metalmaniac777

I just received all 4 Eonian Records releases, but have only had a chance to listen to two of them, Charlemagne and Pistol Dawn. Between those two, Pistol Dawn is my runaway favorite, thanks to their infectious, sleaze-tinged, hook-driven pop-metal sound. I also think the drums on Pistol Dawn sound really good, big, thick, meaty. Don't consider any of this a diss on Charlemagne, however, as that's a perfectly solid melodic hard rock/metal album as well, just with a smoother, more polished style. I just prefer the dirtier attitude of Pistol Dawn. Personal preference an' all that.

Really? I told him you were drop-dead sexy, great in bed, with Einsteinian intelligence, and that you can whip up the best ham-and-cheese omelet this side of the Rio Grande. Straydog, I guess you can consider yourself fibbed to.

I thought you hated these guys? Hate is such a strong word. Extremely-overrated would more accurately sum up my feelings on this band. I picked up this copy in a trade with Stefan (Backster), so it didn't cost me any money. However, my opinion hasn't changed--this is as formulaic and by-the-book as melodic rock gets and I can't believe the rave reviews it garners. Aside from "Chasing the Angels" and "I Am Rock," there is nothing on this CD that I ever care to hear again.

My point here is not to sway you to a Christian viewpoint, but to merely point out that by admitting that you're not sure God doesn't exist, you by default acknowledge that He might exist. A few posts ago you questioned how Christians can believe in a God that allows children to suffer, yet by your own admission don't rule out the possibility that such a God exists. I'm not here to defend my faith, my beliefs, but to merely point out the fallacy of your own words. If you said, "Children suffer, therefore God cannot exist, so I am an atheist," I would fully understand your reasoning. But when you say, "How can you believe God exists when children suffer even though I'm not sure that He doesn't," well, that doesn't make sense to me. Hell, maybe I'm just really tired (I forgot how little sleep you get with a newborn in the house) and not explaining myself very well. I view belief in God much the same way as I view my wife's love. Can I know for sure, with hard, fast, concrete, indisputable proof that my wife loves me with all her heart? Frankly, no, I can't, because love is not something tangible that I can grasp. But I see evidence of my wife's love each and every day, and that evidence leads me to believe that she loves me. Same line of thinking applies to belief in God; while I cannot hold God in my hands, I see evidence of His existence all around me, therefore I conclude that He is there. Do I understand Him all the time? Absolutely not. But would you really want a God so small and simplistic that mere human intellect could understand everything He does? Everyone's answer may differ on that, but my answer is a resounding "no."

Where did you get that information from? Never heard of them being remotely Christian, and their lyrics certainly don't reflect any spirituality. Not saying you're wrong, just honestly curious to as to where you heard this little nugget. Back in 1995, when Pavement Records was set to release Touch Of Madness, they released Beggars Bag as single to all of the rock radio stations that played Pavement Records material, the station I jocked at was one of them, they sent a press release with the single, it was an interview with Blaze, at this time I had never heard of them, but he mentioned the S\T disc, and that a lot of Christian bands and fans wont even consider Scarecrow a Christian band because they don't sugarcoat their music with overlays of scriptures and other things Christian bands do, all the lyrics are secular, but they are written from a Christian stand point, about world events, and just life in general, they don't sway one way or another, but the band are extremely Christian, but they don't promote themselves as a Christian band. Huh. I had no idea. Cool. Sounds like a classic case of "we're a band of Christians" rather than "we're a Christian band." Happens all the time now, but back then the line between Christian music and secular music was usually a little more clear-cut. Thanks for the info. I learned something today.

Um, you are on record in other threads as stating you are agnostic. You do realize that agnostics acknowledge the possibility of God's existence, don't you? Are you changing your mind? Has the rape/murder of this little girl now turned you into an atheist? Because if not, you shouldn't be railing against Christians who believe in God when you yourself claim (via agnosticism) to acknowledge that God might in fact exist. As I have said elsewhere, I believe there is evidence all around us of the existence of God, or a Higher Power, if you prefer the term, and just because He allows something terrible to happen does not change the fact that He exists. Do I understand why God did not interject when this innocent child was violated and slaughered? No, not at all, and I never will while I walk this planet, and I am secure enough in my faith to raise my eyes to Heaven and much like you, ask Him, "Where the hell were You while this girl was suffering?" And by the way, despite my Christian beliefs, I am human and bloodthirsty enough to fully agree with you on the Colombian necktie thing. As a correctional officer, I never lose sleep when I find the child molesters beaten to a bloody pulp in the showers, and I would be happy to read a news report tomorrow saying that they found the sick bitch in her cell split open from crotch to crown. Anyway, this story is hellishly tragic, but in no way does it disprove the existence of God.

You give it a perfect score but are disappointed by it? Or did you mean to say you give it a 5/10??

