Top 25 albums of 2009

I posted these the other week, but I am putting them out again as a whole in case you missed it.

25-Sister-Deadboys making noise

These guys changed their image and sound some since 2008. It worked out for the best.

24-Chris Laney-Pure

Animal guitarist and seasoned producer Chris Laney knocked out a solo album full of some of the best hard rock songs of the year.

23-Outloud!-s/t

What is this? 1980's style AOR in 2009? Yes, but so well done I fell for it right away.

22-At War-Infidel

A reunion album that didn't suck. Thrash trio still had something left to give.

21-Sacred Oath-s/t

Veteran band sounding sharp.

20-Panzer Princess-Oh, no it’s Panzer Princess

One of the better glam albums of the year.

19- Dark Castle-Spirited Migration

Doom the way it should be played, slow and thick.

18-Wino-Punctuated Equilibrium

Doom legend sounding a lot like Pentagram on his solo disc.

17-Nasty Idols-Boy’s Town

These guys still have some gas left in he tank.

16-Gypsy Pistoleros-Hotel De La Muerte

A shame it's only an EP, but anything from this band is worth hearing.

15-Praying Mantis-Sanctuary

A very good release from this NWOBHM band.

14-Artillery-When death comes

Great thrash comeback with new singer.

13-WASP-Babylon

Nothing new, but solid.

12-Argus-s/t

This one was flying up my list as I put it together.


11-Sepultura-A-Lex

Probably the first really good album that I heard in 2009.

10-Kylesa-Static Tensions

This might be the album on this list that took me the longest time to get into.



9-Nihiltia-Nihilist Militia

Rough, but I got into it right away.

8-Wolfmother-Cosmic Egg

These guys have grown as songwriters since the last album.

7-Black Math Horseman-Wyllt

Strange, but appealing stoner/drone.

6-Steel Assassin-In hellfire forged

Re-recordings of some old songs, but very sold classic style metal.

5-Slough Feg-Ape uprising

More of their style of NWOBHM with underlying folk melodies, but one of their stronger albums.

4-Slayer-World painted blood

One of their best in a long time.

3-Black Cobra-Chronomega

Slow, thick and heavy.

2-Admiral Browning-Magic Elixar

Holy shit, these guys built a wall of sound on this album.

1-Mastodon-Crack the skye

Not what I figured this album would be like, not even what I hoped for perhaps, but great nonetheless.


***Other bloggers have already or will soon be posting their top albums of 2009 lists this week. So check them out too.



All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
Hard Rock Hideout — http://hardrockhideout.com/
Hard Rock Nights – http://hardrocknights.wordpress.com
Heavy Metal Addiction — http://heavymetaladdiction.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Metal Excess- http://metalexcess.com/
The Metal Minute — http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/
Metal Odyssey — http://metalodyssey.wordpress.com/
Rock Of Ages — http://rockofages.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/

Bruce Kulick-BK3

Twenty4
2010


These last few months have seen a lot of activity that will undoubtedly interest KISS fans. First Ace Frehley emerged with his first album in twenty yeas. Then of course KISS returned with Sonic Boom. Now former guitarist Bruce Kulick comes forward with his newest outing. Kulick recruited a number of guest stars for this album including Gene and Nick Simmons, Eric Singer, John Corabi and Steve Lukather. The album is actually more varied in style than I figured it would be. I expected much of the disc to sound like leftovers from Kulick's KISS days. There are a few songs that sound like they could have been on Revenge, but they are better than leftovers as they are actually quite catchy. I also don't blame Kulick too much for copying that sound as Revenge was far and away the best KISS that he played on. However there are a number of more mellow hard rock songs and even some just plain rock songs. The majority are handled well enough and sound like they could have come out around the early-mid 90's. The album reaches a bit of a low towards the middle with a few consecutively slow songs that had me starting to lost interest. There isn't one sound throughout and a large part of that is likely due to the number of guest stars. Overall it sounds like Bruce Kulick is playing music he likes and the majority or it is instantly likable although overwhelming or highly original. I always thought that Kulick was likely the best guitarist technically to play with KISS, but he was basically a journeyman filling in the slot. Here he gets to call the shots, but he opens up his playing sporadically as he holds back more than I was hoping. Still it's tight and KISS fans will probably find enough about it to enjoy.

