but just as aggressive. Perhaps this was the point where they should have moved up to the next level, but it didn't really happen. Three years later they decided to add a forth member in vocalist Glenn Hansen and they knocked out "Insult to injury". Personally I didn't like this decision as I think guitarist Tony Portaro was a fine vocalist and didn't see the need for changing, but they tried it and it did not help them advance. The band stopped for a while after this before surfacing again in the mid-90's and then they knocked three albums between 1996 and 1998. They had a different line-up on each of those albums finishing with "Thrashback" which featured the three Tony's line-up that played on "Power and Pain". In 1999 they released "Message in blood" which was made up of demos and live track from the band's early days. With this it seemed that the band had once again vanished. Then in recent years rumblings began that they were indeed coming back. Guitarist/vocalist and band mainstay Tony Portaro has recruited drummer Joe Cangelosi who played on "Ticket to mayhem" and "Insult to injury" and bass player Richard Day. I am not sure what I was expecting at this point considering the line-up changes and long gap since the last release. The first thing I noticed that as a whole they have slowed down some from the straight ahead thrash path that they once followed. Yet many of the songs are really heavy and a large of that is some top notch production. Several songs reminded more of say Metal Church as far as pace goes as they concentrated more or a slow burn than a speedy go for the throat style. There are a few faster songs and even some of those great below the surface winding riffs that were once this bands trademark make their way into the mix. The only aspect of this album that didn't completely work for me was Portaro's vocals. I know people age and some times that takes a toll on your voice. However the raging vocals were so much a part of those early albums and now I felt like his voice was being swallowed by the music. As far as comeback albums go this is a decent if unspectacular effort. Much like many of the bands that appeared on that Speed Metal Hell compilation 24 years ago Whiplash never go their proper due, but's good to see them back in action again.

Clash of the album covers

Here are two new ones to choose from.


House of lords-Cartesian Dreams

VS.


Outloud-s/t

***Which cover do you prefer?

Ace Frehley-Anomaly

Bronx Born
2009



I don't know what it is about Ace Frehley, but there always been something about him that I have liked. My favorite KISS member by far for what that's worth. Even though he has had substance problems and questionable career decisions I find myself still interested in him.
Hard to believe that it has indeed been twenty years since "Trouble Walkin'", but it has. I am sure what I was expecting from Ace at this point, but I was interested in seeing if he had anything left to give. The first three tracks of "Anomaly" are all much heavier than I was expecting. All three were quite entertaining. His vocals sound pretty much the same as always which was great. The guitar sound was a little different, but it worked. Then he got into a rendition of Sweet's "Fox on the run". His voice sounded fine, but the music made little attempt to do anything other than copy the original. It's an alright cover, but it seemed to slow down the whole feel of the album and unfortunately I don't think that the album as a whole ever quite recovered like I hoped it would. Next up is "Genghis Khan" which due to it's rambling approach had me thinking of Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge". After this the album is a bit of mixed bag although slightly more on the positive side. Several of the songs in the second half of the album remind me of material from "Trouble Walkin'" and even the first "Frehley's Comet" album. So the second half is more typical Ace material, but still enough to please fans. In the end it's a decent, but far from perfect album. Still this is far better than the solo album from other KISS members and better than anything KISS have put out in some time for whatever that's worth. Still it's good to see Ace back in action and I am certain that I will re-visit this album.

Favorite and least favorite Iron Maiden albums

My favorite album is definitely "The number of the beast". Slightly different from the previous and following albums. Perhaps one of if not their most diverse albums.

Now for least favorite I think that "No prayer for the dying" was the first album that showed some cracks in the armor. In fact it ended their consistent streak of great albums and the 90's in general was not a kind decade for Maiden. I'll go with "Virtual XI" as the worst though. Blaze Bayley was not a god fit for Maiden and the music was surprisingly lame this time around.

What's coming up?

I have started on my review of the new Ace Frehley so I hope to have that out soon. I also hope to have out reviews of...
Whiplash-Unborn again
Essenza-Devil's Breath
JFA-To all our friends

plus...
Clash of the album covers and maybe one other topic.

