metalmaniac777

Creed was not a Christian band. Scott Stapp went out of his way to let people know they were not...

Well there was also a Christian hard rock band named Creed, but completely unrelated. I think that is what prompted some confusion.

Odd that two bands with the same name both sucked equally bad...

Latest acquisitions...

HITMAN (Unrated)--cool, stylishly-violent action movie based on the popular video game. Sure, a bit preposterous and illogical at times, but I let all that go in the name of enjoying some nifty carnage-laden shootouts.

AVP: REQUIEM (Unrated)--saw the "censored" cut in theaters and thought it was just OK, but thought I'd give the unrated version a try, since it supposedly has additional blood, guts, and gore. Haven't watched it yet though...

"To deny our own Ranch is to deny the very thing that makes us human."

Today I have learned / realized that some people are just fucking idiots and not worth my time.

Geoff didn't call the next morning, eh?

Mastedon: "Lofcaudio"

"Taken Down Below" ~ Mastedon

"Hold on, Sugar! Daddy's got a Ranch tooth tonight!"

$200/month...

Yes, Pete, you read that right--the same amount of money you spend every month on mascara and various hair care products.

And that doesn't even take into account what I spend on Depends.

You should seek an endorsement deal with them: "Rockarma will rock the shit out of you! Brought to you by Depends."

"Ballcrusher" ~ W.A.S.P.

OTHER: YNGWIE!

Since his name is Yngwie Malmsteen, I included him in the "M" poll way back when.

...when I look in my CD cabinet, "Y" is the one letter of the alphabet that is unrepresented.

I have the same exact problem. As letters go, this one leaves a lot to be desired...

Oy-vay, we've come to the "Y"s, and holy crap, what a lousy letter. Quite possibly the worst letter in the English alphabet when it comes to naming a rock band. As always, write-ins welcome if there's somebody I missed (I even included an "other" option this time).

Frankly, I'm not much of a fan of any of these bands, but I still think Y&T are the runaway favorites and they got my vote.

What say you?

I still don't like beer. There, I said it.

"Young Love" ~ Bride

Bride: "Kinetic Faith"

DEATH ANGEL: "Killing Season"

OK, so they're not really a "thrash" band anymore, but this is still some really good straight-up heavy metal. Some of the riffs are just killer. Bigger production would have made this sound even better, but the production is plenty serviceable and lends it a bit of that oldschool feel. These guys are seasoned metal veterans, so by now they know how to make a good album, and that's exactly what they did.

$200/month...

Yes, Pete, you read that right--the same amount of money you spend every month on mascara and various hair care products.

Whitecross: "Nineteen Eighty-Seven"

"No Way I'm Going Down" ~ Whitecross

IN FLAMES: "A Sense of Purpose"

A change in direction for this heavy metal band finds them doing the "clean" vocal thing much more rather than the near-constant screaming of previous albums, and also finds them focusing a lot of attention on the choruses, which are instant, accessible, and fairly catchy. But make no mistake, while this may be more commercialized than their earlier CDs, it's still very much a heavy metal album; it's not like they're suddenly going to appeal to Foreigner fans or those who like their rock "pink & fluffy." The production is massive, which is pretty standard for modern metal bands, delivering a big, full, thick sound that's polished in all the right places. I can see this appealing to people who enjoy the more commercial side of modern heavy metal, those who are into bands like Trivium, Soilwork, Demon Hunter, Bullet For My Valentine, etc. Those who are into more "serious" heavy/thrash metal like Machinehead, Job For A Cowboy, and bands of that nature will probably be a little less than impressed.

I'll be fair - and maybe eat some humble pie - and say these are a bit better than my First Spin comments implied:-

 

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - Scream Aim Fire

 

...this does have a few decent tunes on it. I still see this as Metal made by people wearing suits & sitting in a big office rather than actual Metal that's loud/heavy/aggressive, but they really nail it on the killer title track. In fact, the first 4 tracks are all very good. Whereas they destroy any momentum they build with too many ballads, and there are some blatant fillers, it's a decent listen and has 4 great tunes at least...

 

IN FLAMES - A Sense of Purpose

 

...whereas this is definitely a much more commercial/accessible album than anything they ever did previous, it has some good tunes on it. The guitar is still nice & crunchy, the production is HUGE, and I even kinda like the ballad "The Chosen Pessimist". If you like your Metal on the catchy/accessible side then you'll like this...

Careful, Tim, you're in danger of being labeled a sissy metalhead like myself! I personally find the new BFMV to be filler-free (though naturally, some songs are better than others). I also love my metal to be catchy, accessible, and well-produced, so I'm loving the new In Flames CD...though I think "The Chosen Pessimist" is a total dud and absolutely murders the album's momentum. But hey, that's what the Skip button is for, right?

I've listened to Vertical Horizon's entire discography and the only song I liked was "Everything You Want." To me, the rest is as forgetabble as it gets. I think my wife still has their albums, but even she hasn't dug them out in many moons. Probably because we already have enough coasters...

I don't know. The two Barren Cross albums they produced aren't overly slick. (Although you can still hear John in the BGVs) If you have Loud and Proud +2 you can hear how good some of the demos sound. The Get It demos are pretty rough but the Peace Treaty demos are awesome and sound much better than the actual CD versions.

Granted, the Elefante-produced Barren Cross albums sound heavier than X-Sinner, but I still maintain they're pretty polished & commercialized like everything John & Dino have done. I just don't think X-Sinner had a right to expect an overly heavy production when the Elefante brothers were hired, and I'm just saying that I bet they were aware of that back then, but now they want to gripe about it, when probably if you read interviews from back then all you would hear them doing is praising John & Dino and talking about how happy they were to work with them.

Maybe the Elefantes exerted too much control over the bands they worked with...I dunno. I've heard Guardian, The Brave, Petra, Bride, and Halo all complain about them too.

C'mon, ya never know when yer gonna need a spare gall bladder...

You can live without it, so I'm gonna pass.

You have no idea what you're missing.

Ahoy, landlubbers, and various sea-farin' swill-chuggers! "X" marks the spot, and here ye can find various musical treasures. If you can think of any "X" bands that I missed, feel free to write 'em in.

My vote goes to X-Sinner. With their AC/DC-meets-Def Leppard sound, they're one of my favorite Christian hard rock/metal bands from the 80s/90s. "Get It" has the kind of ballsy aggression so often missing from the Christian rock realm.

OK, now that I've x-pressed my views, how about yours?