First Spin Impressions

[Glen]

Jorn - Spirit Black

Kind of dissapointing and not near as good as the last two discs. Not any bad songs but not near as many good ones either so far. Most of his discs do take me a couple of spins though so hopefully this one grows on me.

Yeah, I heard this the other day too and as much as I like Jorn, I found myself quite bored with this CD. Definitely one of his weakest yet.

 

Taking Dawn - Time To Burn

This is a kick ass so far. Good solos and good rocking songs. Hopefully this has some staying power. The title track alone is worth the price of admission but there's at least 5 other great songs as well.

Only 5? Cousin, the whole thing is excellent, imo. Except 'The Chain' which is the only slight drawback for me.

 

To be fair I only have spun the Taking Dawn once and there were 5 that stood out as great but there wasn't any that I hated so there are all sure to get better with repeated spins. Plus I was talking to my wife while driving through Montana while playing it so couldn't concentrate 100% on it.

 

All songs are good, but I agree that there are about 5 songs which stand out and one of those is a bonus track.

 

This is probably the best thing ive heard this year so far, but i have a feeling it could get crucified when SOTY hits mid feb.

[heaven&hell]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

 

It will grow and grow on you I think . The new one stomps all over the other two from a great height for me.

 

It has already and it might eventually pass "Blind Fire" but will never touch "Tides" for me.

[Glen]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

 

It will grow and grow on you I think . The new one stomps all over the other two from a great height for me.

 

It has already and it might eventually pass "Blind Fire" but will never touch "Tides" for me.

 

Ive not heard 'Circus Colossus'......but

 

Tides >>>> country mile >>>> Blind Fire

 

IMO.

[heaven&hell]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

 

It will grow and grow on you I think . The new one stomps all over the other two from a great height for me.

 

It has already and it might eventually pass "Blind Fire" but will never touch "Tides" for me.

 

Ive not heard 'Circus Colossus'......but

 

Tides >>>> country mile >>>> Blind Fire

 

IMO.

 

I agree with that, although I do really like 'Blind Fire, but 'Tides' is just incredible IMO.

[JamesEagle]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

Have listened to this once so far and very disappointed. Quite power metal sounding, which for me usually means silly singalong choruses. Hopefully subsequent listens will change my mind (as they so often do).

[Geoff]

A Bullet For Pretty Boy - EP ; frustrating screamo band. Love the super heavy music and the clean vocal parts, but again (like too many of these bands) the growling ruins it for me.

 

Drop The Gun - EP ; terrible band. Not sure why I bothered. Ultra fast metal, and ultra boring.

 

Bruce Kulick - 'BK3' ; another awful release. Two great songs, the rest was just very uninteresting rock garbage.

[heaven&hell]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

Have listened to this once so far and very disappointed. Quite power metal sounding, which for me usually means silly singalong choruses. Hopefully subsequent listens will change my mind (as they so often do).

 

If you haven't heard their debut "Tides" then get that one.

You can probably finds samples all over youtube.

[Dark Star]

Rob Zombie "Hellbilly Delixe 2"

 

 

Ok I Just heard this all the way through?? It's pretty good, but I prefer the first one I think.... Not as many tunes grabbed Me on this CD.. Maybe it will take a few more spins to really sink in.....

[JamesEagle]

Just listened to these three for the first time:

 

Dirty Looks - Cool From The Wire

Not bad, a few tunes sound okay, lyrics dreadful at times.

 

Gemini Five - Babylon Rockets

Good sleazy sound, couple of stand out tracks so far.

 

Maximum - Just For Kicks

My favourite of the three, great sound and a few nice songs. Some of the choruses sound a bit weak on first listen.

[heaven&hell]

Just listened to these three for the first time:

 

Dirty Looks - Cool From The Wire

Not bad, a few tunes sound okay, lyrics dreadful at times.

 

Oh damn that is a killer cd IMO.

[JamesEagle]

Just listened to these three for the first time:

 

Dirty Looks - Cool From The Wire

Not bad, a few tunes sound okay, lyrics dreadful at times.

 

Oh damn that is a killer cd IMO.

 

Hopefully I'll agree after 2 or 3 more listens. But those lyrics! "It's not the way that you rock, it's the way that you roll..." I mean, wtf???

