First Spin Impressions

[Geoff]

Aidean - Promises

 

The sound reminds me a tiny bit of White Sister, but the songs aren't nearly as good. Very keyboard dominated, some catchy tunes (like the title track) but overall I'm not really grabbed yet. Best song is probably 'Children of the Night', but the chorus line is repeated far too many times, which kind of ruins it. Not giving up on this one yet though.

Yeah, keep at it mate. Once you get over the abundance of keyboards this is an excellent CD. Love this one.

[JamesEagle]

Pussy Sisster - s/t

 

Liking this so far. Reminds me of Pretty Boy Floyd, which is no bad thing. Some weaker tracks, like 'Way Too Repetitive', sorry, I mean 'Way To Nowhere' and 'Back Again', which was a poor ballad, but the good outweighs the bad. Four or five really nice tunes, standout track so far is 'In Your Arms'. Best lyric: "We are the Pussies, who are you?"

[Kim_Hp]

Got 2 CD's for christmas today and here's my impressions after first listen.

 

Steve Lukather - All's Well That Ends Well

Veeery laid back and (sometimes) too jazzy....although "Flash In The Pan" and "Darkness In My World" are great stuff. Will wait and see what further spins bring but as it stands now, a dissapointment.

 

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock...We Salute You

Classic AC/DC and that can't be a bad thing. I don't think there was any song I disliked and alongside "The Razors Edge" and "Back In Black", this could certainly become a new AC/DC fave for me.

[TIM (2)]

Paramore - brand new eyes

Paramore's Riot is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, so i decided to pick Brand New Eyes up cheap. Unfortunately, i wish i didnt. This is pretty bland modern rock. Nothing sticks out. In fact the 2 best songs are tracks 11 and 12. Riot definately had more variation then this. Also 2 things really annoy me - firstly the girls voice is so damn whiney!!! and also the crap lyrics. They make me shudder how bad they are. Its one of those simple modern rock lyrics that mean nothing but they prob think are deep, but dont know why.

Yeah, that was a real disappointing CD. They've gotten worse with every CD they record. The thing I really cannot understand is how that dreadful 'Only exception' song is going so well on radio. It's f*cking shit, and must surely even bore the shit out of teeny boppers looking for a quick fix with a sugary hook. It's bland as hell. Yeah, that one's got me beat to be honest.

 

There was one great song on the CD, though, about falling off or in something or something like that.

AND THIS COMING FROM THE MANTURD WHO TOLD ME TO BUY IT!!!

 

Only Exception - is that the bland boring ass jerk of a slow song about track 6?

Yeah, that's the song. It's terrible.

 

Did I seriously tell you to get it? You got it for something like $2, right? I'd still recommend it for that. It's not a total write-off but it's their weakest yet. I still like a few songs off it and it's worth pocket change.

 

I loved "Riot" too, but when I first heard this I thought it would finish their career. I think "Ignorance" is a decently catchy tune but theyve really become a bit more Emo with their lyrics, as opposed to a pop/punk band, and the result is dreadful.

[heaven&hell]

Distorted Wonderland - S/T

Killer sleaze metal from Sweden that puts these newcomers in the same class as Crashdiet and Hardcore Superstar IMO. There's so many great tunes on here that I could name them all but my top picks are "Losing It", "Raised on Rock N Roll", "Slave of my Desire", "In for a Thrill", "Never Had Nothing"(this chorus has stayed in my head for days), "Behind the Scenes". If this would of came out earlier in 2010 it probably would of broke into my top 5 for the year.

 

Hardcore Superstar - Split Your Lip

I loved the S/T disc as well the 'Dreamin in a Casket' release but 'Beg for It"(which I finally just bought recently) didn't have the same magic for me. Thank goodness this new disc takes it back to the grittier approach. For me there's not any bad tracks on this one with my favs so far being "Sadistic Girls", "Guestlist", "Last Call for Alcohol", "Split Your Lip", "Moonshine", "Bully" and "Won't Go to Heaven". I also love the two ballads and dig that they aren't your normal big hair metal type ballad and more laid back and my fav of the two is "Here Comes That Sick Bitch".

