2010 - Favorite Disc

[Geoff]

You're dedicated Geoff! I admire the passion and banter on this board.

 

Keep up the good work guys & gals

 

Geoff has waaaayyyyyyyyy too much time at his hands !

 

Geoff, my mate, did you really buy and listen to all of those releases ??

Firstly, Glen I agree about Treat's 'Turn the dial' - one of the best tunes - and yeah, got the Crazy Lixx track and enjoyed it too.

 

Bernd, this year I did actually buy a huge percentage of those CDs. The most CDs I've actually bought in a year since before I met my wife, bar none. A lot are still on my to-buy list, but yes, indeed I did hear them all.

 

As for the time it takes, let's take a walk. At the start of the year (I will do it again as soon as I hear my first 2011 release) I just create a spreadsheet for my favourite albums of the year. Therefore, every release I buy/hear, I just add it onto the list in it's place. I simply do this as the year goes on, which takes all of 2 seconds per CD once you have a good feel for the CD. Granted, at the end of the year I try to hear all the CDs again to refresh my memory but all that required was putting the CDs in my CD player as I drove up and down the coast. Which I would do anyway - listen to music in my car.

 

What I mean to say is that I don't actually make any separate time aside to make the list. It's just something that happens as the year progresses.

[TIM (2)]

And here too:

 

MHR:

 

1 . Treat - Coup de grace

As I said in a thread, I did consider having a joint number one spot with Crashdiet, but this got to the top spot in the end based on the excellent variety of tracks and consistency throughout. Every side of melodic hard rock covered here, and covered well.

 

2 . Crashdiet - Generation wild

Brilliant CD and their best yet, imo. One after another, every song is just excellent.

 

3 . HEAT - Freedom rock

Disappointed with the different versions of this going around. With the inclusion of 'Tonight' and 'Living in a memory' and taking out the dreadful 'High on life', this is a killer CD. And well deserved of the 3rd spot.

 

4 . White Widdow - s/t

Never thought I'd see an Aussie CD in a current top 10, but these guys come out with a relatively simple gameplan and just execute it perfectly. There is no hint of a weak track on this CD and everytime I hear it I get excited, songs sit lodged in my head for days.

 

5 . Crazy Lixx - New religion

Originally a contender for the top spot this one just dropped a few places at the end. Still has some of the best songs of 2010 but in the end I just preferred the 4 above it as overall efforts.

 

6 . Issa - Sign of angels

Not many got on board this train, but for me this is one of, if not the best female fronted CDs I've heard. A couple of weaker moments, but on the strength of the best tracks (and there's alot of them) I believe this totally deserves this place in the top 10.

 

7 . Vega - The kiss of life

Another brilliant disc most the way through. And 'Stay with me' is my favourite song of 2010. Love the vocals, love the songs. Only issue is the weaker production / drum sound, but that can't take away from a killer melodic rock disc.

 

8 . Reckless Love - s/t

Another one with a couple of fillers but again it's the strength of the plentiful stack of great tracks that kept this one lingering in my top 10.

 

9 . Pretty Maids - Pandemonium

Their finest album in years. No weak moments on here and even the 2nd version of 'It comes at night' is worthwhile. Love hearing these guys do what they do best.

 

10 . All I Know - Vanity kills

One of the surprises of the year. Good fresh sound, killer hooks. A really enjoyable CD.

 

11 . First Signal - s/t

12 . Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

13 . Shining Line - s/t

14 . Taking Dawn - Time to burn

15 . Mad Max - Welcome America

16 . Axident Avenue - Shaken and disturbed

17 . Bad City - Welcome to the wasteland

18 . Jettblack - Get your hands dirty

19 . Ratt - Infestation

20 . Loveblast - s/t

 

21 . Chris Laney - Only come out at night

22 . Distorted Wonderland - s/t

23 . Shylock - Rock buster

24 . The Giant Leap - s/t

25 . Degreed - Life love loss

26 . Newman - The art of balance

27 . Wig Wam - Non stop rock n'roll

28 . Nelson - Lightening strikes twice

29 . Unruly Child - Worlds collide

30 . Giant - Promise land

 