Raise the red lantern

At a loss
2009

It figures right after I make up my top albums of 2009 list I discover others that I might have put on the list had I heard them a few weeks earlier. As I made my way through the stack of discs piled on my desk to review I saw this dark covered disc and rescued it from the pit. I don't know what drew me to it this time around because I don't even remmber taking it out of a package, but I know that I to have done it. Still I stuck it in not knowing what to expect. Even after one whole I still was not exactly sure I now had it my hands however I knew it had far exceeded expectations and that I needed to play it again. The second convinced me even more that this was indeed something special, but still hard to pin down. Raise the red lantern draw on a variety of styles. They also use these styles in an unexpected approach as you never know when they jab at you with steady, fuzzed out pounding then start knocking you around with some thundering noise before finally knocking you out with some old style thrash bursts. They regularly reach into their trick bag and pull out doom, hardcore, grindcore, thrash and other styles without flinching or giving up any ground. They can mix and twist styles easily and still keep the pace tromping forward. The production is fittingly spectacular and works bringing all of the sound too and above the surface as needed. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sure got more than I bargained for which turned out to be a good thing this time around.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go, it is two covers of Heavy Artillery releases.


At War-Infidel

vs.


Exmortus-In hatred's flame


***Which cover do you prefer?

Fan Mail

Every once in a while I get some great comments on my posts. So I decided to share them with everyone who may have missed them the first time around by putting them here on my front page. If you look under the Piece of mind picture on this page you will see them. I added the author (usually anonymous surprise, surprise) and a link to the whole post if you want to see their whole comments, what I said to rile them up and my response. I left them as they were so any typos are the work of the author. I will be working to make it look better some time soon and I am still going through old comments to see if there are any that I forgot.

Post Mortem-Message from the dead

Taboo
2009



Post Mortem originally formed way back in 1982 when some of the band members were still in High School. Their 1986 debut "Coroner's Office" gets much credit as an pre-death metal attempt. The band followed it with the EP "The missing link" and then a pair of albums in the 90's before going on an indefinite hiatus. However a few years ago the original members reunited and began slowly throwing around ideas for a reunion album. Days before flying out to record vocals for the album vocalist John McCarthy died from a heart attack. Guitarist John Alexander decide to press on and wrap up the album they had begun. They recruited Sigh singer Mirai Kawashima to take over the vocals. They also brought a number of guests including members of Anal Cunt, Devastation, Cianide and others to chip during the numerous extra versions of songs at the end of the album. Right away it's obvious that the intent was to get back to sound that dominated their two albums from the 1980's. They see-saw between raw early death, semi-thrash ramblings and slow as a snail sludge. The style is similar to their early material although perhaps slightly more straight forward. The other huge difference would be that this time around the production is quite suitable as opposed the underdone production vlaues given to Post Mortem's outings on New Renaissance records. Kawashima does a fantastic job handling the vocals as he growls and rips his way through the material. This band has always done what they wanted to rather than going by trends or expected avenues. That doesn't mean every song they did was good, but there has always been a certain honesty to their music. It's a shame that McCarthy was taken too early from this world. However I am certainly glad that Alexander and the rest of the band pushed on to see this project to it's end because it is certainly the kind of album that Post Mortem fans have been hoping for over the years. It's also a fitting tribute to John McCarthy.

