metalmaniac777

Just finally got around to checking this out and the verdict is...I like it. Pretty good, crunchy, modern melodic hard rock/metal happening here. I added it to my ever-expanding list of CDs I want to buy. I don't hear a whole lot of Creed influence; they actually remind me more of Decyfer Down (though, frankly, not quite as good) which is no surprise, considering Tony Palacios produced both of them.

Holy krap, we've kum to the K's! We've all done these polls a time or two, so no explanation necessary. As always, write-ins welcome. My vote goes to Kutless, one of my favorite modern Christian hard rock bands. But if they get another vote, I'll be surprised. Well, maybe from Matt (Phaffas), who's also a big fan. But hey, enough about my choice...what about yours?

"Reborn" was good, but God knows (pun intended) Stryper can do better. I was (am) quite happy with "Reborn," but would love to see them really knock it out of the park with the next one.

I, uh, could lie and tell you I left them off on purpose because I think they suck and too many people around here worship at their feet and I didn't want to see them run away with the poll, but the truth is, I just forgot about 'em (because they're so friggin' forgettable, but I digress...). Any moderator who wants to remove one of the lesser-known bands (like Jackflash or Jackrabbit or something like that) and replace it with Journey, feel free to do so.

Jump for joy, we've come to the J's!! As always, write-ins more than welcome, because I believe the punishment for forgetting someone's favorite band in a poll is no less than 40 lashes, 15 days in jail, execution, or some combination thereof. You know, the same punishment you get in Sudan for giving a teddy bear the wrong name... Anyway, my vote goes to Jaded Heart. I'm sure it won't be the only one... So, who ya like?

Latest acquisition... Sebastian Bach: "Angel Down"

That Decyfer Down CD is absolutely killer, easily my favorite Christian hard rock/metal release of last year. Heavy and modern yet still totally melodic. Loved it! If Guardian went in the same direction, I wouldn't complain. Just having Guardian back together creating new music would be great...as long as that new music didn't sound like "Bottle Rocket."

Here we go, the "I's" have it. Who's your favorite "I" band? As always, write-ins welcome, because even though I know everything, I can't always think of everything at the exact moment I need to. It's a curse I've learned to live with, but one of the side affects is that your favorite band might not be listed. I cast my vote for Impellitteri. His Rob Rock-fronted albums are superb examples of blistering melodic metal that still manages to be catchy at the same time. My runners-up would be Idle Cure and Icon. Now that "I" have had my say, what say you?

You should always go with cowshit, it has more fiber. Good to know, but, uh, how do YOU know...??

It's "H" time! Favorite band that begins with the letter "H"!! Write ins welcome!!! Yipee!!!! I have an exclamation point fetish today!!!!! My vote went to Hardline!!!!!!

I voted for Warrant, not because I like their cover album, but it's the best of a bad bunch. Still, I looked at the list of choices,and felt like I was trying to decide what I would rather eat, dogshit or cowshit.

Latest acquisitions... Demon Hunter: "Storm the Gates of Hell" 2 Die 4: s/t Poison: "Poison'D"

Back in the day, I purchased CDs from just about all the usual suspects (Wildside, Restless & Wild, DreamDisc, etc.) but none could match (for me, anyway) the customer service of Wildside. Once Sarah knew what my preferences were (guitar-driven, big hooks, big choruses, big vocals, etc.) she would make all sorts of recommendations and play them over the phone for me. She's actually the one who turned me onto Crystal Ball back when they released their awesome (and still-unmatched) debut. On a different note, anyone remember how hysterical the reviews were on Restless & Wild? That guy wrote some funny shit and wasn't afraid to tell you something was total crap, even if it meant he wouldn't sell it. With lines like "this is worse than licking the anal drippings of a syphilitic cow," the guy definitely pulled no punches! I used to visit his site just to read his CD descriptions, even if I wasn't looking to buy anything. Ah, good times, good times.

Braggart. Go ahead, rub it in about how popular you are.

SAW IV I'm a huge fan of the SAW franchise, and I thought after "III" they had a perfect trilogy on their hands, but money talks, so here we are with another addition to the series, and while it's not as good as what came before it, it's not as bad as it might have been either. Jigsaw is truly dead, but even from beyond the grave (no, he doesn't come back as a zombie or ghost or anything like that) he still manages to f*ck with people in really twisted ways. We get further insight into what made him become Jigsaw, the usual end-game plot twists (I guessed one, not the other, for what it's worth), a few more pieces of the overall puzzle are put together, and of course, the deliciously diabolical traps, which are as gruesome as ever. Word to the wise, however: do not even attempt to watching this without having seen the others, particularly Saw III. At this point, the Saw movies are like a graphically-violent grand guignol soap opera, interlinked and layered, each new movie adding texture to the one that came before it.

Seventh Seal: s/t

Good morning, Teabagging Tennenbaums. Tempermental tarantulas totally terminated testy testicles. Uncle.

"Always and Forever" ~ Without Love

ENDEVERAFTER: "Kiss or Kill" This band garnered lots of attention from hair-metal fans earlier this year when their nudity-drenched, girl-on-girl action video for "Baby Baby Baby" showcased an oldschool sound that owed more than a little to early Poison, albeit with the bigger production sound available to today's bands. Having now heard the entire album, I can safely attest to the fact that this is some killer 80s-style pop-metal/hard rock. Rockin' guitars, catchy hooks, pounding drums, sing-along choruses, "naughty" lyrics, gang vocals...it's all here. I've said it on other threads and now I'm saying it here: this album f'ckin' rawks.

And so we come to th "G" bands. Gave my vote to Guns N' Roses solely because "Appetite for Destruction" is still an ass-kicker to this day, an undeniable, bona fide classic in hard rock history. OK, your turn. G-G-G-G-Go!

There's a Wrong Turn 2?? The first one had that sexy girl from Buffy in it, hey? Elisha Dushku or whatever. Is she in the sequel? Yep, believe it or not, they made a sequel. No Elisha Dushku this time around, though. However, Geoff, you will be happy to know that the stereotypical slutty girl gets naked in the movie, displaying her delicous norks and delectable ass. Of course, right after this sexy moment, she's face-down in a mountain stream with her spine carved open, which is a not-to-sexy moment. (Hope I didn't spoil the movie by telling you the slutty girl gets sliced-n-diced. I know that's such a shocking, never-been-used plot turn in horror films...)

Actually, since "CDs" stands for "Compact Discs," that would make your little suggestion four words, not three. Just sayin'.

Or maybe ask Cauterize to sign some copies of their "Paper Wings" masterpiece as prizes? That's if you can find the Subway store they're now working in... OUCH!!

Careful what you say, little brother...Geoff likes Bullet For My Valentine just as much as I do. And hey, who are you to mock my heavy-metal tastes when you listen to wimpy Christian pop-rock like Avalon? Don't be bringin' the smackdown here, bro, or I'll have to tell the board about how you wet the bed until you were 15.