31 . Stan Bush - Dream the dream

32 . Skull Daze - s/t

33 . Negative - Neon

34 . Allen/Lande - The showdown

35 . Auras - New generation

36 . Smilek - Stranded

37 . Edge of Forever - Another paradise

38 . Human Temple - Murder of crows

39 . FM - Metropolis

40 . Bangalore Choir - Cadence

 

41 . State of Rock - A point of destiny

42 . Avantasia - Angel of Babylon & Wicked Symphony

43 . Rick Springfield & Jeff Silverman - From the vault

44 . Grand Illusion - Brand new world

45 . Wicked Sensation - Crystallized

46 . Serpentine - A touch of heaven

47 . Last Autumn's Dream - A touch of heaven

48 . Danger Angel - s/t

49 . Hungryheart - One ticket to paradise

50 . Worlds Apart - Clean slate

 

51 . Mr Big - What if…

52 . Houston - s/t

53 . Prime Suspect - s/t

54 . Liberty N' Justice - Light it up

55 . Hansel - Never say die

56 . Mark Sweeny - All in

57 . Michael Bormann - Different

58 . Scorpions - Sting in the tail

59 . Two Fires - Burning bright

60 . Pussy Sisster - s/t

 

61 . Angeline - Confessions

62 . China - Light up the dark

63 . Stage Dolls - Always

64 . Skills In Veins - s/t

65 . Furyon - Gravitas

66 . Pangea - Retrospectacular

67 . Perfect View - Hold your dreams

68 . TNT - A farewell to arms

69 . Line of Fire - Momentum

70 . Strangeways - Perfect world

 

71 . Mass - Sea of black

72 . Keel - Steets of rock n'roll

73 . Axel Rudy Pell - The crest

74 . Y & T -Facemelter

75 . Rock Sugar - Reimaginator

76 . Tunnel - s/t

77 . N.O.W. - Force of nature

78 . Bombay Black - Love you to death

79 . Krokus - Hoodoo

80 . Killer Klown - Gain

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Modern rock:

 

1 . Hinder - All American nightmare

Initial disappointment at a couple of weak tracks aside, this really proved to be a stayer. So many great songs still on offer and although the ADTR CD is slightly more consistent, the best tracks on this one put it in the top spot for 2010.

 

2 . A Day To Remember - What separates me from you

Unexpected, killer CD, this one. Their last CD was great, but this is even better. Every song is a treat, with big catchy chorus after chrorus.

 

3 . Kids In Glass Houses - Dirt

Probably the overall pleasant surprise of the year for me. Their last CD was plain and simply terrible. This is plain and simply awesome. HUGE amount of killer tracks on this one and a deserved 3rd placing.

 

4 . Seventh Rain - The Ghost in me

Most exciting newcomers of the year. This one doesn't have a heap of mindblowers on it, but man it has a lot of really great tracks. Nothing new, but done extremely well, I love this one.

 

5 . Quietdrive - s/t

One of my favourite modern rock bands deliver the goods again with a great disc. Nice mixed bag, totally killer overall.

 

6 . Just Surrender - Phoenix

In all honesty, probably a little disppointing overall. Three stunning songs and a lot of nice ones. Nothing bad on here, I just have huge expectations for these guys. End of the day, it's still a great CD.

 

7 . Cinder Road - Damage Control

Good stuff. A few middle-range tracks, but the ballads and more melodic tracks bring this home well. Very good CD.

 

8 . Bullet For My Valentine - Fever

Love this one. Good, solid metal with one of my picks of the year, 'Bittersweet memories'.

 

9 . Before Their Eyes - Untouchable

Another early 2010 release that just stuck around due to the great tracks on offer.

 

10 . Goo Goo Dolls - Something for the rest of us

Total sucker for this band and this CD was a good return to what made me love 'Dizzy up the girl' so much. More consistent that the last few CDs I really dug this.

