Holy Grove-Live at Jooniors

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Don't know the name? No worries my friends. Soon enough Portland, Oregon's Holy Grove will be on everyone's lips! And yes, it will be well-deserved chatter and then some! Formed via Craigslist in January of 2012, Holy Grove is a female-fronted doom metal act with the (Name Your Price) "Live at Jooniors" offering two samples of the group's live prowess. Recorded this past summer, "Live at Jooniors" features the tracks "Holy Grove" and "Nix" and with both numbers running past the six-minute mark there is more then enough material on hand to allow listeners to fall heavily in love with this four-piece act! Lead effortlessly by vocalist Andrea Vidal (with guitarist Trent Jacobs, bassist Gregg Emley and drummer Craig Bradford rounding out the fold), Holy Grove has become one of Portland fastest up-and-coming metal bands and after listening to this live EP it's no wonder why! By fusing vintage doom metal with classic rock riffs, 70's hard rock and the rhythmic aspects of blues-rock this four-piece brings down the house! With their honest and sincere approach to music and the way in which it all sounds so natural and free-form Oregon's Holy Grove easily captivates the audience and holds it's attention tight. Skilled beyond belief, guitarist Trent Jacobs and bassist Gregg Emley lay down thick cover (read: hearty riffs and fantastic fuzz!) over which Andrea can work her magic. Meanwhile drummer Craig Bradford keeps everything wrapped together nice and warm making Holy Grove's sound all the more alluring! With a full-length album supposedly due sometime before the end of 2014 Oregon's Holy Grove should be a household name soon enough!


 http://holygrove.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-jooniors

Free Metal Monday-Gojira/Kvelertak Split Live EP

While I have not had a chance to listen to this free 6-track EP for myself I still thought I would pass it on to you, our faithful readers. This free digital download features 3 live tracks from Roadrunner Records label-mates Gojira and Kvelertak and can be all yours for the taking. The track-listing for this free EP is:
 1. Gojira- "L’Enfant Sauvage"
 2. Gojira – "The Axe"
 3. Gojira – "The Gift Of Guilt"
 4. Kvelertak – "Kvelertak”
 5. Kvelertak – "Bruane Brenn"
 6. Kvelertak – "Evig Vandrar"

You can get the download for yourself by simply filling in a few lines right below.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/splitliveep

Glenn Hughes-Live In Wolverhampton

earMusic/Armoury Records
2013

It was back in June 2009 that bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, who should need no introduction to classic rock fans and hard rock fans alike, played a two-night set in his English hometown of Bilston, Wolverhampton. a history. Over the course of those two nights he played material from throughout his career. The music covered a lot of ground from his time in Trapeze to his days fronting Deep Purple. All of those choice cuts were put onto this 2CD collection. Whether you were there in person or not doesn't really matter as it's easy enough to get caught up in all the excitement of the moment. These songs were enthusiastically embraced by his hometown audiences and there's one clear reason why. The music here, and the man himself, rocked! Whether your a fan of Glenn Hughes or not the mere energy of this live material is enough to catch you off guard and sweep you off your feet! This 2 CD set stands as both a history lesson in rock and a celebration of Glenn Hughe's impressive musical career. The first night saw Glenn Hughes play cuts from his time as lead vocalist of Deep Purple while on the second evening, dubbed "You Are The Music: An Evening Of Trapeze," (an obviously allusion to the Trapeze album "You Are the Music...We're Just the Band"), Hughes performed songs from his early days in Trapeze. It would have really been something if he would have dug even further back in time (as in the 60's) and covered material from his time in Finders Keepers! Sadly for die hard fanatics he doesn't, but this 2-CD collection is still magical and a must-have for fans of either Deep Purple and/or Trapeze. Cuts like "Mistreated" (Deep Purple) and "You Are The Music" (Trapeze) sound amazing and it's obvious how much Glenn loves both the music and those that who made the music-the fans. From the audience reaction to both nights it's obvious that the fans picked up on the love as well. It really is something to hear from fresh the material still sounds. While the Deep Purple material may have been played on night let's start with night number two. Hearing Hughes and company play Trapeze cuts like "Touch My Life", "Medusa", "Black Cloud" and "Good Love" is one thing, but it's the way in which these numbers sound so timeless that is the real clincher. There's a lot to be said about how damn good these tracks still sound after so many years! And the energy level of Glenn Hughes? Wow. Forget Beyoncé, and her artificial attempt at "music", as this album's immense electrical charge is for real!. For you see, as I sat down to listen to this two-night/two-CD collection of classics, with a glass of wine in my hands (and nothing but a pair of headphones separating me from some killer rock), the power ended up being knocked out cold!  It's more then just mere coincidence if you ask me! It just shows the power this bassist/vocalist has! I mean here's a guy who played with Trapeze, Deep Purple and even briefly fronted Black Sabbath! That speaks volumes about how good Glenn Hughes was and still is. If the Trapeze material is really good then the Deep Purple material would have to be considered great! Although it's so close it's hard to tell which one night/band covered here is better. Take a listen to the Deep Purple cut "Mistreated" and then listen to Glenn's cover of it on disc number one. If it was played with this much passion (and skill level) a track like "Mistreated" could easily fit into some young/hip band's set list and the younger generation, assuming they didn't have wonderful parents who schooled them on the greatness of Deep Purple, would just eat it up and never know that this track was older then they were. The material comes alive here and really does sound as fresh as ever! "Live In Wolverhampton" is packed with some amazing gems and the mix, which is rich and inviting, makes you feel like you were right there. So again, whether you're a fan of Glenn Hughes or the bands he was in (or even if you're just a fan of good classic rock/hard rock!) you simply cannot go wrong with this live album. Cheers to you Glenn! May you keep on rocking FOREVER!