Axxis-Utopia

AFM
2009

I caught myself staring at this cover before I popped the disc in the player. It's a rather typical power metal cover with fantasy elements that show up on a lot of covers. The cover has a lot going on in the foreground and the background. In this case the music contained within actually has some similarities with the cover. The music is hyper and extremely busy and perhaps a bit over the top. Axxis play a style that doesn't rely on much build-up as they instead plunge straight forward with every instrument. Actually there was at times so much going on that it didn't totally sink in the first time as around, but I was able to get a handle on it more the second time around. The melodies are plentiful and catchy. Vocalist Bernhard Weiss has a great range and his vocals soar alongside the music. There isn't a great deal of restraint or even varied song structures on this album. Instead it's as if they take their strengths and put everything up front. It's something getting dessert before the meal. It's kind of a treat and a surprise, but I am sure I could handle it all of the time. Playing-wise they are not doing a whole that hasn't been done a number of other power metal bands. Instead they do alter the order around and the result is a lively and even fun album. It my not be the tightest or most inventive music being done, but "Utopia" was easy to enjoy and I still remember a great deal about hours after it's over. So they obviously done enough to make an impression on me.

Merry Christmas!

Have a great holiday. I'll be back to writing on Saturday.

-Metal Mark

I have not gotten around to doing one of these in a while so I'll try to get back on track. Today I am pairing two bands that are slightly different in style. Both hard rock, but Rough Cutt's debut came out in 1985 and it was typical for that time while Funhouse came out in 1990 and it was maybe just a little broader in style. Rough Cutt were on Warner Brothers, they were managed by Wendy Dio and they were at leas initially promoted fairly well. Funhouse were Caroline and came out at a time when the hard rock bands were popping out of every hole and into a crowded scene. The bands have two things in common. One is neither band was all that good and therefor number two is they both end up on the chopping block for Lesser of two evils. Let's rip into them and see which one is better or not as bad.


Funhouse-Generation Generator (1990)

vs.


Rough Cutt-s/t (1985)

Vocalist
We have Paul Shortinio of Rough Cutt going against Chris Hazard of Funhouse. It's actually surprising that I have been doing this segment for three years and just now got around to including Rough Cutt. Surpising because they are not that good of a band and I knew that, but I kept brushing it off in large part to the fact that Paul Shortino is a good singer and for a little while he hides the shortcoming of the rest of the band. He has a strong voice, but he can't pull off all of these songs though and eventually you can tell that he is just going through the motions trying to glide to the end of the tracks. Chris Hazard was obviously listening to Guns and Roses, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Bang Tango as he prepared for theses recordings. Somehow I imagine him in the studio swinging his arms and trying to act animated as he recorded his vocal tracks and saying something like " I am getting my groove on". Maybe not, but the results are okay. He overdoes it some, but not too much and he knows when to move on. Still ...
Point to Rough Cutt

Guitarist
Amir Derakh and Chris Hager are on for Rough Cutt. Amir Derakh gets credit for his name, but loses points for being listed a doing synthesizers along with lead guitars. Anyways the Rough Cutt duo have a huge sound around the guitars. Unfortunately they rely more on volume and production values than on style and there is enough here to suggest it wasn't because of lack of talent. They just held back and settled for repetition far more than they should have. For Funhouse it's Marc Vachon and Joe E. What these guys lack in originality they attempt to make up for with a raw tone. They don't succeed because thy are lacking quite a in the way of hooks, but they try and I give them a little credit for that. Neither pair does nearly enough to help their band's cause. Still I have to pick so...
Point to Rough Cutt

Rhythm section
For Rough Cutt it's bassist Matt Thorr and drummer David Alford. Wait, there was bass on this album? I think it got swept up in the load and ultra-smooth production which of couse was on par for many major label hard rock releases of the time. David Alford is adequate, but again I don't like the finished so much. It's glossy with very little feeling or personality. Funhouse has bassist Cat and drummer Johnny Hill. Cat? Well if Rough Cutt's bassist can add an extra "r" onto the name of a Norse God then I guess Funhouse's bassist can be named after a feline. Bass? Oh, I think I did hear a few notes. The drums are ordinary however the production doesn't suck the life out of it as much as on the Rough Cutt album. So...
Point to Funhouse