 

11 . Anberlin - Dark is the way, Light is a place

12 . Dive - Picture Perfect

13 . Story of the Year - The Constant

14 . Destine - Lightspeed

15 . Stone Sour - Audio secrecy

16 . Thriving Ivory - Through yourself and back again

17 . Erik Gronwall - Somewhere between a rock and a hard place

18 . My Darkest Days - s/t

19 . Lifehouse - Smoke and mirrors

20 . Amber Pacific - Virtues

 

21 . Disciple - Horseshoes and hand grenades

22 . Blind - The fire remains

23 . Crashcarburn - Long live tonight

24 . Fireflight - For those who wait

25 . In This Moment - A star crossed wasteland

26 . It's Alive - Human Resources

27 . Attack Attack - The latest fashion

28 . You Me At Six - Hold me down

29 . Honor Bright - Action! Drama! Suspense!

30 . Sing It Loud - Everything collide

 

31 . The Fire - Abracadabra

32 . Runaway City - Armored heart

33 . My Chemical Romance - Danger days

34 . Young Guns - All our kings are dead

35 . Mercy Mercedes - Believe it

36 . Framing Hanley - A promise to burn

37 . Hawthorne Heights - Skeletons

38 . The Bigger Lights - s/t

39 . A Phoenix Forever - This is why we can't have nice things

40 . Rookie of the Year - The most beautiful

 

41 . Shotgun Revolution - Join the revolution

42 . Escape The Fate - s/t

43 . Jimmy Eat World - Invented

44 . Allister - Countdown to nowhere

45 . Heroes for Hire - Life of the party

46 . Notimefore - Dress up to get down

47 . Senses Fail - The fire

48 . Seasons After - Through tomorrow

49 . Lostprophets- The Betrayed

50 . Beneath Me - Wish I wouldn't care

 

51 . Surviving Sunrise - s/t

52 . These Four Walls - Down falls and empire

53 . I See Stars - 3D

54 . The Audition - Great danger

55 . Mutiny Within - s/t

56 . The Classic Crime - Vagabonds

57 . My Last Fall - Clocks in slowmotion

58 . Number One Gun - To the secrets and knowledge

59 . Motion City Soundtrack - My dinosaur life

60 . Secret & Whisper - Teenage fantasy

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Overall, I think I could comfortably call it the best year in music for a very, very long time. Picking the top MHR releases was a bit of a nightmare, and the fact that I'm still naming very good releases well up into the mid 60's in my list... well, it speaks for itself. So much great music to chose from.

 

There was a lot of talk about the poor year in modern rock and by recent standards it was quite slow, but I still got a lot of it. A lot of later releases in the year were pleasant surprises and I also get the impression that a few of the better releases passed by a few.

 

Interesting list, I always tend to agree with your top picks (Treat and A Day to Remember are stunning albums) but then see some odd things further down. Like blatant mediocrity like ESCAPE THE FATE and IN THIS MOMENT being higher than the killer MUTINY WITHIN disc? KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES is great, but how that horrible BULLET... album made anyone's list is totally beyond me. And obviously I disagree about HINDER as that's just bollocks IMO. Other than UNRULY CHILD being stupidly low and FIRST SIGNAL being outside your Top 10 (sorry but it's better than WHITE WIDDOW) then there's some good stuff in there mate....

[zacharyamelie]

The White Widdow is just slighty stronger than the First Signal....just. The First Signal has better songs, but the White Widdow is overall more appealling.....but just. The Unruly Child had 4 good songs, a few ok, some decent and 2 real duds. It doesn't deserve to be ahead of either the First Signal or the White Widdow. The Mutiny Within is freakin' fantastic, not as good as the White Widdow not the First Signal, but easily better than the Unruly Child.....and not just better, much better.

[TIM (2)]

The White Widdow is just slighty stronger than the First Signal....just. The First Signal has better songs, but the White Widdow is overall more appealling.....but just.

 

I kinda agree, but in the end I go with the album I play the most - FIRST SIGNAL. That one's on my stereo more than pretty much everything else this year...

[zacharyamelie]

The White Widdow is just slighty stronger than the First Signal....just. The First Signal has better songs, but the White Widdow is overall more appealling.....but just.

 

I kinda agree, but in the end I go with the album I play the most - FIRST SIGNAL. That one's on my stereo more than pretty much everything else this year...

 

The First Signal made me miss Harem Scarem. To be honest the First Signal was alot better than Harem Scarem's final output. I HOPE they get back together because HOPE kinda left a so-so taste in my mouth.

