metalmaniac777

Unlike my brother, I am a big fan of Kutless and consider their "Sea of Faces" CD to be a classic Christian hard rock album, so I welcome a new release with high anticipation. The new single ("The Feeling") definitely sounds like one of the best tunes they've ever written and has me eager to hear the rest of the CD.

You bragging stud, you. Did you use your fingers or your tongue?

Good God in Heaven, how the mighty have fallen. Those samples are mindbogglingly (is that a word?) bad. Sounds like Silent Rage should have just stayed silent.

I should preface my picks by stating I really can't stand this band. That said, if I'm forced--and by "forced" I mean at gunpoint--to listen to them, my "favorites"--and boy do I use that term loosely--are "1984" (DLR) and "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (SH).

Ya know, stories like that burn my ass worse than last night's five-alarm chili.

Rumor has it that you've never met a guy you didn't like, if you catch my drift...

How the heck did I miss this poll back in the day? Oh well, I can rectify my oversight now and cast my vote without hesitation for Ratt. Nothing wrong with Dokken, but I just prefer Ratt's dirtier, sleazier vibe and--dare I say it?--better hooks.

You did.

Thanks, Pete. Way to ruin a perfectly good thread.

But Tony, you ARE guilty... ...guilty of having kickass auctions, that is!!!!

Keel: s/t

"King of the Rock" ~ Keel

DEF LEPPARD: "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" Repeatedly, fans' cries for another "Pyromania," "Hysteria," or heck, even "Adrenalize" have fallen on deaf ears as the band continues to do whatever they want regardless of fan demand. But much like a leopard can't change its spots, each D.L. album has shown at least some portion of the band's sound, and "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" (still a stupid title) is no different. Except for a few songs, the hooks aren't as catchy as the D.L. hooks of old, but they are still catchy. The guitars don't rock as hard as they did back in the day, but they do still rock. The harmony vocals don't swell as much as they did in the "Hysteria" days, but they are still there. In other words, when compared to Def Leppard in their heyday, this new CD sort of disappoints, but taken on its own terms, it's a fine rock 'n' roll album.

Def Leppard: "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge"

"Proud to be Loud" ~ Keel

Here's what's been getting some serious spin-time in my stereo lately... Cynical Limit:s/t Def Leppard: "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" Chyld: "Saints & Sinners" Anew Revolution: "Rise" Chryztyne: "Tales of Paradise"

CYNICAL LIMIT: s/t This is ex-Angelica guitarist Dennis Cameron's new band. Picked it up when it first came out a couple years ago, slotted it into the Christian metal section of my collection, and then forgot about it until recently at which time I gave it another listen. Pretty cool stuff; not quite the shredfests that the Angelica albums were, but still very melodic and at times a touch heavier than Angelica, as evidenced by the awesome opener "The Code" with its gang-vocal "NO!" chorus shouts. I'm pretty fussy about what I keep nowadays, but even after spinning this one again, it still merits a place in my collection. Angelica fans, or fans of quality Christian melodic hard rock/metal in general, should definitely seek this one out.

For some stupid reason, my work computer is preventing me from accessing the website, but no matter, I heard all I need to hear--Barren Cross is working on new material! Hopefully Mike Lee (Michael Drive) hasn't gone so "mad hatter" on us that he steers the band in an experimental direction. I want to hear a heavy, hard-hitting, oldschool (with modern production values) Barren Cross album! If they can maintain a state of control, they will once again rock for the King in the atomic arena and unapologetically rattle your cage...

Hmmmmmm...kind of likin' what I'm hearin' here.

I agree with everything Geoff said. Except the part about liking Razormaid. They never impressed me much.

All right, clearly this guy needs to be . Dissin' the Skidsters should be baneeable offense. Seriously, it's really a matter of personal taste. Vocals with "attitude" are more important to me than pitch-perfect melodious vocals, so while Matijevic might technically be a "better" singer than Bach, I much prefer the aggression/attitude that Bach brings to the microphone. Someone looking to be awed by technical brilliance might prefer Matijevic or Coverdale or whoever. All depends on what your ears wanna hear.

Here's the 2nd stage of trying to determine which letter is the overall favorite. This time around, we focus on the favorites from the letters "N" through "Z"...from this group of winners, which one do you think takes the crown? Once we've figured out the favorite "N-Z" band, we'll run it against the favorite "A-M" band and see exactly what letter of the alphabet reigns supreme. My vote goes to Skid Row. Still one of my all-time favorite bands, the masters of melodic aggression by which all others are judged. OK, what say you?

Latest acquisitions... Anew Revolution: "Rise" (kickin' modern hard rock/metal) Def Leppard: "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" (hoped for better, but not too bad)

No soft spot for classics like 'Naked Gun' and that sort of stuff? Naked Gun was OK. I'm a huge fan of the original Porky's. The first Police Academy was pretty funny too. The first time I watched Hot Shots! I laughed my ass off, but it hasn't held up so well. I also recently watched Superbad which had me cracking up. So, you see, it's not that I'm opposed to comedies and even like a few of them here and there, but my primary cinematic tastes are of the blood-and-guts variety.

Okay, I'm curious now, mate. I'm not a huge fan of A LOT of sitcoms, but do you mean to say you like none? Not even 'Seinfeld'? Even 'Friends' in it's prime was pretty damn funny, I have to admit. I also enjoyed 'Ned and Stacy', 'Two Guys a girl and a pizza place', 'That 70's Show' and currently I think 'How I met your mother' is excellent. Sadly, that is possibly the complete list of the ones I do and have ever liked, and for every one there are at least 100 I despised. But I'm losing focus. Just wondering what you watch for a laugh, mate? Do you like any comedy movies at all? Any non-sitcom comedies on TV? Don't be a stone, man. Admit it, Geoff, your curiosity is not the only part of you that's aroused by me. OK, Seinfeld was mildly amusing at times and I often derived a chuckle or two from Friends, but that's pretty much it. Oh, wait, I am a big fan of Sledgehammer, a politically-incorrect 80s sitcom that only lasted 2 seasons. Even bought the box sets when they were finally released on DVD. Thankfully they had the wisdom to remove the laugh track...God, I hate those things. Like I'm so stoopid that I have to be told when to laugh. As for movies...I own exactly 3 comedies: Clerks, Clerks II, Chasing Amy, and The 40 Year Old Virgin. In other words, for every 100 violent action/horror movies I own, I own one comedy film. Personally, I consider that a pretty respectable ratio.