Deep Purple-Live In Paris 1975

Eagle Rock Entertainment
2013

There's absolutely no need for a long-winded introduction when it comes to Deep Purple. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last forty-plus years you should know the name and know the legacy. Other then an eight-year hiatus (1976-1984) this English band has been a constant in the world of rock and roll since forming back in the late sixties. Listen to this live album and then consider the fact that the band is still at it and it's easy to see why Deep Purple are considered to be one of the hardest touring bands in the world. There's also a very good reason why this album is revered. While it could be debated whether or not this live recording is as good as "Made In Japan" it still sticks out as it was the last show played with legendary guitarist Richie Blackmore before he left the band. Of course his departure would lead to the legacy that of Rainbow. So, with Richie Blackmore on his way out the band recorded his last show with them in 1975 at the Palais des Sports, Paris With David Coverdale on lead vocals, Glenn Hughes on bass/vocals,  Jon Lord on keyboards and Ian Paice on drums this might not have been considered the classic line-up (indeed this was the Mark III line-up), but, man alive, could these fine gentlemen ever rock! With a new album on the horizon (due for release in April) it's good to hear that this is just the first of 10 classic Deep Purple albums that will be exhumed. This was originally issued on Purple Records and features the same original 9-tracks, but with a great interview with Coverdale, Hughes and Paice tacked on as a bonus. It's also been digitally re-mixed and re-mastered from the originally multi-track recordings. That right there is reason enough to pick up this 2-CD set. If you are new to this album and you're wondering just how you can stretch 9 songs over the course of 2 CDs the answer is simple enough: solos. Lots and lots of solos. That might sound like it would be a tedious affair, but when you have musicians of this caliber it's far from the case. All five of these guys were more then professional musicians as they breathed life into the music they played and believed in. This album might have been recorded live back in 1975 (when I was a mere 2 years old!), but it stands as a testament to the timeless nature that lies at the heart of Deep Purple's music. We've all heard tracks like "Burn", "Smoke On the Water" and "Highway Star" on the radio as these are a few of Deep Purple's contributions to the vaults of classic rock. Here they take on a life of their own and help to make the distinction between studio-Deep Purple and live-Deep Purple. Both verses were great in their own right as an album like "Live In Paris 1975" pays witness to. For the casual Deep Purple fan out there this is would make a nice addition to a collection. For the die hard Deep Purple fans out there I'd wager that this one is already in your collection. With it's enhanced sound and the bonus interview it's still worth picking up again though.