 

When it comes to ''fabricated bands'', by this I mean a well known singer with a bunch solid studio musicians and some great writers, the First Signal is one of the best out there.

 

 

On a side note, I loved the VEGA, the songs are sensational, among the best of the year, up there with Treat and H.E.A.T.....With that said I would have prefered Harry Hess or JSS on lead vox instead of Nick Workman, I just feel his weak pronounciation/fake scandi styled tone or accent took the possiblity of it being the best release of the year. Plus the drum sound was weak, with some bigger production this one could have been the best of the year. However as a collection of 'songs' I think other than maybe 'Too Young For Wings' (a song that has grown on me, but not enough yet) this was the best of 2010. Treat had some great songs a few weaker ones, but the stellar production and performances masked any imperfections. The H.E.A.T. suffered from some lifeless production which kept it from be any higher on my fav of 2010 list.

 

 

On another side note, by miles and miles the two best production jobs this past year were Crashdïet - Generation Wild and Crazy Lixx - New Religion....both were production perfection.

 

The biggest difference between those two releases was the fact Crashdïet sounded relevant/original compared to the Crazy Lixx. With almost every Crazy Lixx track I could compare it to a classic hit from the 80's or early 90's....however it still kicked my ass all over the place.

[Geoff]

Thanks for the comments, guys. In reply:

 

Although I agree that Escape The Fate and In This Moment were quite disappointing this year, there are still at least a few great tracks on each of them. Especially the ITM CD. Love a handful of songs on that one despite the duds. And ETF are consistent, just not as consistently great as I hoped. As for Mutiny Within, I tried so hard with that one, guys. You three swearing by it (Tim, Dave and Glen) really made me try, but dudes, it is bland as batshit. I just couldn't find a distinct song or anything that stood out at all. Looking at my list, I actually think it deserved the 60th spot as I prefer more memorable songs on the My Last Fall and Classic Crime CDs too. Sorry guys, just totally do not understand what you guys see in that CD. Can't even make a guess at it.

 

Yeah, that Kids in Glass Houses was a major surprise, hey? Good on them.

 

As for BFMV, yep, still a sucker for it. It actually ended up being one of my overall most played CDs in 2010. I just don't dislike anything off it and I enjoy a lot of it. Personally I just really dig that CD.

 

To explain Unruly Child - I do like it, don't get me wrong. But I agree with the comments that there's a handful of great tracks - 4 sounds about right - and a huge bunch that just sail on by my ears. In time it might stick a bit more, but to me it was just average as an overall album. And as I said above, I thought there were a few weak moments on the First Signal CD, but nothing weak at all about the White Widdow CD.

[Glen]

For my 2 cents I'll comment as follows -

 

Hinder - I've heard most of it but not enough or as often to make a formulated opinion. On the strneth of what I heard I reckon it would probably make my top 30.....just. Some great ballads, and a couple of nice rockers but overall in comparison with TITTL this has got to be one of the disappointments of the year for me..........

 

Mutiny Within - I still do like this CD, but the appeal has worn off a tad over the year. There are still some great chorus moments on the disc (Geoff not sure why you cant 'get' some of these songs??), but I guess the frenzied verses may put some off. I'd probably rate it higher 70s percentage wise so again would just miss the top 30.

 

BFMV - Yeah I like this one two.....never been a huge fan of the BRMV sound, but it was a solid disc....just not enough memorable moments to propel this any higher in what was a excellent year (story of modern rock for 2010 I'm afraid)

 

WW - Whilst I would agree that there are no real fillers, there are also not enough killer tracks to make my top 10. I honestly believe that the best 2 tracks on the album are the last 2. Yeah its a great CD and I can see me listening to this for a long while to come.....but then to make the top 15 this year it had to be a great disc....its just looking at the discs above it in my list there's no way it could be higher.

 

Unruly Child - I know Tim loves this to death and I do (to a certain degree) but there are fillers. 4 or 5 of the songs are great, and I reckon that 'Read My Mind' is in my top 10 songs of 2010.....having said that I have listened to this album maybe 25-30 times and I think this album needs that to fully sink in and appreciate the songs......maybe I was slightly harsh on this one...