***Have a great week!

Trusty-Demo

DC-Jam

2009

The first thing I thought of when I saw saw this disc was oddly enough Spongebob Squarepants because it looked like the cover of the "Yellow Album". However, it's not a comedy album and I knew that I needed to be fair so I quickly opened up the booklet for this disc and was informed that Trusty hailed from Little Rock, Arkansas. They were around from the 1980's until their break up in 1996. This CD is their 1989 demo and includes eleven songs. Okay, that's the background information. The lowdown on this band is that they were really good and it's a shame I hadn't heard of them sooner. My first impression was that they sound like a cross between Minor Threat and the Descendents. They bring the egde of the former and the melodic approach of the latter. The two styles compliment one another as Trusty sure knew how to blend the sounds and squeeze the most of what they were attempting. The confidence was immediately obvious and this is the kind of straight-forward, no nonsense hardcore approach that I was able to appreciate right away. It was kind of odd remembering that twenty years ago a demo meant a cassette tape so that is the format that these recordings originally appeared on. Quite honestly for the time the production is everything it should be which means it's clear enough, but meaty as well. Considering what what was going on in the punk world in 1989 Trusty may have been a little behind the times as far as trends go, but they were also far more interesting than a lot of the music that was seen as punk at the time as well. So I am certainly glad that DC Jam records released it now so we can have a chance to check it out.

Favorite and least favorite Metallica albums

My favorite Metallica album has always been "Ride the Lightning". I think it stands as their peak and almost every track works.

I am not a big fan of he black album or "And justice for all", but they have some good songs. However "St. Anger" was a total misfire. They attenpted to create a heavier sound, but it came across and lame, stiff and contrived. The drum sound was even worse than all of the above.

Hell's Thrash Horsemen-...till Violence

Always at war
2009

In the recent years of thrash revival there have been many bands attempting to resurrect the 80's sound. The results are varied and unfortunately too many acts feel content to just slap out thrash without adding any of their own ideas. Then there are a few bands who use the established sound as a spring board and actually manage to add enough touches of their own. Despite the ridiculous band name "Hells Thrash Horsemen" actually fall in that second category. This Russian band pull in a vast number of influences including Exodus, Testament, Nuclear Assault, Whiplash, Destructor and others. That's nothing new, but where they excel is in the oftentimes loose yet brutal attack. They further increase their attack by putting on layers of thick of heavy riffs. The production compliments their sound as it is amazingly sharp. The vocals are gruff, loud and to the point. Hell's Thrash Horsemen possess a certain confidence that comes through in every track. Too often I have heard recent thrash acts push out by the book thrash, but these guys have the skills and ideas necessary to go their own route. There are six originals each with their own individual sound. They close with a cover of Testament's "The Preacher" in which they put their own touches to it in a fantastic version of a song they obviously enjoyed doing. The only complaint I had about this album was that it was only seven songs and it ended just as I was really getting into it. So hopefully a full length will be on the horizon. Certainly one of the better thrash albums I have heard this year.

www.myspace.com/hellsthrashhorsemen

Favorite and least favorite Judas Priest albums

My favorite Priest album has always been "Screaming for vengeance". One of the first I ever heard from and it has stuck with me. Great vocals, sharp guitars and most of the material is very memorable.

Now although Priest have done a lot of good albums they have also done a few clunkers. Both Ripper Owens albums are weak, Turbo was very poor too, but I'll go with "Nostradamus". It's a long, soulless drone with very little to offer.

***So what are your favorite and least favorite Priest albums?

Favorite and least favorite Ozzy albums

Both are easy to pick out. "Diary of a madman" is one of those albums where every track works. I also think that this album is definitely meant to be listened to in it's entirety. That opinion comes from years of playing it over and over. Everything that was once cool about Ozzy is present here.



"Black Rain" is the third in a line of rotten studio albums from Ozzy and it's the worst of the bunch. Just piles of polish, noise and nonsense with being rolled to give a hollow performance. I believe that this was the worst album I heard the year this came out.

Lesser of two evils

Back in the 1980's the LA hard rock scene had more than it's share of bands pouring out and trying to make a name for themselves. Some like Motley Crue became huge while others fell by the wayside. Then there were the ones in between who sort of made it for a while or came close. The bands for today's contest come from this group and they are both actually older bands. We have...

Dokken-Back for the attack
vs.