 

Stryper-Live In Indonesia At Java Rockin' Land

MVD
2012

Christian hard rock act Stryper were filmed at this huge festival in Indonesia two years ago. It was reported that it was a last minute addition to their touring schedule, but the band and their management did what they had to for making it happen. Here we have the line-up that played on all of their well know 80's albums as bassist Tim Gaines returned in 2009 after being out of the band for a few years. The set list is also made up of mostly 80's tracks with cuts like "The Rock that makes me roll", "Loud n' clear", "Honestly". Yes, the band is still is still wearing yellow and black outfits only now they are a bit more subtle about their attire. My favorite things about Stryper are that Robert Sweet is a very solid drummer. I have heard it more in the various projects he has done with guitarist Bill Menchen, but you can hear and definitely see it in this performance with Stryper as well. I always felt that Michael Sweet and Oz Fox were a slightly overlooked guitar duo as both were competent and even impressive at times on their solos. One of the major drawbacks of Stryper for me was too many sappy, slow songs. I know that some of those were there most known hits, but they never appealed that much to me. Every hard rock act back in the day seem to have felt the need to tack on at least one power ballad, but Stryper always seemed to put more than one of their albums and for me it slowed down the momentum of their albums. Another part of Stryper that I had trouble with was how high Michael Sweet's vocals could be. He was always in tune, but at times this approach took away from the overall heaviness of their songs. Let's get into this 2010 performance. This was a huge festival and the sound and camera people do a great job of capturing the excitement of an event of such proportions. The first thing that I noticed right away was that Michael Sweet was a much more charismatic frontman than I would have thought. He is very natural and relaxed, but also engaging with the crowd. In between songs he jokes about how 80's glam bands looked and about what MTV has become. Unlike other 80's hard rocks that are now middle aged there is no attempt to act like they are still in their 20's and be the aging rocker. Instead what we get from Sweet and the rest of the band is straight forward show of solid hard rock delivered to the best of their abilities. In listening to Stryper's 80's albums I always felt the production could have been a bit more full in tone on their heavier tracks. On occasion it felt like they were playing music that but someone behind the knobs turned the music down a bit. On this show you get to here some of what you may have been missing on those studio versions for all these years. Stryper managed to act natural, look natural and play their songs about as good as I have heard them. I didn't go into this DVD expecting to be that impressed, but I was indeed impressed. Since the time this concert was filmed the band has released the very likable 2011 cover album "The Covering" and they continue to tour. I was glad to see a veteran hard rock look like they still had something left to give.

Ozzy Osbourne-Speak of the devil DVD

Eagle Vision
1982/2012

Not to be confused with the live album that had all Black Sabbath tunes, this DVD is from a show that was filmed at Irvine Meadows, California on Junee 12, 1982. The show was also shown on MTV on Halloween back in 1982. So we know the back story for this. That being that guitarist Randy Rhoads was tragically killed in a plane crash in early 1982. This also happened shortly after Ozzy had begun his tour in support of 1981's Diary of a Madman. Ozzy decided to soldier on and continue the tour. By the time this show was filmed Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) was Ozzy's guitarist. Filling out the live band were Rudy Sarzo on bass,tommy Aldridge on drums and Don Airey on keyboards. The set list relies heavily on material from Ozzy's solo debut "Blizzard of Ozz". There are also a few songs from Diary of a madman and a few Sabbath songs towards the end of the set. The video and audio quality are similar to that of a VHS tape, but I'll cut them some slack since the show was filmed 30 years ago. Let's get the negative out of the way first and then we'll get to the positive. Brad Gillis had some huge footsteps to fill following Randy Rhoads and trying to handle Tony Iommi's riffs on the few Sabbath classics that are on here. He handles the rhythms well enough, but his solos are rather average. As I said I am sure it was tough to follow Rhoads, but when I compare how Gillis plays the Rhoads/Ozzy tunes and the Sabbath tracks I fins myself thinking that he tries his best go note by note on the rhythms with no real music personality of his own. Perhaps he was told not to improvise, but either way his playing is rather average. It's not Brad Gillis' name that appears in great big letters on the front of this DVD so the madman himself is open for some criticism as well. This was during a time where Ozzy was probably living pretty wild and I am sure the death of Randy Rhoads took it's toll on him as well. He looks extremely tired here and it's funny to realize that even thirty years ago Ozzy moved like an old man as he shuffled about across a limited range on the set. I am not sure if his struggles with getting the mic in the stand was due to the equipment iteself or Ozzy not being sober, but either way he struggles and fiddles with said equipment all through the show. Now that the gripes are out of the way lets get to why this disc is worth seeing. There is a lack of spectacular solos and the keyboards being more prominent than needed on a few songs, but other that is an overall tight set with a solid song selection. Ozzy's band sticks in there and show a considerable amount of enthusiasm all the way through. Ozzy himself sounds in good form. He may look and move like he was on his last leg, but his vocals were all that I hoped for. Despite looking fatigued he sure doesn't get tired as the show goes on, in fact he gets stronger and sounded even better as he went along. The stage set is a parts of a huge castle which look great even though we know Ozzy isn't going to be doing any running around out there. Maybe this shows my age, but I really liked the simple camera work that was typical of that time. There are only a few cameras and no quick cuts. I felt like I was really to getting to see a lot this way as opposed to some videos of recents years where they switch angles every few seconds. Ozzy wasn't perfect on this set, but he was good and seeing this show I am reminded of why he once held in such high regard in the metal community once upon a time.