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????! Cant see them mentioned anywhere apart from way too low in Geoff's list ;-)) I absolutely love this album and there is hardly a filler on board! I mean come on guys 'BOD', 'A Little Bit', 'Just Imagine', 'Story Of Life', 'Catch The Feeling', 'Keep Me Alive' are all AWESOME in my opinion.......if you havent heard these guys do so now! & Geoff, I demand an explanation ;-)) PLEASE REPLY NOW ;-))

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

[Geoff]

Mutiny Within - I still do like this CD, but the appeal has worn off a tad over the year. There are still some great chorus moments on the disc (Geoff not sure why you cant 'get' some of these songs??), but I guess the frenzied verses may put some off. I'd probably rate it higher 70s percentage wise so again would just miss the top 30.

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????! Cant see them mentioned anywhere apart from way too low in Geoff's list ;-)) I absolutely love this album and there is hardly a filler on board! I mean come on guys 'BOD', 'A Little Bit', 'Just Imagine', 'Story Of Life', 'Catch The Feeling', 'Keep Me Alive' are all AWESOME in my opinion.......if you havent heard these guys do so now! & Geoff, I demand an explanation ;-)) PLEASE REPLY NOW ;-))

 

There were some okay choruses on the Mutiny Within CD, but nothing Killswitch Engage don't already do better, and even they never rate too high on my lists. I dunno, maybe it's as you say and I got lost in the boring verses. Either way, there was just nothing off it that lasted in my mind.

 

Jeez, my ranking for Degreed isn't that bad. As I said, I like CDs well into the 60's so mid-20's is still excellent. I agree it's a great disc, especially the first half. I think the first 5 songs or so are all brilliant. But it's another one that suffers from a weak 2nd half and there are some actual real poor fillers on this one. Only 2-3, but they bring the vibe down. When they're good they're excellent, but there were a few tracks that brought that CD down a few pegs for me. Still, as I say, 25th this year was still a great disc.

[JC_AOR]

It goes something like this:

 

Hard Rock / MHR / AOR:

 

Treat - Coup De Grace

Vega - Kiss of Life

Ratt - Infestation

First Signal

Reckless Love

Steve Lukather - All's Well That Ends Well

Crashdiet - Generation wild

HEAT - Freedom Rock

Moritz - Undivided

Houston

FM - Metropolis

Unruly Child - Worlds Collide

Auras - New Generation

White Widdow

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

Pretty Maids - Pandemonium

Jettblack - Get Your Hands Dirty

Crazy Lixx - New Religion

Nelson - Lightening Strikes Twice

Taking Dawn - Time to Burn

Degreed - Life Love Loss

All I Know - Vanity Kills

Bad City - Welcome to the Wasteland

Issa - Sign of Angels

Serpentine - A Touch of Heaven

Stan Bush - Dream the Dream

Brian Howe - Circus Bar

Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory

Giant - Promise Land

Grand Illusion - Brand New World

Bruce Kulick - BK3

Elliott, Joe (Joe Elliott's Down 'N' Outz) - My Regeneration Vol. 1

Avantasia - Wicked Symphony & Angel of Babylon

Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik - Extra Moments

Rick Springfield & Jeff Silverman - From the Vault

Wheels of Fire - Hollywood Rocks

Allen/Lande - The Showdown

Line of Fire - Momentum

Stage Dolls - Always

Angeline - Confessions

 

Modern Rock:

 

Hinder - All American Nightmare

Goo Goo Dolls - Something For the Rest of Us

Before Their Eyes - Untouchable

Amber Pacific - Virtues

Lifehouse - Smoke and Mirrors

Bullet For My Valentine - Fever

Just Surrender - Phoenix

Ed Kowalczyk - Alive

The Driving Conditions - Full Throttle

 

Other:

 

Keith Urban - Get Closer (country)

Rascal Flatts - Nothing Like This (country)

John Waite - In Real Time (not really a new album)

7th Heaven - Jukebox (a compilation box set of old songs - some crap and some excellence)

[Geoff]

Nice one, mate. I really need to hear that Moritz CD. That one passed me by this year. I'm also interested in The Driving Conditions - 'Full Throttle.'