Quiet Riot-3



Dokken had gotten some airplay and their videos had been shown on MTV. However around the same time Motley Crue had gotten huge and even Ratt had built their way up to being a headliner. Dokken were still opening act as they got ready to release their forth album. Quiet Riot were on a different track instead of slowly rising like Dokken. Kevin DuBrow considered this a different version of the band from the one with Randy Rhoads. Looking at it from that perspective the first album from this version was "Metal Health" in 1983 which was a huge hit. The band followed up fairly quickly with "Condition Critical" the next year. Personally I think it was a good album, but it didn't sell nearly as well as the previous effort. Like Dokken it was two years until they got around to their next album. Even though there was reason to believe these bands would put out good albums, but that just didn't happen. So lets get at them and see which one I could tolerate more.





Vocalists

Kevin DuBrow is up for Quiet Riot as he takes on Don Dokken. This is certainly not the finest moment for either vocalist. Quiet Riot tried to be something different on this album and really it was a failure. However the one aspect that clicked to some extent was Dubrow's vocals. It's pathetic material, but he makes a fine effort at trying to make it click. Don Dokken has always been a singer who has more range than personality. For me that makes him less memorable. He sounded good on the previous two albums, but here it's like the song run together and he seems to approach most of the songs the same. In the end he turns in a rather bland performance here.

Point to Quiet Riot

Guitarists

It's Carlos Cavazo for QR and George Lynch for Dokken. Cavazo was often considered a light weight and Lynch got the label guitar god or virtuoso. Okay, Cavazo deserved his label more than Lynch deserved his. Here it's as much Cavazo's playing that is at fault as it is the whole idea behind the album. What hard rock guitarist could sound good with so many synthesizers? Not many although that doesn't completely forgive Carlos from doing virtually nothing constructive here. Lynch had plenty of good moments on the previous two discs and his signature Mr. Scary is on this release. Still Dokken's album contains far too much filler and Lynch could have made a difference because he has the skill, but he didn't. So shame on him for spending more time on his tan and biceps than on his writing. Still he is the main factor behind the couple of good songs that are on here.

So point to Dokken

Rhythm section


For Quiet Riot is Frankie Banali on drums and Chuck Wright on bass going against Mick Brown and Jeff Pilson. Normally hard rock bands of the 80's seemed to be lacking in the rhythm section. However I actually think that Frankie Banali is a pretty good drummer, but unfortunately here he and wright both have their efforts absorbed into a big synthesized goop. Brown and Pilson had times where they were a decent duo. This time around I think the sound is smoothed more than normal, However the sound is still more coherent and more tolerable than on the QR album.

Point to Dokken


Disappointment factor

Both bands followed up decent albums in "Condition Critical" and "Under lock and key". The element that decided this category for me is the fact that while Dokken tried to be too smooth at least they tried to be hard rock. Quiet Riot were trying to cash on a synthesized rock that didn't benefit anyone. They would have hurt themselves less by not releasing any album until they had enough ideas to at least attempt a real hard rock album.

Point to Dokken


Who rocks more?

There are a couple of good songs on "Back for the attack" but it suffers from a definite lack of substance. The vocals and loud and Lynch's guitars whirl around here and there, but most of what we get is a lot of going through the motions. However that beats out Quiet Riot who through the effort of creating some of the most annoying excuse for hard rock to assault my unsuspecting ears in the mid 1980's. No wonder their mascot hid behind the band logo on this cover. I wouldn't want to show my face either if I had been involved with this mess.

Point to Dokken



Dokken win it fairly easily 4-1. Neither was a joy listening to and neither has aged well. Still I stuggled through and now I will likely not listen to either for some time.

Favorite and least favorite Motorhead albums

Believe it or not my favorite Motorhead album does not have Fast Eddie or Filthy Phil playing on it. Despite not being the classic line-up, "Orgasmatron" has been favorite Motorhead since I first heard it back in 1986. I think everything falls into place and it contains everything I love about Motorhead which is thick dirty riffs, pounding pace, great vocals from Lemmy and fitting lyrics.


Least favorite is "March or die". Not awful by other the standards of most bands, but for Motorhead it has too much fluff and too many filler tracks. It felt rushed and weak.

Clash of the album covers

It is...

Assassin-Interstellar Experience
vs.

Meliah Rage-Kill to survive

***Which cover do you prefer?

Favorite and least favorite KISS albums

My favorite KISS album has always been Dressed to kill. It was one of the first albums I heard from them. It's simple and raw, but for the most part it works. Not a song on here that I don't like.
For the worst I consisdered the Elder and rightfully so because it has awful songs, but it has a couple of good ones too. "Hot in the shade" just rubs me the wrong way. Just lots and sap and everything that was wrong with limp hard rock of the time.