 

Allen/Lande - The Showdown

I actually had to give this two full spins before I could write what I thought about it. While I don't think it's as good as 'The Battle' I do think it's on par with or better than 'The Revenge'(which I thought was great too!). There does seem to be a heavier edge of some of the tunes when compared to the debut which I love. Fav tunes so far are the title track, "Judgement Day"(Jorn sounds great on this one), "Never Again", "Bloodlines"(again Jorn is great on this and this might be one of the top A/L songs so far), "Copernicus"(Russel takes over here and sounds great), "We Will Rise Again", "The Guardian", "Maya" and "The Artist".

[Dead Planet]

Distorted Wonderland - S/T

Killer sleaze metal from Sweden that puts these newcomers in the same class as Crashdiet and Hardcore Superstar IMO. There's so many great tunes on here that I could name them all but my top picks are "Losing It", "Raised on Rock N Roll", "Slave of my Desire", "In for a Thrill", "Never Had Nothing"(this chorus has stayed in my head for days), "Behind the Scenes". If this would of came out earlier in 2010 it probably would of broke into my top 5 for the year.

 

 

 

That CD is bit expensive for me.....

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Distorted-Wonderland-Distorted-Wonderland-CD-De-/310284677077?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item483e686fd5

[Fat Freddy]

Vinnie Vincent Invasion - ALL SYSTEMS GO (2003 reissue)

 

I found this while scrounging at the FYE going-out-of-business sale and even though I kinda already knew it was going to be a train wreck, my KISS fanboy-hood wouldn't let me leave it there so I went "Ahhh, what the hell." Keeping in mind that I hadn't heard any VVI since the late '80s and even then I wasn't terribly impressed, and I'd hated Slaughter (who were borne of VVI once Slaughter and Strum realized that Vinnie was a douche and bailed on him) I wasn't expecting much from the get-go. "Who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised," I thought....

 

...well, two tracks in and I've already decided that this is going straight to my trade pile. Good Lord, what an annoying piece of overproduced, wanky, Chipmunk-screamy crap. Mark Slaughter can not -- that's right, I said it -- CAN NOT sing. He sounds like he's got something permanently stuck up his nose and is whining about how he can't dislodge it. I'm sure my complaints about Mark's vocals probably sound pretty funny coming from a guy who's a fan of King Diamond and Rob Halford, but seriously, listening to these vocals caused me physical pain.

 

Combine the hellish "singing" with Vinnie's endlessly masturbatory, self delusional "Lookit me, I gots me a pink Flying V, I'm a guitar god, I'm gonna be the next Eddie Van Halen" fretboard histrionics, and you have one of the most irritating CDs I've heard in a long time. I should've taken the three bucks I spent on this out into the parking lot and set it on fire, it would've been less painful.

[Dead Planet]

Vinnie Vincent Invasion - ALL SYSTEMS GO (2003 reissue)

 

I found this while scrounging at the FYE going-out-of-business sale and even though I kinda already knew it was going to be a train wreck, my KISS fanboy-hood wouldn't let me leave it there so I went "Ahhh, what the hell." Keeping in mind that I hadn't heard any VVI since the late '80s and even then I wasn't terribly impressed, and I'd hated Slaughter (who were borne of VVI once Slaughter and Strum realized that Vinnie was a douche and bailed on him) I wasn't expecting much from the get-go. "Who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised," I thought....

 

...well, two tracks in and I've already decided that this is going straight to my trade pile. Good Lord, what an annoying piece of overproduced, wanky, Chipmunk-screamy crap. Mark Slaughter can not -- that's right, I said it -- CAN NOT sing. He sounds like he's got something permanently stuck up his nose and is whining about how he can't dislodge it. I'm sure my complaints about Mark's vocals probably sound pretty funny coming from a guy who's a fan of King Diamond and Rob Halford, but seriously, listening to these vocals caused me physical pain.