Rose Tattoo-Live in 1993 from Boggo Road Jail

MVD Visual
2012

What was going on in the music world in 1993? Seems like there was a bunch of grunge and alternative bands moving to the forefront of the scene over here. However one music event of note was taking place on the other side of the world. Rose Tattoo had reformed to open for Guns -n- Roses and they also played at an event to celebrate the closing of the Boggo Road Jail. This DVD is from that show. What a show it is. This band has always been compared to AC/DC and rightfully so with the sound being similar in it's basic style. However AC/DC lightened up after a few years while Rose Tattoo stayed very raw. The heart of their music really shines through in this show from almost twenty years ago. They plow through some great songs including "Assault and battery", "Rock  -n- roll is king", "One of the boys" and "Tramp". I tried to think of highlights, but really the whole show is highlights. There are no filler, no off moments just a down and dirty rock band hitting on all cylinders. The thing hits me most watching them in this show was it's like a big party as far as the relationship between the band and their fans. This isn't some rock stars putting on a big, it's just a band and it's fans feeding off of each other's energy and that's how it should be. The sound and video quality are decent. My only complaint was for about the first half of the show we kept getting the same angles of the crowd. This was a big show with a wide area to film from, surely they had more cameras capturing the action, but that's a minor complaint. This was a heck of a show from a band that hasn't always gotten it's due outside of their home country. It's also hard to believe that both guitarists who played on this show-Peter Wells and Mick Cocks have both since passed away. So this DVD is definitely worth seeing to view this line-up giving their all.

Stone Axe-Captured live! Roadburn festival 2011

Ripple music
2012

Stone Axe have not been around that long but they sure have quite a few releases. Even though they have done just two LPs, there were two disc deluxe editions of those plus they releases some seven inches. So what kind of release are they missing? Oh, I know a live album. They teased with some live tracks as bonuses on those deluxe editions. From those we knew they could bring it live and were very comfortable on stage too. Yet a whole album would surely be even more spectacular. Indeed it is. Not every bands translates well on a live album although some try to twist the knobs in the studio to tweak their live sound. I doubt there was a great deal of that going on when getting this album together. There didn't need to be because the old style early 70's throwback rock that this band creates so easily flows on a live album just as well as the studio versions. Maybe even better believe it or not. They tear into the instrumental opener "Stonin'" and then glide into "On with the show". From there they just keep knocking out killer rock songs one after the other with their mix of of AC/DC, Free, Bad Company and others. For me the highlights include the slow and raw "Black Widow", the bouncing "Shine on" and the heavy hitter "Old Soul". Seriously ever track is worth hearing and the band is seriously tight live.For those who are already fans of this band this is a welcome addition to their catalog. For those who have never heard this fantastic act then this would serve as a fine introduction.