Originality/production
Rough Cutt fall in maybe the Dokken/King Kobrar melodic metal/hard rock style. The problem is they never push hard enough to establish much of their own style. Many of their songs start out fine for the first 10-15 second and they throw it into neutral and try to wade through completely forgetable mcuk for the rest of the time. As noted all too many times above the production on this album is way too slick and cold. Funhouse sound like the results of someone taking popular bands of the moment and throwing them in a blender and pouring them out. Unfortunately it's a bit lumpy and bland. The production is better and actually helps their sound a little.
Point to Funhouse

Who rocks more?
I guess I have painted myself into a corner as Funhouse have come back to tie this thing up so now I actually have to think about who rocks more. Even worse I had to listen to these albums again to make a decision because it really was that close. Not because either excelling, but rather because both succeeded in being fairly unmemorable. Each band has about 2-3 songs where they sort of pull together a few moments, but ultimately it was the fact that Rough Cutt put together a few tightly played passages that effected my decision.
Game, set and match to Rough Cutt for getting the final point

Perhaps Rough Cutt deserve points taken off for the limp album cover and the use of an extra "T". However Funhouse deserve points taken off for members wearing pajamas on the cover, doing live tracks on their album that are poorly overdubbed and most importantly not putting band member names in the booklet and forcing me to look up their sorry names so I can be thorough in my write-up. It all adds up to Rough Cutt limping past Funhouse in another Lesser of two evils that gave me a mild headache as I struggled through these two recordings. Maybe I should see if Tylenol will sponsor this segment for me because I always seem to have to use the product after I write one of these. Anyways I'll be back with another one very soon.

What's coming up?

Normally I do this on the weekend, but I was trying to crank those Railway re-issue reviews out. Sad news as my local indie record store is going out of business. I was there today picking up a few bargains amidst the other vultures at the closeout sale. A few of the top things I got were Bruce Dickinson's Chemical Wedding ($2), Accept-Restless and Wild ($2.50) and Cathedral's The VII coming ($2). Anyways the holiday is almost here. We are almost ready. Need to wrap a few more of the kids' presents.
In the next week or so I hope to have out reviews of the new Bruce Kulick, Raise the red lantern, Axxis and maybe another one. I'll have a Clash of the album covers or two and I promise the return of Lesser of two evils. I'll shoot to have two of those out in the next week or so. Likely Sleep vs. Cathedral in one contest and the other one will either be Whitesnake against House of Lords or Antix against someone if I come up with an EP to pair up against them.

***Enjoy the holidays!

I love Rich-Season of the rich

Self-produced
2009

In a year where Spinal Tap returned and hair band spoof Steel Panther received some notice it's not surprising that other bands would rise up with lyrics that are far from subtle. I love Rich are lead by a vocalist/bassist who is of course named Rich. Yes, just Rich as no last name is listed. Maybe he is too cool for a last name, I don't know. The rest of the band includes guitarists Chuck E. Sleeze and Full Throttle plus drummer Drewblood. The opener is "Let's fuck all night" and the music is very much late 70's KISS with a solid, yet straight forward sound with slightly repetitive lyrics. Keeping in tune with similar topics they follow up with "I'm only here cause your sister said no" sounds more AC/DC with a basic groove helping the bounce along. Up next is "Everybody's getting laid tonight" and you can begin to see that these guys have one track minds for their lyrics. Either they always lead with the crotch or else they just not never got tired of talking about what they talked about back in 8th grade. However "I'll be around" finds this band sounding slightly more serious for some reason. This track sounds like KISS with a touch of early Black -n- Blue tossed in for seasoning. The disc wraps up with "Rise up for rock and roll" which is probably my favorite song here. The main riff sounds similar to "Creatures of the night" era KISS. Rich actually sounds somewhat Paul Stanley on all of the five tracks here. Most of the songs are very simple and a couple them run on a bit too long. This sure isn't rocket science nor does this band try to pretend otherwise. This isn't something I could listen to all the time for sure. Still they tap into the spirit of basic hard rock on the music at least and they play a fun and fairly likable style. Perhaps I liked Rich and his band more than I loved them, but not a bad effort.