[heaven&hell]

Just listened to these three for the first time:

 

Dirty Looks - Cool From The Wire

Not bad, a few tunes sound okay, lyrics dreadful at times.

 

Oh damn that is a killer cd IMO.

 

Hopefully I'll agree after 2 or 3 more listens. But those lyrics! "It's not the way that you rock, it's the way that you roll..." I mean, wtf???

 

It was the 80's what can I say?

[Fat Freddy]

My latest CDBaby haul:

 

Steel Prophet - SHALLOWS OF FOREVER

I got this disc from CDBaby's five-dollar bin...glad I didn't pay more than that for it. It's made up of tracks from two of Steel Prophet's demo tapes (1986 and '88) and one track from an '86 compilation LP. The performances are typical "gutsy but klutzy" power/speed metal of the era (you can tell that they were a very young band still finding their way on these tunes) and the recording quality is...well, about what you'd expect from a batch of 20+ year old demo tapes. You can clearly hear the crackles, tape hiss, etc. During one track the sound quality drops noticeably (guess the cassette they dubbed this CD from was in bad shape? haha) and doesn't come back to "normal" levels for several minutes.

An interesting listen on the first spin through, but this is more of a "diehards only" than a "casual fan" (i.e. me) purchase.

 

Ravage - FREEDOM FIGHTER (EP)

Now THIS 6-tracker is mo' like it! Power/trad metal from Massachusetts, kinda like sped-up Maiden/Priest with a touch of thrash. I'm going to bet that these guys must be Raven fans cuz every once in a while the singer cuts loose with a totally over the top John Gallagher style "WAAAAAAUUUUUUGGH!" scream! Oddly enough I expected the cover of Maiden's "Be Quick or Be Dead" to be the highlight of the disc but it turned out to be the weakest track. You'd think a thrash-minded combo like this would be able to kick the adrenaline factor up a notch or three with that song but Maiden's version still smokes it. I am definitely putting this band's full length debut (THE END OF TOMORROW) on my shopping list.

 

Bad Biscut - SHAG ABBEY

Well, geez, it took me forever but I finally got around to acquiring the third (and most likely final, unless there are any other things hanging 'round the vaults) Bad Biscut CD, SHAG ABBEY, from CDBaby this week. This album was supposed to be released in 1997 but ended up being shelved till 2008. I've given it a couple of spins and I can sorta kinda see why it wasn't released back in the day... because it's kinda disappointing compared to the earlier two releases (THE AMERICAN DREAM? and WE STILL BELIEVE THE HYPE). I'm wondering if the album was ever actually "completed" (i.e. properly mixed/mastered for release) because some of these songs don't sound like they're truly "album quality."

Song-wise they lean more towards the snotty 90s pop punk that was current at the time of recording, at the expense of the cool, '80s sleaze/hard rock backbone that had supported the earlier releases. I described them around here in the past as "The Ramones and GNR doing bong hits with Skid Row," but on most of these songs the GNR and Skid Row influence has been taken out of the equation. The album is kind of a mish mash of '70s bubble gum (lots of "oooohs" and "aaaahhs" in the choruses) and '90s pop punk. Anybody remember the band Jellyfish? This disc kinda sounds like a harder edged version of them. Not bad, but not as good as I was hoping it would be either. Oh well. At least the previous two discs still freakin smoke.

 

Ultimatum - THE MECHANICS OF PERILOUS TIMES

Thrrrrraaaaassssh!! These Christian metallers are bad-ass. Definitely influenced by the best of the Bay Area bands of yore, this one is just brutal from beginning to end. Scott Waters' snarling, in-yo-face vox sound like Zetro Sousa if someone were giving him a hot foot. This is a re-issue of their album from 2000, with three bonus tracks (one live and two demos). Very cool stuff, Exodus, Overkill and Testament fans take note. Features a cover of Vengeance Rising's "Burn."

[sharatan]

My latest CDBaby haul:

 

Steel Prophet - SHALLOWS OF FOREVER

I got this disc from CDBaby's five-dollar bin...glad I didn't pay more than that for it. It's made up of tracks from two of Steel Prophet's demo tapes (1986 and '88) and one track from an '86 compilation LP. The performances are typical "gutsy but klutzy" power/speed metal of the era (you can tell that they were a very young band still finding their way on these tunes) and the recording quality is...well, about what you'd expect from a batch of 20+ year old demo tapes. You can clearly hear the crackles, tape hiss, etc. During one track the sound quality drops noticeably (guess the cassette they dubbed this CD from was in bad shape? haha) and doesn't come back to "normal" levels for several minutes.

