Terror-Legion of Gore (7" EP)

Hells Headbangers Records
2016

Terror is a on-again, off-again, on-again Cleveland thrash band that can trace it's roots all the way back to the mid-eighties. I first discovered these guys on the 1990 compilation  "Heavy Artillery" and since then I've tried to keep an eye on their comings and goings. Between 1987 and 1995 this raw thrash band released a dozen demos(!) and those recordings eventually made their way onto two compilations. This 7-inch single features two songs from Terror's demo days that have been re-recorded for this day and age. "Legion of Gore" includes not only an updated & improved version of the title track, but a new take on "Carving Techniques". Both tracks sound like the Terror of old as they brutally combine classic eighties thrash and raw nineties thrash into a beast that is absolutely gnarly! Once again active, Terror could easily give extreme metal fans something to get excited about as there is FINALLY talk of new material! Since Terror was last active way back in 2002 this is some damn fine news for long-time fans and those who like their thrash metal to be as nasty and ugly as it gets!

Sinner-Touch of Sin 2

AFM Records
2013

Germany's Sinner, which features Primal Fear member Mat Sinner on vocals and bass, has been around for a very long time now. Since forming way back in 1980 the group has released well over a dozen full-length albums, tons of singles, a split recording, a live album and more then their fair share of compilations. With "Touch of Sin 2" (the title is of course a reference to Sinner's 1985 album, "Touch of Sin") the group has decided to go back into their past catalog and re-record some of their older material. These 11 re-recorded tracks are reportedly from albums that are not readily available anymore. That means these tracks are a way for fans of old and new to hear some of Sinner's classic material without having to fork over piles of cash for rare or (flat-out) out of print releases. Sinner has given these older cuts a new lease on life and they all sound remarkably fresh. If you didn't know any better it would be easy enough to think that these were new and original (and damn enjoyable) slabs of modern heavy rock/ hard rock. So there's nothing really here to knock Sinner for. If you're an older fan though and you're saying "Why should I pick this album up when I already own all of their older albums?", which would be understandable in my eyes as I often view these types of re-recorded albums as being more about making money then anything else, then there is still a good reason to pick up "Touch of Sin 2". In addition to the 11 re-worked numbers Sinner's new album features three brand new tracks. In order they are "Don't Believe a Word", "Blood on the Sand" and "Heat Of The City". The first one, "Don't Believe a Word", is a real catchy heavy rocker that (somewhat) recalls the better parts of the old hair metal scene. It's more straight-forward rock then glitter and glam, but for comparisons sake it reminded me quite a bit of that same kind of mid-late eighties melodic metal. Meanwhile "Blood on the Sand" is strictly a metal number with more grit and a gung-ho attitude then was expected. The same could be said for the hard-driving "Heat Of The City". As it closes off this collection of re-worked classics and new numbers it does it with on foot on the pedal and one hand throwing up the devil horns! With some rather tasty licks it's one of those tracks that reminds you of heavy metal's heyday when traditional heavy metal was king. Of the three new numbers it's a close call between "Heat Of The City" and "Blood on the Sand" as to which one rocked harder, but I'm leaning towards the former because of it's snazzy guitar solo! This collection, which was mixed by Achim Köhler (Primal Fear, Brainstorm), sounds great from track number one until track number 14. We're talking about a crisp and clean sound that helps highlight the radio friendly nature of some of these cuts while also giving this album a fantastic glow (if that makes sense). It's worth mentioning that "Touch of Sin 2" also features guest appearances by the likes of David Readman (Voodoo Circle, Pink Cream 69), Erik Martensson (W.E.T.), Diego Valdez (Helker) and Tom Naumann (ex-Primal Fear). All told "Touch of Sin 2" finds Germany's Sinner standing tall and proud. They have come a long way since releasing their first album, "Wild n' Evil", back in 1982 and a package like this should satisfy both old and new fans.
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Nails-Obscene Humanity

2012

This is actually re-recordings of a few tracks from their 2009 album of the same name that they decided to do to put out as a seven inch. Somehow this album reminds me of days in college when I would stay up  late studying for an early morning exam and fill myself full of coffee and Pixie sticks so I'd have energy to stay up and study, sleep briefly and then wake up and have enough energy to tear into the exam. Then after the exam the energy was gone and I'd crash for hours to recover. This album reminds me of those days because these three tracks from Nails in that they explode with a brief bursts of energy bringing crazy amounts of adrenaline to each ear busting song. Maybe they are fueled by excitement for the music rather than caffeine and sugar as I was and the music they create is more fun than taking a Geography exam. What I like most about these selections is that they know create heavy noise, but it never gets out of control. They frequently bring the noise back down into a crunching yet slightly more focused passage yet it all fits together as they blend hardcore with grind core and some other heavy forms to boot. These songs are over quickly, but they stayed in my memory long after they ended and that a good sign.

Loverboy-Rock 'n roll revival

Frontiers
2012

The download for this one popped a few weeks ago and I stepped around it like a piece of gum on the sidewalk. Briefly I considered tackling it, but decided against. A few hours after that decision I was at a grocery store that I only go to maybe twice a year. I walk in and the DJs are yacking, I start shopping and the first song they play next is Loverboy's "Lovin' every minute of it:. I took as an omen to review it whether it was good, bad or indifferent. I like some AOR, but to me Canada's Loverboy were never up on the A list like Journey and Foreigner. They were far more hit and miss and seemed to get weaker as the 80's progressed. I put all that aside when approaching this album. So what we get here is three originals and nine re-recordings of their more popular tunes. The three new songs are on first. The title track begins with a solid riff and sounds like it could have been around 1983 and I mean that in a good way. It's extremely tight and catchy, color me shocked. "No tomorrow" slowly make it's way on and they are in full ballad mode, but wait don't gag because they step around the sap for the most part and follow a steady path. If they'd done this one thirty years ago it would have been a radio staple. The last new song is "Heartbreaker" sounds like Loverboy taking their 80's sound into a more modern time (not quite today's time though). They follow a bouncing pace and this song flows so smoothly. There's kind of Bon Jovi vibe and the lyrics lack a little, but they push it ahead well enough to make it enjoyable even if it's kind of fluffy. Okay, so they sounded good on three tracks. Now they must be taking the easy road to fill out an album with re-recordings. Re-recordings are usually always poor versions of the originals and only a few brave bands try to mix it up and different takes on their classics that actually work, Well throw Loverboy in that majority and color me shocked again. The new versions are not all perfect, but they make them faithful enough to the originals yet they change up some tempos, solos and other parts enough to make it worth hearing these recordings. They put a 2012 spin on "Turn me loose", "Working for the weekend",  "The kid is hot tonight" and others plus it's quite well done. I was firmly expecting this album to be a tired old act going through the motions, but Loverboy proved me wrong. A very decent effort.

Labor day reviewathon count-2 down 8 to go 
Time left- three days, two hours and around forty-five minutes
*I need to review ten albums by the end of Labor Day or I have to listen to Warrant's Cherry Pie. (Come on, Mark knock out those reviews to avoid this fate).