Christmas list

Now first on my Christmas list would be a new stereo because mine is shot. Second on the list would be a new turntable because that is shot too. Okay, my car stereo and another CD player fortunately are still in operating order. After those two if I was making a Christmas list I would add this album...




I have no clue what Sinful's "Gonna raise hell" sounds like although I would guess it's glam tinged metal. I just think the cover is so over the top ridiculous that I would love to have a copy. Not that I will make the effort to actually seek it out, but I can still add it to my imaginary list.



***Anyone else have a metal Christmas list? It can be real or just a wish list.

Railway-Climax

Metal Mind
2009

While touring for their second album in 85-85 Germany's Railway seemed to be gaining some momentum as they had the chance to tour with the likes of Motorhead, Twisted Sister, Manowar and other acts. However changes were coming. Vocalist Walter Wicha left and the band brought in their first vocalist Armin Schuler. Then shortly before the recording session for the next album guitarist Hermann Janowitz would depart as well. They recruited Florian Allgayer for the spot and eventually got their third album out in 1987. Even with 2/5 of the line-up changed they still very much in line with the previous albums although not quite as heavy as on the second album. Schuler fits in well as his vocal style isn't that different and actually adds some to the slower songs. The topics didn't change much as it's still mainly about rock and roll, woman and a few other limited ideas. Still the music is strong and they know their limitations. They still sound quite a bit like Accept and AC/DC, but occasionally push into some heavier territory. Kind of shame they didn't push the limits more because they handle those sounds well. Although I like the music on Climax it could certainly be argued that they sound like they are stuck in 1984 as they show very little progress and times were changing around them. The band would soon part ways with their label and it would be three more years until the next release. This Metal Mind re-issue includes a lyric book with photos and a band biography.

Railway- 2

Metal Mind
2009



Just over a year after their self-titled debut came out this band returned with the follow-up. I am uncertain as to what overcame the band in between the previous album and this one, but something changed. The self-titled disc is a fine hard rock album, but the direction of the album is somewhat scattered. At some point Railway picked up the pace and hammered out a more more direct style. That is what we get on this release. Okay, they sound more like Accept than on the debut. A few of the songs sounding similar in style to Accept around the time of Breaker and Restless and wild and they also sound a little like early Warlock as well. Now with song titles like "Lick it, stick it" and "Stronger than rock" you know that they didn't try all that hard with the lyrics. Still the music and vocals more than make up for the lyrical shortcomings. Railway certainly upped the heaviness on this release going from more hard rock to metal. Although there is still a melodic edge here and there that was present in the self-titled album. They seemed to have come into their own on this album and they found a sound that worked well for them. This album was easy to like and it will certainly be getting repeated plays from me in the near future. Metal Mind's re-issue includes a lyric booklet with photos and a band biography.

Railway-s/t

Metal Mind
2009

I remember browsing the shelves of my local music stores back in the mid-1980's. As a metal fan it was time where there were lots of choices albums, but as a teenager I had limited funds so I never got to hear all the bands that I wanted to back then. There were lots of acts I heard of back then, but never got to hear. Yet I tucked a number of band names away in my mind and in more recent years have sought out some of these albums to see if I actually was missing out or not. One such name that I remembered was Railway, but now their first three full length discs have been re-issued.The origins of this German band stretch back to 1977 when they began as Cumulus. They soon changed the band name to Railway because their rehearsal room was located in the cellar of an abandoned railway station. The recorded a demo EP in 1981 and had some tracks on a compilation before nailing a record deal and knocking out this their debut in 1984. The opener "Heavy Metal Fever" rips on with a riff that recalls High -n- dry era Def Leppard with a strong groove flowing forward. However this songs isn't representative of most of the album. A number of the songs vary in pace and heaviness level, but they manage to pull upon parts of hard rock, classic metal and even early speed metal. Many of the songs remind me of either AC/DC or early 80's Accept. Although unlike a number other bands of the time they don't really have one sound running through most of the songs. I wonder if this has anything to do with the possibility some of the material was written over the course of a few years? I am unsure that, but despite the lack of a cohesive sound the album is easy to enjoy. The riffs are powerful and tight. The vocals are easy to enjoy and singer Walter Wicha has a enough of a range to give the band some freedom to expand their sound. Not exactly a classic, but definitely and album that I glad to get check out now even if it is a quarter of a decade after the fact. This Metal Mind re-issue includs a lyric booklet with photos and a band biography.