**What is your favorite and least favorite KISS album?

Missing link?

Detroit's Death were a band back in the 70's and apparently they would later go through different band and sound changes. Around 73-75 they were playing hard rock that was a pre-punk sound. Now the story goes that these three brothers went in and started recording an album in 1974. About seven songs in the person they were working with felt strongly that they needed to change the band name. The band would not and the album was shelved. Now in early 2009 some 35 years after the fact this album sees the light of day and gets released. What we have shows traces of MC-5, Alice Cooper and others. They also have their own personality and their sound can be seen as a link between kind of early 70's hard rock and the mid-70's punk explosion that was coming. That is if this is legitimate. Most reviews except this band's story completely and this band apparently definitely existed in the Detroit scene for a brief time in the 70's. There was supposedly a seven inch released with two songs from this back in 1976 and it was a highly sought after item. However for a lost gem there seems to be surprisingly little in the way of posts or information that was written online prior to the re-issue of this album earlier this year. As we all know there are so many music sites and crazy fans out there that it seems like if this band had done this kind of album back then that multiple people would have already written on the topice before this re-issue. There is also the fact that the sound is great, maybe a bit too clean for a young band who just popped into the studio. Am I being too skeptical? Perhaps. Whether it was recorded in 1974 or 2008 doesn't change the fact that it's a darn good album regardless of it's date of origin. However when it was recorded does change things historically and Death get more credit for being ahead of their time if this was done 35 years ago. According to the majority of reviewers obviously accept this band at their word and there is no way to really disprove it unless Death were to come out and say otherwise and that won't happen. So I suppose I should just enjoy it.

***I might have something about other missing link bands some time soon.

What's coming up?

I still owe a lesser of two evils this week. So I'll have that out soon. Next week I have a lot of assignments to work on so I doubt I will get to any reviews in the coming week. To make it easy on me and to keep the posts fairly regular I will run a feature called favorites and least favorites. From Monday through Friday each day I will pick a different and post something short about what my favorite and least favorite album by that band is and why. Then you are welcome to comment with your favorite and least favorite by that band. I will also have a Clash of the album covers or two in the coming week. The following week I will hopefully get back to doing a few reviews.

The Black-Alongside Death

Pulverized
2009



Fairly new label Pulverized records have had a very active year. They specialize in releases of old style thrash, death and black metal. One of their latest signees is the three man band The Black which features two members from Swedish melodic black metal act Vinterland. You won't find as much of any meloides from this project. Much like the cover this is a simple approach as they forge straight ahead with an attack of black metal. The production is raw almost to the point of being primitive, but the brutal bombardment and tight fisted chops override any production pitfalls. Wisely the band chose to keep the songs short and that decision certainly compliments their simple sound. They hit upon some slower moments at times, but always manage to maintain a thick, meaty texture. Okay, truth be told the huge majority of this disc isn't anything that fans of the genre have not heard before. Except that they sound so excited nd sure of what they are doing. That feeling can be felt throughout the disc and that's what sold me on it.

Painted WIllie-Mind Bowling

DC-Jam
2009

This is a re-issue of an album that originally came out on SST records back in 1985. I know of and heard several artists on SST back in the 1980's but these were not among those. Never heard of them until this re-issue came out. After hearing it I can safely it's certainly not essential listening and it's rocky in place, but it's not without some definite merits. I think I was expecting mid-80's punk rock just based on the label this was originally released on, but that's not what this is. There is certainly basic punk beats and attitude, but the structure is very loose and various jams pop up here and there. That helps to keep matters interesting even it doesn't make the ending results turn out completely smooth. I would make the assumption that this trio liked some 1970's hard rock/metal almost as much as they liked early 1980's punk rock. What comes out of this approach is metal-laced punk rock with a rough played out the basement style. I don't think they completely flesh out all of the ideas that they start. However looking back with what we know today I think they were on to something that would come later as there is enough here that shows traces similar to the style of some stoner rock acts from say the last ten or so years. So Painted Wilie's fourteen year old offering is not without some flaws, but it's certainly an item of interest.

