metalmaniac777

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.

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.

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...

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.

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?

Latest acquisition... INSIDE (Unrated)--brutally violent French horror film about a widowed pregnant girl terrorized by a strange women who will stop at nothing to get the child the girl is carrying. Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but what I have seen will make even the most hardened horror fan's jaw hit the floor. The killings are savagely bloody, but not cartoonish; the gore is graphically realistic as opposed to amusing (I was reminded of another French horror film, High Tension, at times). And I defy any man not to cringe at the scissors-meets-crotch scene...damn, that hurt to watch...

"Get that Ranch off my lawn!"

Kind of cracks me up that the band bitches about the overproduction of the Elefantes, 'cause I'll bet you dollars to dimes that back in the day when they were first signed, X-Sinner was absolutely thrilled to be working with John & Dino. Why wouldn't they? At that time, the Elefante brothers were the hottest, most highly-sought producers in the Christian rock/metal realm. Everybody wanted 'em. But decades later, X-Sinner says they overproduced the albums. Sorry, but you knew what you were getting; John & Dino have always been slick, polished, glossy producers. Getting them to produce your record and then griping about it is kind of like hiring McDonalds to cater your kid's birthday party and then bemoaning the fact that they brought hamburgers...

This is right at the top of my list of CDs to buy, but I need to come up with some cash first. So, uh, anyone wanna buy a kidney? Gall bladder? C'mon, ya never know when yer gonna need a spare gall bladder...

"I'm too old for this Ranch!"

"Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at 'Ranch.'"

Wow, we've come to the "W"s. As usual, quite a few solid choices got cut in my quest to whittle things down to 20 choices, so write-ins welcome. My vote--and I'm sure it won't be the only one--goes to Wig Wam. I swear if you look up the word "catchy" in the dictionary, you'll find photos of their albums right next to it. Great band. So who do you like?

Latest acquisition... STORM WARNING (Unrated)--directed by Jamie Blanks (I Know What You Did Last Summer), this is a pretty solid survival-horror movie about a couple lost in the Australian backwoods and tormented by a deranged trio of psychotic killers. No, the plot's nothing you haven't seen before, but what makes this a total keeper is the last 25 minutes where the gore comes fast & furious and is guaranteed to make even hardened horror fans cringe at least once or twice. More than once I gaped at the screen thinking to myself, Oh that is just so wrong. In a good way, of course.

I personally think their 2nd album ("Blind Faith") falls into the good-but-not-great category, but their self-titled debut is fantastic. Geoff, how can you not like it? It's got everything you love: big guitars, commercial hooks, catchy choruses, and stacks of backing vox. I only ever had their 'Blind Faith' album...didn't even know they had another album...I'd like to hear it now. Can you make this happen asap? Thanks. I suspect the debut will be a bit more up your alley. I just emailed you an MP3 of the opening rocker, "Friendly Fire," which gives you a good taste of the album's sound/style. If you like it, there's more where that came from. Let me know.

"Leave the gun. Take the Ranch."

"At my signal, unleash Ranch."

I personally think their 2nd album ("Blind Faith") falls into the good-but-not-great category, but their self-titled debut is fantastic. Geoff, how can you not like it? It's got everything you love: big guitars, commercial hooks, catchy choruses, and stacks of backing vox. Your ambivalance has left me in a state of shock. SHOCK, I say!

"Ranch smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."

I left him off on purpose just to piss you off. How'd I do? Actually, you'll see "Valentine" is included on the poll...I just forget to write "Robby" when I created the poll. Doesn't matter anyway, the only folks that like his keyboard-drenched fluff are you sissy AOR fans. Us badass hard rockers think he's a powder puff.

Vee 'ave come to da vees. Had to do a little whittlin' to get it down to 20 choices, so as always, write-ins welcome if you don't see your personal fave. I gave my vote to Vamp Le Stat. Sure, they're indie, and not particularly well-known, but I love their brand of heavy, aggressive, ballsy, in-yer-face hard rock. Their song "Bitch" is one of the greatest sleaze-rock anthems of all time as far as I'm concerned. But enough about my "Bitch"...who do you like?