hardrockhaven

Agreed with most of TIM2's review. Spun this again today. Perfect summertime music. However, I find the song "Gone" to be one of the fillers though. I think the Poley reference might tend to make a few people shy away from this when it shouldn't. Ted's solo and other projects have been a shell of his former self since he quit DD years ago. He's never had to sing to his full potential since "Screw It" or "Cockroach". Marcello-Vestry is definitely one of the better releases of the year so far for melodic rock.

Glen, you have outdone yourself yet again. First Tupelo Honey, and now this. This band is sweet! Awesome find. You're right though, how the shit have these guys not put an album out. They're just teasin' us dammit. Chris

Hey Jim, Good call on the Tokio Hotel. I was just gonna post a thread about these guys. Picked them up a couple of days ago while perusing through Virgin Records. I didn't see what songs are on their myspace page, but there are definitely some good anthems on here. Kinda reminded me of a harder version on Faber Drive at times. Chris

FRONTIER(s)--brutal French horror film from the director of Hitman. Definitely not a film for the faint of heart. Chris

Listened to my copy of "September Sessions" today. Damn fine album. I even give it the edge over "Machines and Robots". All five tracks are good on this one. And, the ballad "Make Me Believe", I think I've already stated how I feel about that song. This is great modern melodic hard rock people. One of the reasons I come to this board is to check out new bands that people recommend. Kudos to the starter of this thread. Keep 'em coming. Chris

Got my copy of "Machines and Robots" in the mail today. Damn fine album. Only one track (Not Alone) out of five didn't make the cut. That title track is a catchy little anthem. Great way to end the disc. How are these guys not getting signed. The lead singer's voice is perfect for today commercial hard rock market. Lovin' the notes he can hit. Can't wait for "September Sessions" to arrive next so I can hear that ballad again. Chris

I think that 'Morphine' is fast becoming my fav song of 08 so far. Killer song, killer EP - as you say its a shame its not a full album. Where did you get this from? I would love to pick this up but can't find it anywhere.... Not widely available outside of Canada/US. The link on the web page goes to Maple Records, but the shipping times/expense is silly. Try Amazon.com - they will still ship to UK and times/costs are much better/lower. All their other stuff is on UK itunes if you want that. I've got copies of "The September Sessions" and "Machines and Robots" on the way. Ordered them both off e-bay for decent prices. Much cheaper than any online retailer I could find. I believe I saw more of them on e-bay for whoever might be looking. Chris Wow, they're great prices... shame about the $7.99 postage to Australia. Maple records are very expensive (and slow) with shipping. Not recommended. Also, I NEED to hear 'September sessions'. Go to their myspace page and you can hear a couple tracks of off "The September Sessions". Or, you at least gotta go to youtube and watch the music video for "Make Me Believe". I'm loving this ballad. Chris

Yeah, it's a track that definitely builds up and I didn't even notice the chorus the first time, but by the third chorus some beautiful atmosphere has been created. I just thought it was a very nice tune. 'Cause I'm a pansy. Um, yeeeeah, beautiful atmosphere isn't an ingredient I require out of my metal bands, but I digress

I think that 'Morphine' is fast becoming my fav song of 08 so far. Killer song, killer EP - as you say its a shame its not a full album. Where did you get this from? I would love to pick this up but can't find it anywhere.... Not widely available outside of Canada/US. The link on the web page goes to Maple Records, but the shipping times/expense is silly. Try Amazon.com - they will still ship to UK and times/costs are much better/lower. All their other stuff is on UK itunes if you want that. I've got copies of "The September Sessions" and "Machines and Robots" on the way. Ordered them both off e-bay for decent prices. Much cheaper than any online retailer I could find. I believe I saw more of them on e-bay for whoever might be looking. Chris

I love that song "Itsypooked" by Road Ratt. I didn't know they had ever done material for a second album. Awesome! Looking forward to hearing more samples from these guys. Chris

I did find one copy left at an FYE in my local mall. I think Geoff pretty much summed up a good review on this one. I wasn't blown away by ballad "Let Go" though. Thought they dropped the ball on the chorus there. As stated, the vocalist does take a little getting used to, but this is definitely crankin' hard rock/metal with some ballsy chrouses and riffs. The last song "Love To Hate" is a rippin' track too. Chris

The track "Make me Believe" off their earlier EP is an awesome power ballad. You can check the video out for it on youtube. Chris

Nice call. It's crankin' and in your face, yet still catchy and melodic at times. I'm gonna go try and track down my copy today. Chris