 

Another one I forgot on my list was the new Hardcore Superstar CD, which I'm still waiting for in the mail. I did hear a download and it was great, so it probably would have factored in somewhere prolific in my list. Also, forgot about the Wake The Light CD which would probably be in the late 20's or so of my modern list.

[TIM (2)]

One disc that does seem to be getting a bit overrated is the White Widdow. It sounds good, but the songs are nowhere near as good as Treat/H.E.A.T/Vega etc and it falls away towards the end big-time. A good, but not great, disc IMHO...

[Glen]

Mutiny Within - I still do like this CD, but the appeal has worn off a tad over the year. There are still some great chorus moments on the disc (Geoff not sure why you cant 'get' some of these songs??), but I guess the frenzied verses may put some off. I'd probably rate it higher 70s percentage wise so again would just miss the top 30.

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????! Cant see them mentioned anywhere apart from way too low in Geoff's list ;-)) I absolutely love this album and there is hardly a filler on board! I mean come on guys 'BOD', 'A Little Bit', 'Just Imagine', 'Story Of Life', 'Catch The Feeling', 'Keep Me Alive' are all AWESOME in my opinion.......if you havent heard these guys do so now! & Geoff, I demand an explanation ;-)) PLEASE REPLY NOW ;-))

 

But it's another one that suffers from a weak 2nd half and there are some actual real poor fillers on this one. Only 2-3, but they bring the vibe down.

 

Weak second half??

 

what you mean these -

 

7. Human Being - difficult listen at first, but man has this song grown on me, some killer verses and a brilliant solo really lift this song too

 

8. Colour Me - again great verses....chorus could have had a bigger hook, but then again its songs like this which give an album balance - you cant have 10 big anthems, one after another, or they just all run into one another??! Anyway look what follows -

 

9. Catch The Feeling - excellent uptempo song with great chorus and musicianship - amazing solo

 

10. Keep Me Alive - melodic rock bliss....no other words. One of my fav tracks on the whole album.

 

11. My Fall - pure AOR gem.....could have been lifted right off the 'Work Of Art' debut.

 

12. By Your Side - Acoustic ballad to end....not mad on this track, but its still a nice soothing listen.

 

This is not so much aimed at you Geoff, but I dont want others to be put off by the words 'weak second half'....cos IMO its anything but.

 

A great debut which needs to be heard by more IMO.

 

Cheers

[heaven&hell]

One disc that does seem to be getting a bit overrated is the White Widdow. It sounds good, but the songs are nowhere near as good as Treat/H.E.A.T/Vega etc and it falls away towards the end big-time. A good, but not great, disc IMHO...

 

I couldn't agree more.

[JamesEagle]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

[Swazi]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

... and Swazi ..., although I don't think the Degreed is too bad.

[JamesEagle]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

... and Swazi ..., although I don't think the Degreed is too bad.

 

Absolutely - sorry I forgot you! I don't expect to see many members of this forum next time I go to an Amon Amarth or Obituary gig...

[Glen]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

Nu metal ha ha.....it's about as far removed from Nu metal as you could ever get. Never heard keyboard solos on a nu metal album ;-) quite a few of the songs are actually bordering on AOR

 

Cheers

[Geoff]

Mutiny Within - I still do like this CD, but the appeal has worn off a tad over the year. There are still some great chorus moments on the disc (Geoff not sure why you cant 'get' some of these songs??), but I guess the frenzied verses may put some off. I'd probably rate it higher 70s percentage wise so again would just miss the top 30.

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????! Cant see them mentioned anywhere apart from way too low in Geoff's list ;-)) I absolutely love this album and there is hardly a filler on board! I mean come on guys 'BOD', 'A Little Bit', 'Just Imagine', 'Story Of Life', 'Catch The Feeling', 'Keep Me Alive' are all AWESOME in my opinion.......if you havent heard these guys do so now! & Geoff, I demand an explanation ;-)) PLEASE REPLY NOW ;-))

 

But it's another one that suffers from a weak 2nd half and there are some actual real poor fillers on this one. Only 2-3, but they bring the vibe down.

 

Weak second half??