An interesting listen on the first spin through, but this is more of a "diehards only" than a "casual fan" (i.e. me) purchase.

 

Ravage - FREEDOM FIGHTER (EP)

Now THIS 6-tracker is mo' like it! Power/trad metal from Massachusetts, kinda like sped-up Maiden/Priest with a touch of thrash. I'm going to bet that these guys must be Raven fans cuz every once in a while the singer cuts loose with a totally over the top John Gallagher style "WAAAAAAUUUUUUGGH!" scream! Oddly enough I expected the cover of Maiden's "Be Quick or Be Dead" to be the highlight of the disc but it turned out to be the weakest track. You'd think a thrash-minded combo like this would be able to kick the adrenaline factor up a notch or three with that song but Maiden's version still smokes it. I am definitely putting this band's full length debut (THE END OF TOMORROW) on my shopping list.

 

Bad Biscut - SHAG ABBEY

Well, geez, it took me forever but I finally got around to acquiring the third (and most likely final, unless there are any other things hanging 'round the vaults) Bad Biscut CD, SHAG ABBEY, from CDBaby this week. This album was supposed to be released in 1997 but ended up being shelved till 2008. I've given it a couple of spins and I can sorta kinda see why it wasn't released back in the day... because it's kinda disappointing compared to the earlier two releases (THE AMERICAN DREAM? and WE STILL BELIEVE THE HYPE). I'm wondering if the album was ever actually "completed" (i.e. properly mixed/mastered for release) because some of these songs don't sound like they're truly "album quality."

Song-wise they lean more towards the snotty 90s pop punk that was current at the time of recording, at the expense of the cool, '80s sleaze/hard rock backbone that had supported the earlier releases. I described them around here in the past as "The Ramones and GNR doing bong hits with Skid Row," but on most of these songs the GNR and Skid Row influence has been taken out of the equation. The album is kind of a mish mash of '70s bubble gum (lots of "oooohs" and "aaaahhs" in the choruses) and '90s pop punk. Anybody remember the band Jellyfish? This disc kinda sounds like a harder edged version of them. Not bad, but not as good as I was hoping it would be either. Oh well. At least the previous two discs still freakin smoke.

 

Ultimatum - THE MECHANICS OF PERILOUS TIMES

Thrrrrraaaaassssh!! These Christian metallers are bad-ass. Definitely influenced by the best of the Bay Area bands of yore, this one is just brutal from beginning to end. Scott Waters' snarling, in-yo-face vox sound like Zetro Sousa if someone were giving him a hot foot. This is a re-issue of their album from 2000, with three bonus tracks (one live and two demos). Very cool stuff, Exodus, Overkill and Testament fans take note. Features a cover of Vengeance Rising's "Burn."

 

 

 

 

 

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

[Geoff]

Story of the Year - 'The Constant' ; delicious stuff, sure to please all fans of the band. I personally still don't think it matches 'Wake of determination' but it's better than the debut and it's pretty much on par with 'The Black Swan'. In fact, you could pretty much call it 'The Black Swan Part II' as it is a very similar album. All songs are great (maybe one average one) and it's another consistent-as-hell effort. This should get more enjoyable with every spin and should sit comfortably in my top 10, maybe even 5 modern rock discs at the end of the year.

[Fat Freddy]

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

 

 

Why did I just know you were gonna chime in on this one? (rolls eyes)

 

You'd take one Steel Prophet song over all of Maiden, Saxon, and G-Ray's work? Um...yeah, OK, whatever. Steel Prophet's a good band, but they ain't THAT good.

[Jez]

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

 

 

 

You'd take one Steel Prophet song over all of Maiden, Saxon, and G-Ray's work? Um...yeah, OK, whatever. Steel Prophet's a good band, but they ain't THAT good.

 

There are obviously freaks in every walk of life Keef

[sharatan]

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

 

 

 

You'd take one Steel Prophet song over all of Maiden, Saxon, and G-Ray's work? Um...yeah, OK, whatever. Steel Prophet's a good band, but they ain't THAT good.