I gave'em a decent review in Detritus, Dave...unlike them Load Point Pull guys. Load Point Pull > Conquest Just sayin'.

I'll be all over a new album like a rat on a piece of cheese.

Pretty good tune. I like it. Just pulled out the self-titled album last week after a long hiatus and was re-impressed with how good it is. Still haven't picked up "Dreamin' in a Casket." Probably should rectify that in the near future. I'm sure the baby can go without diapers and formula for a week...those things are so overrated anyway.

Where did you get that information from? Never heard of them being remotely Christian, and their lyrics certainly don't reflect any spirituality. Not saying you're wrong, just honestly curious to as to where you heard this little nugget.

Yep, if that's the kind of stuff that makes you weak in the knees like an ugly virgin about to be ravished by Brad Pitt, then V.A.N. is definitely the band for you.

As long as that new album doesn't sound like "Bottle Rocket," count me in.

Hahaha...funny how the results don't really reflect that though! I can't help it that only about half of us have good taste.

I went with Option #3, but "couple hundred" is actually about 700 or so for me. I was never a "gotta have 'em all" kind of collector, but I did use to be far more tolerant of what I kept; nowadays, I need to really like a CD to hold onto it. Keeping a CD that I haven't listened to in the last 5 yrs. no longer makes sense for me.

1. Both good, solid debuts, but "DRFSR" gets the edge. 2. Two fantastic sophomore efforts but "Cherry Pie" got my vote, despite "ITHOTY" containing one of my all-time favorite power ballads ("Miles Away"). 3. Two more top-notch choices, but "Pull" is more consistent, so I gave it the vote over "Dog Eat Dog." Love 'em both, though. 4. I despise live discs, but Winger did it better. 5. "Born Again" was good, nothing more, but "IV" sucked so bad that "Born Again" wins by default.

1. "Too Fast for Love." But honestly, neither album has any place in my collection. 2. "Out of the Cellar." Never been a big fan of "Shout at the Devil," despite it's 'classic' status. 3. "Invasion of Your Privacy." No contest. 4. "Girls Girls Girls." This was a close one, as "Dancing Undercover" is really good, but I find myself listening to "Girls..." more often, so I gave it the edge. 5. "Dr. Feelgood." Absolute no-brainer; while "Detonator" is a great hard rock album, "Dr. Feelgood" is a genuine classic of the genre. Nearly 20 yrs. later and I still haven't grown sick of cranking up "Kickstart my Heart." Those WHOA-YEAH!s really deliver some punch. 6. "Ratt (1999)." Nothing wrong with "New Tattoo," but it's sort of spotty while the Ratt CD is far more consistent and (in my opinion) better produced.

Comparing Tesla to Night Ranger is like comparing diamonds to donkey piss. Night Ranger has a few good songs sprinkled here & there, but Tesla has entire albums of good songs. Clean sweep for Tesla.

Latest acquisitions... Pillar: "For the Love of the Game" (Jap.) Lordi: "Arockalypse" (Special Edition) Burn Halo: s/t Skid Row: "B-Side Ourselves" Dangerous Toys: s/t Brother Firetribe: "Heart Full of Fire"

Well, I don't know if we're ALL trying to tell you something, but I'm pretty sure Geoff wants to pull you close and whisper naughty things in your ear, followed by delicate nibbles on your lobe.

And MetalManiac777 gets in a good one here on the page for X-Sinner's ANGRY EINSTEINS/CRACKED: You have to love how Mark never sugar coats anything. No he doesn't...but he's honest and respectful. Good Lord, Keef, there's a review I had forgotten all about writing. Eh, well, the band had it coming for releasing that dogshit-disguised-as-an-album. And sugar-coating is for candy and edible panties, not opinions.

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I (well, my wife) had our second child yesterday, another little girl. Kaydence Ann Allen was born at 9:55 a.m., weighed 6 lbs. 4 0z., and was 21.5 in. long. Everything's going great...except that I came down with a stomach bug last night and am currently home puking my guts out, so I'm not allowed anywhere near the hospital today. So, all you parents out there, anyone got advice on how to deal with a 2 year-old and a newborn in the same house without losing my sanity?

I've seen photos of ghosts and ufo's..... Personally, I've never quite understood how someone can stand in the middle of creation (the beach/ocean/mountains/forests/etc.) and believe it all happened by accident. As Ken Tamplin once wrote in a song, "A single cell points to a design." Life on earth is simply far too complex to believe it happened without guidance from a Higher Power. But hey, that's just me, and right about now Geoff is rolling his eyes and thinking, Mark, I knew you'd chime in with something like that.

Now there are some words you'll never hear out of my mouth when it comes to movies.

Not sure how it can sound awesome in 10 years if it doesn't even sound particularly good right now...