Clash of the album covers

The holiday is almost upon us so here are some theme related covers of sorts. It is...


Austrian Death Machine-A very brutal Christmas

vs.


King Diamond-No presents for Christmas

***Which cover do you prefer?

My top 25 albums of 2009 finishes up today.

5-Slough Feg-Ape uprising
More of their style of NWOBHM with underlying folk melodies, but one of their stronger albums.
4-Slayer-World painted blood
One of their best ina long time
3-Black Cobra-Chronomega
Slow, thick and heavy.
2-Admiral Browning-Magic Elixar
Holy shit, these guys built a wall of sound on this album.
1-Mastodon-Crack the skye
Not what I figured this album would be like, not even what i hoped for perhaps, but great nonetheless.



There you go.

Top 25 countdown: Numbers 10-6

My top 25 albums of 2009 continues with numbers 10-6.

10-Kylesa-Static Tensions
This might be the album on this list that took me the longest time to get into.

9-Nihiltia-Nihilist Militia
Rough, but I got into it right away.

8-Wolfmother-Cosmic Egg
These guys have grown as songwriters since the last album.

7-Black Math Horseman-Wyllt
Strange, but appealing stoner/drone.

6-Steel Assassin-In hellfire forged
Re-recordings of some old songs, but very sold classic style metal.



***Final five up on Friday!

Top 25 countdown: 15-11

Here are numbers 15-11 of my top 25 albums of 2009.

15-Praying Mantis-Sanctuary
A very good release from this NWOBHM band.

14-Artillery-When death comes
Great thrash comeback with new singer.

13-WASP-Babylon
Nothing new, but solid.

12-Argus-s/t
This one was flying up my list as I put it together.

11-Sepultura-A-Lex
Probably the first really good album that I heard in 2009.



***10-6 on Thursday.

Top 25 countdown: 20-16

My top 25 albums of 2009 continues with 20-16.

20-Panzer Princess-Oh, no it’s Panzer Princess
One of the better glam albums of the year.
19- Dark Castle-Spirited Migration
Doom the way it should be played, slow and thick.
18-Wino-Punctuated Equilibrium
Doom legend sounding a lot like Pentagram on his solo disc.
17-Nasty Idols-Boy’s Town
These guys still have some gas left in he tank.
16-Gypsy Pistoleros-Hotel De La Muerte
A shame it's only an EP, but anything from this band is worth hearing.



***Number 15-11 out on Wednesday.

Top albums of 2009: 25-21 and honorable mentions

Three honorable mentions for albums that didn't quite make the list.

UFO-The Visitor
Very good classic style hard rock.

Johnny Lima-Livin' out loud
Producer/guitarist/vocalist nails it with a likable 80's style glam album.

Flood-Native
Likely the slowest album of the year. A massive drone fest that will take over your senses.

Let the top 25 albums of 2009 countdown begin.

25-Sister-Deadboys making noise
These guys changed their image and sound some since 2008. It worked out for the best.

24-Chris Laney-Pure
Animal guitarist and seasoned producer Chris Laney knocked out a solo album full of some of the best hard rock songs of the year.

23-Outloud-We'll rock you to hell and back again
What is this? 1980's style AOR in 2009? Yes, but so well done I fell for it right away.