Dynahead-Antigen

Self-produced
2008

Hailing from Brazil Dynahead certainly attempt a diversified style of metal of their debut album. At first I thought they were going to be a straight forward semi-thrash influences outfit. A number of the songs start out with a down and dirty, heavy approach. Dynahead quickly prove that they have far more up their sleeves. They quickly begin to slip in both style and pace changes without hesitation. The sound is primarily aggressive and thick with rough vocals that accompany the above very well. The variations that they add in tend to be more melodic. That definitely adds some texture to their music. Obviously this is the band's strength and the element that helps to set them apart. I also get the impression that their is a certain honesty in their sound. That they are doing what they want because they enjoy it more than anything else. For the most part they are sharp enough to execute their style with a pleasing tightness. Although there are occasions where the changes are choppy and they interrupt the flow that could have been present. There are a few moments where they perhaps could be even better. For all that they attempt the results are certainly strong. Some more work and experience and this is a band to really watch out for in the near future.

http://www.myspace.com/dynahead

Clash of the album covers

Here is a second round of clash of the album covers.

It is...

Burning Starr-Rock the American way

vs.

Cities-Annihilation Absolute

***Which cover do you prefer?

Clash of the album covers

It is...

Angel-s/t

vs.

Straz-Violation

***Which cover do you prefer?

Machines of grace-s/t

Self-produced
2009



Once upon a time or around twenty years ago drummer Jeff Plate (TSO, Metal Church, Savatage), vocalist Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle, Savatage) and guitarist Matt Leff were in a band called Wicked Witch that had some success playing clubs in the Boston area. Fast forward two decades and the the former Wicked Witch members have re-united and added bass player Chris Rapoza to complete the line-up. The tracks contained here are a combination of re-worked Wicked Witch songs and new tunes. The sound is actually fairly varied as I can hear Savatage, Dio, Whitesnake and Kings X as influences. Due to the fact that 3/4 of this line-up played together years ago the end results sound like a cross of older hard rock and more recent sounds. What we end up with is melodic tinged metal. Now I have to say that I didn't fully take to this album on the first play. Actually I finished listening to it and I had trouble getting into it, but I felt like it deserved another chance. True enough on the second try it get began to settle with me. The songs are well-crafted and the vocals are smooth. The production boosted the sound as needed, but they wisely left the instruments speak for themselves for the most part. Leff and Stevens contribute some fantastic melodies and that's a large part of what fuels their material. I never heard Wicked Witch so I can't really compare these two bands accurately, but I am sure it's safe to see that the experience that the members have acquired over the ensuing years have helped tighten their playing skills. That last part is evident here because this is one of the best old style metal albums that I have heard in some time.

What's coming up?

The last of my bandages came off my leg this week and my leg is feeling so much better since the surgery. I registered for my Fall class and I am very nervous, but excited about it. My son starts pre-school next week and my daughter seems to like kindergarten so far. I still owe a Machines of grace review and hope to have it out soon. Here are the topics I hope to have out next week.

Reviews of...
Dynahead-Antigen
Painted Willie-Mind bowling
The Black-Alongside death

Clash of the album covers

and possibly Lesser of two evils if I can fit it in. If I can fit it in then Quiet Riot and Dokken are the likely contestants.

***Have a great week!

Last of...

Here is a quick topic and I think I did it before, but it's probably at least two years since the last time. Here are some simple questions for you dealing with the last.

What was the last album you listened to in it's entirety?

What was the last band shirt you wore?

What was the last album that you bought?

What was the last band website or Myspace page that you visited?

What was the last album that you listened to where it turned out to be better than you thought it would be?

Slave Traitor-Man Infest Destiny

Self-produced

2009

I love it when I know what I think of an album the moment it hits my ears. Makes my job a lot easier that way. Seattle's Slave Traitor know exactly what they are doing and they immediately establish themselves. My initial thought was that they sound a lot like High on fire. The vocals are similar to Matt Pike's and the music and thick and heavy roll to it. They are more subtle at times as they possess a knack for grabbing the pace in a steel grip as they slowly squeeze notes out getting as much out of each and every sound. This six song EP is strongly crafted with each song sounding as if it was carefully mapped out and executed. Once I got a few tracks into the disc I began see where they differed from High on fire to some extent. Even though they have traits of stoner rock just due to the pace they still have some definite thrash undertones in places. I think that influence provides a spark that sets this band apart. There is a definite Slayer sound here and there along the lines of the Reign in blood and South of heaven only slightly slower of course. They just easily manage to create and maintain a definite intensity. My only complaint was that they have now done two EPs I would love to see what they can on a full length release.

www.myspace.com/slavetraitor