Good call. If Yellowcard were in this poll they'd be my pick by a long shot. Do you mean 'Ocean Avenue' when you refer to a debut? Thye had a few awful albums before that one. Yeah, I meant "Ocean Avenue'. I'm not a huge fan by any means, so I didn't even realize they had earlier material. "Ocean Avenue" had commercial friendly written all over it and did have numerous tracks that stick in your head. Too bad their follow up was such a stinker. Chris But you do have 'Paper walls', don't you? From 2007? One of the best albums of all time? I actually quite like 'Lights and sounds' after further listens. Yeah, I meant "Lights and Sounds" being a stinker. Just thought they dropped the ball on that one. I didn't keep "Paper Walls" either but it was better than "Lights and Sounds". Hopefully, these guys get back on track like the way Simple Plan just did. Of course, Faber Drive just set the new standard for this type of sound IMO. Love that cd. Chris

Good call. If Yellowcard were in this poll they'd be my pick by a long shot. Do you mean 'Ocean Avenue' when you refer to a debut? Thye had a few awful albums before that one. Yeah, I meant "Ocean Avenue'. I'm not a huge fan by any means, so I didn't even realize they had earlier material. "Ocean Avenue" had commercial friendly written all over it and did have numerous tracks that stick in your head. Too bad their follow up was such a stinker. Chris

Ditto on the debut album being a masterpiece. It's one of my favorite Christian rock albums ever. It blew away their lackluster sophmore release. Legend's debut ranks just under The Brave "Battle Cries". Ahhh, those were days.... Chris

I went with other. The debut album by Yellowcard is pretty catchy. Chris

Nouveaux's debut album was nothing short of spectacular. To me, it was the Christian answer to Def Leppard. However, I'm a little disturbed now after reading Paul's bio on myspace. He calls Firehouse the worst band ever. My opinion of Paul just dropped a few notches. Chris

Yep..he's the one that mentioned it, heard about it from you I do believe. Thanks for the heads up on this one Jim. I am lovin' it! Chris

Check out the track "Reckless Youth" off this new release. They pretty miuch just changed the words to the chorus of Skid Row's "Youth Gone Wild". Excellent, I tell ya, excellent. Tracks like "Turn It Up", "Throwdown", and even the touching "Smiling Down" will have you running for your record store. Chris

I didn't even realize Pillar had released a new cd until it was brought to my attention today. Pillar has always had some good songs on each of their albums, but they've never had a full release that I've actually kept. That is, until today. This is their crowning achievement! Even non-Pillar fans need to check this new one out. Gone is most of the rap-metal or whatever you want to call it. This is just hard rockin' songs with great choruses which even include big harmony vocals. The guitars are slammin', the production awesome, and most of the choruses could have come straight out of the late 80's/early 90's. If this is how the game is played these days, count me in coach. Chris

Hey Geoff, I do agree that "Still not getting any" has some very good songs on it. I actually burned several tunes from it before getting rid of the album. I just think that from start to finish this newest release is the best stuff they've ever done. Good lyrics and a catchiness factor of ten with those killer choruses. Just push play and enjoy. Sorry I missed the other thread, but I'm glad to hear you guys were already onto this gem. Chris

I didn't see any other thread about Simple Plan's new cd. So, I have to give kudos where they are due. This album is HUGE! I don't own any other Simple Plan cds, but this one is definitely a keeper and one of the best releases of the year so far! Nary a bad song on this release. It's a bit more mature than their previous teen-angst style, and the production is massive. And the backing vocals, enormous! I haven't heard this kind of vocal harmony in years. One listen to the rockers "When I'm Gone" and "Take My Hand" and you should be hooked. You'll be belting out these infectious choruses for months to come. Bottom line, melodic listeners who have never cared for this band need to give these guys one more shot. They finally nailed it out of the park. Fans of Faber Drive will eat this up. Chris

I'm out on a lonely limb here but I went with Phoenix Down. That album with Kane Roberts is killer! From the rockers to the ballads, the album was just huge. That one release shamed most other bands on this pick list, even though I do like PC69 and Poison as well. It's time for Kane Roberts to do something else already. I need my fix! Chris

As good as Shy Tiger was, I actually like their new name and melodic hr sound better. They're now called ANATOMIC and released a cd called "In For The Thrill". Very good stuff. The ballad "Out of my heart" from that release is flawless. I'm still surprised this release didn't garner more attention when it was released a couple years back. Chris