 

There are obviously freaks in every walk of life Keef

 

 

 

 

hahahaha, there are 2 obvious things.....

 

i love it so much to mess up with "authorities"(and i'm not writing this for keef)

 

this godly track has more and better riffs than almost the whole saxon catalog....

[Jez]

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

 

 

 

You'd take one Steel Prophet song over all of Maiden, Saxon, and G-Ray's work? Um...yeah, OK, whatever. Steel Prophet's a good band, but they ain't THAT good.

 

There are obviously freaks in every walk of life Keef

 

 

 

 

hahahaha, there are 2 obvious things.....

 

i love it so much to mess up with "authorities"(and i'm not writing this for keef)

 

 

 

You better believe it matey

[Geoff]

Tyler Read - 'Only rock n'roll can save us now' ; picked this one up from Secondspin a while ago due to a few strong comparisons to A Change of Pace's brilliant 'Prepare the masses'. After spinning it I get the comparisons (especially with the killer, explosive production job) but to be honest this one just doesn't have the hooks or choruses to match ACOP. The songs are all pretty good and it's a consistent CD, but the songs could be stronger. I also got an ever-so-slight 70's guitar vibe every now and then too... but not to worry. Good stuff, just no A Change of Pace.

[bangerdave]

i wouldn't trade steel prophet's "in the dream"(compo track) with the whole maiden/saxon/gamma ray collections.....

 

 

 

You'd take one Steel Prophet song over all of Maiden, Saxon, and G-Ray's work? Um...yeah, OK, whatever. Steel Prophet's a good band, but they ain't THAT good.

 

There are obviously freaks in every walk of life Keef

 

 

 

 

hahahaha, there are 2 obvious things.....

 

i love it so much to mess up with "authorities"(and i'm not writing this for keef)

 

this godly track has more and better riffs than almost the whole saxon catalog....

Dude just wait until Uncle Saxon reads this pm,you better run for cover.

[Glen]

Just listened to these three for the first time:

 

Dirty Looks - Cool From The Wire

Not bad, a few tunes sound okay, lyrics dreadful at times.

 

Oh damn that is a killer cd IMO.

 

Hopefully I'll agree after 2 or 3 more listens. But those lyrics! "It's not the way that you rock, it's the way that you roll..." I mean, wtf???

 

It was the 80's what can I say?

 

killer disc for me too....still prefer 'Five Easy Pieces' tho (just......).

[JamesEagle]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

Have listened to this once so far and very disappointed. Quite power metal sounding, which for me usually means silly singalong choruses. Hopefully subsequent listens will change my mind (as they so often do).

 

If you haven't heard their debut "Tides" then get that one.

You can probably finds samples all over youtube.

 

I've downloaded most of Tides, agree it's very good.

 

Having listened to Circus Colossus a few more times, it definitely goes on my 'to sell' list. Two tracks I like very much, but the rest I find quite dull.

[Jez]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

Have listened to this once so far and very disappointed. Quite power metal sounding, which for me usually means silly singalong choruses. Hopefully subsequent listens will change my mind (as they so often do).

 

If you haven't heard their debut "Tides" then get that one.

You can probably finds samples all over youtube.

 

Having listened to Circus Colossus a few more times, it definitely goes on my 'to sell' list. Two tracks I like very much, but the rest I find quite dull.

 

[heaven&hell]

Leverage - Circus Colossus

Not as stellar as the previous two discs(with Tides being my fav and one of my favs of the decade) but I've actually played this one a few times and it's growing on me. Fav songs are "Movie Gods", "Wolf and the Moon", "Legions of Invisible" and "Revelation".

 

Have listened to this once so far and very disappointed. Quite power metal sounding, which for me usually means silly singalong choruses. Hopefully subsequent listens will change my mind (as they so often do).

 

If you haven't heard their debut "Tides" then get that one.

You can probably finds samples all over youtube.

 

Having listened to Circus Colossus a few more times, it definitely goes on my 'to sell' list. Two tracks I like very much, but the rest I find quite dull.

 

 

A little suprised by that to but some things hit different people different I guess.

I still don't like it as much as 'Tides' but I think it's really good.