 

what you mean these -

 

7. Human Being - difficult listen at first, but man has this song grown on me, some killer verses and a brilliant solo really lift this song too

 

8. Colour Me - again great verses....chorus could have had a bigger hook, but then again its songs like this which give an album balance - you cant have 10 big anthems, one after another, or they just all run into one another??! Anyway look what follows -

 

9. Catch The Feeling - excellent uptempo song with great chorus and musicianship - amazing solo

 

10. Keep Me Alive - melodic rock bliss....no other words. One of my fav tracks on the whole album.

 

11. My Fall - pure AOR gem.....could have been lifted right off the 'Work Of Art' debut.

 

12. By Your Side - Acoustic ballad to end....not mad on this track, but its still a nice soothing listen.

 

This is not so much aimed at you Geoff, but I dont want others to be put off by the words 'weak second half'....cos IMO its anything but.

 

A great debut which needs to be heard by more IMO.

 

Cheers

Yeah, I hate 'Human being', and I'm not a fan of 'Colour me' or 'Keep me alive' either. The others are pretty good, but those 3 bring it down a little bit for me. Still, as I say, rates well for me.

 

And Tim, as for White Widdow, I had it ranked behind Treat and HEAT. It was tight with Vega as I love each disc, but it was possibly the far superior production job that gave White Widdow the edge for me.

 

As for a weak 2nd half, 'One more day', 'Fire and ice' and even 'Change of passion' are 3 of my favourite tunes.

[zacharyamelie]

One More Day and Fire And Ice are 2 of the best 5 tracks on the release. The production job and overall smoothness of the songs is what does it for me. Also the ripping guitars and heavy use of keys.

 

I can understand people saying the songs themselves are good but not spectacular, I've said the same since the day I got it.I'd say the White Widdow reminds me of Brother Firetribe with better production but that the songs and choruses just aren't as good.

[Glen]

Yeah Tim's comment about WW trailing off at the end is strange one as the last 2 tracks are my favs??!

 

There isnt really a filler on the album its just that there arent enough KILLER tracks for a top 10 spot.

 

Geoff - as for not liking 'Keep Me Alive'.......heathen ;-)) I love that track.

 

Cheers

[TIM (2)]

 

I can understand people saying the songs themselves are good but not spectacular, I've said the same since the day I got it.I'd say the White Widdow reminds me of Brother Firetribe with better production but that the songs and choruses just aren't as good.

 

It really doesn't stack-up in the comparison to BFT who are just way better songwriters....

[JamesEagle]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

Nu metal ha ha.....it's about as far removed from Nu metal as you could ever get. Never heard keyboard solos on a nu metal album ;-) quite a few of the songs are actually bordering on AOR

 

Cheers

 

It certainly had a nu-ish sound to me, maybe more of what you'd call 'modern' sounding.

[Glen]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

Nu metal ha ha.....it's about as far removed from Nu metal as you could ever get. Never heard keyboard solos on a nu metal album ;-) quite a few of the songs are actually bordering on AOR

 

Cheers

 

It certainly had a nu-ish sound to me, maybe more of what you'd call 'modern' sounding.

 

to me Nu Metal is shite like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park (although their debut is still KILLER) etc........to which this bears no resemblance..........not to these ears anyway??

[JamesEagle]

 

 

Degreed - why no love for these guys?????!

 

Check this out......Degreed - 'A Little Bit'

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve1JMInlUmY

 

Cheers

 

Sounds almost nu-metal-ish to me, not my thing at all. Although me commenting on this is a bit like asking you, Jez or Geoff to review the latest Morbid Angel CD...

 

Nu metal ha ha.....it's about as far removed from Nu metal as you could ever get. Never heard keyboard solos on a nu metal album ;-) quite a few of the songs are actually bordering on AOR

 

Cheers

 

It certainly had a nu-ish sound to me, maybe more of what you'd call 'modern' sounding.

 

to me Nu Metal is shite like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park (although their debut is still KILLER) etc........to which this bears no resemblance..........not to these ears anyway??

 

You're probably right, I got my terminology wrong. I meant 'modern'. Sorry.

[Swazi]

What do you guys think of the new CD by Mr. Big - "What if" ? Andrew over at MR.com gave it the top score of 100% !!