22-At War-Infidel
A reunion album that didn't suck. Thrash trio still had something left to give.

21-Sacred Oath-s/t
Veteran band sounding sharp.



***20-16 on Tuesday.

Best re-issues of 2009

1-Twisted Sister-Stay Hungry 25 anniversary
The first disc is a re-mixed version of the album that doesn't sound a whole different from the original, but the second disc includes a whopping amount of demos and unreleased songs from the Stay Hungry sessions. The second disc makes the set very worthwhile.
2-Satan-Court in the act
A great NWOBHM album.
3-Sgt. Roxx-Weapon of miss distraction
We get the tracks from their rare EP plus a pile of others.
4-Acid Drinkers-Are you a rebel
These guys are crazy.
5-Railway 2
This band sounded a lot like mid-80's Accept and it's solid and easy to like classic style metal.

**The top 25 albums of 2009 countdown will begin tomorrow.

What's coming up?

I hope to have the Bruce Kulick review up this weekend. Then on Sunday I'll start in with some 2009 awards and follow with the top 25 albums of 2009 countdown during the week. So stop by and check them out.

Hardlein-Down to the fire

Self-produced
2009



If I had a dime for every CD I heard this year by a band that sounded like AC/DC then I would uh.. well I would be richer than I was at the start of this year. Louisville, Kentucky's Hardlein definite have a lot of those simple AC/DC riffs at the core of their music. Fortunately they start with that sound, but it's certainly not where they end. They take that basic groove and build upon it with layered melodies and give a display of power and skill. This is mid-80's style hard rock complete with loud blasts of pure rock and plenty of swagger to top things off. They possess a fantastic sense of control and rhythm. Along with the AC/DC comparisons I also here some 80's KISS swirled in here and there too. Just when I think I know where they are heading it changes and they build their songs up even stronger than I thought possible. The production is everything it needs to be as the finished sound is sharp and fresh. So Hardlein ended up be far more than I figured they would be. These guys have been around for four years and have worked hard at playing shows and getting their music out to the fans. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Clash of the album covers

Here you are.


Odin-Don't take no for an answer

vs.

Thor-Triumphant

***Which cover do you prefer?

Shroud Eater

Self-produced

2009

Miami based trio Shroud Eater claim to be influenced by late 70's heavy metal and 90's alternative, stoner and sludge rock. The opener "We are beasts" opens with punchy drum beats that remind me of Helmet and early 90's Prong only more laid back and with perhaps a more punctuated rhythm. The guitars are choppy and thick as they lay a solid foundation. The vocals are rough, cutting and fit in perfectly. "Vesuvius" blasts on with a similar drum sound as the previous track. This track offers up some quicker pace changes and they lather in even thicker riffs. Yet they keep dipping and dodging by throwing in slightly out of control vocals that keep the listener on their toes. The final track "Cyclone" is easily the heaviest and most stoner influences track here. It's a winding instrumental and is definitely the most aggressive. Shroud Eater bring a mix of 90's heavy music and more recent stoner influences. It's hard to tell a lot from just three songs, but I like what's hear. They may want to reconsider the production a little for the next time as a fuller sound would help them sound even better. Definitely a band to look out for in the future.

Dr. Grind-Speechless

Eonian
2009



Seattle's Dr. Grind were playing hard rock in the early 1990's so that kind of put them in the wrong time and the wrong place. As we know grunge came from that area and stomped out much of the hard scene that had been so popular in previous years. These guys did knock out an album before disbanding in 1996. Now Eonian records gives us a chance to hear 17 songs by this band. Instead of the more popular hair/glam approach, Dr. Grind instead followed a more melodic metal approach similar to Dokken, early Queensryche, Icon and TNT. The vocals are strong as vocalist Rick Allen displays quite a bit of range. The guitar duo of Tom Moore and John Tippins are solid and they offer up a great sense of control and even some fine solos. All these songs were done around 93-94, but sound much more like they could have been done back around 84-86. So I guess they were playing what they liked more than anything. That approach shines through and helps the sound even if it didn't exactly help their careers in the early 1990's. The production is spectacular and helps their sound greatly. The booklet includes a brief band history and notes about their song topics. It's a shame Dr. Grind weren't putting these songs out a few years earlier because they may have found more opportunities then, but at they are getting a chance to have their songs put out now.

Clash of the album covers

It's soundtracks for two 1986 horror movies.



AC/DC-Who made who (Maximum Overdrive)

vs.



Fastway-Trick or treat soundtrack

***Which cover do you prefer?

What's coming up?

There is snow in the forcast this weekend in my area. This is kind of early for that, but it has happened before. Other than that I am working on a paper for a class and trying to keep up with the kids.

I'll shoot to review Shroud Eater's demo this weekend and then next week reviews of:

Dr. Grind-Speechless
Bruce Kulick-BK3
Hardlein-Down to the fire

plus Clash of the album covers or two.

***Have a great week!

Down and Dirty-Live Fast

Self-produced
2009



Judging from the band name, album cover and band photo I expected these teenagers from Chicago to play straight 80's style glam rock. In the end they kind of are and they kind of aren't. Obviously they probably listened to Motley Crue, Ratt and other Sunset Strips bands, but there also more of stripped down sound that is more reminiscent of say early Aerosmith and 70's KISS. Honestly most of this album is simple and I mean incredibly simple like something almost any band could play. The riffs are basic and the lyrics are typical, but there is a certain charm to this band. What really comes through in their songs is that they enjoy this kind of music and that goes a long way in my mind. Their stripped down sound and catchy melodies may not have taken them long to write, but they will stick with after the album ends. There are a lot of group choruses and not a great deal of pace changes, but I definitely found myself falling for their basic approach. The overall style is more hard rock with hints of late rock than it is metal. While I like what's here that's not to say there isn't room for improvement. The production is of demo quality in some spots. The vocals sound fine, but the guitars could be louder and there are a few tracks where the drum sound could really benefit from beefier sound. While I appreciate what they have done in this album, I would definitely expect them to continue to grow and expand their music. Like I said they are young so they are likely learning with each show they play. They have only been around for about two years as they formed out of the ashes of Skizm. I like what they have done so far and am looking forward to hearing what they come up with down the road.

Strike Twice-s/t

Eonian
2009

Between about 1985 and 1991 there was a whole of hard rock/glam/hair bands trying to get somewhere. A few made it, some made it a little ways and many fell by the wayside. So why did bands in that last category not make it? Obviously there were so many acts that not everyone would make it. More specific reasons would include the fact that too many bands just copied the sounds other more established acts and not everyone was all that good. Strike Twice fall into those last two categories to some extent. They are not all together bad. The production is strong, vocalist Michael Hayes elevates a few of the songs with above average talent and they hit on some good melodies here and there. They sound a lot like a cross between Poison, Ratt and Warrant. Strike Twice quickly fall into the mode of trying to sound just like the top bands of the day and fail to put any of their own ideas into the final sound. The results are alright, but predictable and nothing special when compared to the whole scene. All of the songs here were recorded between 1989 and 1991. These guys were hoping for a record deal and had some interest, but never got signed and then the change in musical trends ended their chances for good in the early 1990's. They reformed last year with a 3/5 original line-up. Indiscriminate fans of hard rock of the day may like them, but for most fans this is just one of many bands that didn't make it for obvious reasons.

Top albums of 2009 coming soon

In looking at the calender it looks like I am going to devote the week of December 13th to awards for 2009. So on the 13th I'll do best re-issues and best album covers. Then starting the 14th I'll do the top 25 abums of of 2009 as a countdown and I'll reveal five per day and wrap up with the final five on the 18th. I already knwo the top five or so, but for the others I need to do some more listening between now and then to figure who is in and what the order will be. Hope you will stop by and check out my lists.