 

Combine the hellish "singing" with Vinnie's endlessly masturbatory, self delusional "Lookit me, I gots me a pink Flying V, I'm a guitar god, I'm gonna be the next Eddie Van Halen" fretboard histrionics, and you have one of the most irritating CDs I've heard in a long time. I should've taken the three bucks I spent on this out into the parking lot and set it on fire, it would've been less painful.

 

I really like this release but I'm also a Slaughter fan . It gets regular plays at my house although I can't say the same for their first album which I found rather average......

[Fat Freddy]

I really like this release but I'm also a Slaughter fan . It gets regular plays at my house although I can't say the same for their first album which I found rather average......

 

Sorry. I'm aware that my opinions about V.V.I. and/or Slaughter tend to be in the minority around here, but I just had to get that off my chest...

[Geoff]

I really like this release but I'm also a Slaughter fan . It gets regular plays at my house although I can't say the same for their first album which I found rather average......

 

Sorry. I'm aware that my opinions about V.V.I. and/or Slaughter tend to be in the minority around here, but I just had to get that off my chest...

Yeah. whilst I can acknowledge that Mark Slaughter sounds ridiculous on the VVI CD, I love both of 'em too (the other guy sounds just as creepy). So over-the-top and wild, but I don't know what it is about them... they're just good fun. Oh, and I love Slaughter too.

[heaven&hell]

I really like this release but I'm also a Slaughter fan . It gets regular plays at my house although I can't say the same for their first album which I found rather average......

 

Sorry. I'm aware that my opinions about V.V.I. and/or Slaughter tend to be in the minority around here, but I just had to get that off my chest...

Yeah. whilst I can acknowledge that Mark Slaughter sounds ridiculous on the VVI CD, I love both of 'em too (the other guy sounds just as creepy). So over-the-top and wild, but I don't know what it is about them... they're just good fun. Oh, and I love Slaughter too.

 

Loved Slaughter too but love the VVI disc with Slaughter even more. Yeah the singing and playing and lyrics were OTT but that's what's so great about it. I just love the heavier fast tunes "Ashes to Ashes", "Burn", "Breakout" and "Let Freedom Rock". "Love Kills" is an all time great ballad IMO and my intro to the band. The debut with Fleichman wasn't quite as good IMO but was still badass with crazy screaming vocals and Vinnie's OTT playing. "Twisted", "Animal" and "Back on the Streets" are killer tunes.

[Fat Freddy]

"Love Kills" is about the only song on that VVI disc that I could tolerate... and that's probably due more to the "Nightmare on Elm Street"/horror geek factor than anything else....

 

Seriously, guys, I really f*ckin tried, but that CD was the textbook definition of "one and done" for me. Ugh.

[JamesEagle]

Accept - Blood of the Nations

Bought this after hearing 'The Abyss', which I thought was a great track, but I'm not so sure now. Didn't like the first track much and the title track was probably my least favourite on the CD. Some good tunes as well though, my favourites are probably 'Pandemic' and 'Bucketful of Hate' so far. Overall, not bad.

 

Masquerade - s/t

Much heavier than I was expecting, for some reason I thought this was going to sound like I-Ten. (Maybe becuase of the cover picture, it looks AOR-ish to me.) Sounds good, although I need to spin a few more times for the tunes to really sink in. I found tracks 12 and 13 quite memorable, mainly because 'All Night All Day' was utterly tedious and 'Give it a Shot' rocked like a bastard!

[Geoff]

Lee Aaron - 'Some girls do' ; for every good track there was a filler, but of the 13 songs I think the better tracks won out 7-6 in the end. Which isn't bad. The fillers are a shame, but there is some pretty good commercial hard rock on this one, well worth a part in the collection. Track 9 was my fave.

[Doksdad]

Distorted Wonderland - S/T

Killer sleaze metal from Sweden that puts these newcomers in the same class as Crashdiet and Hardcore Superstar IMO. There's so many great tunes on here that I could name them all but my top picks are "Losing It", "Raised on Rock N Roll", "Slave of my Desire", "In for a Thrill", "Never Had Nothing"(this chorus has stayed in my head for days), "Behind the Scenes". If this would of came out earlier in 2010 it probably would of broke into my top 5 for the year.

 

 

 

That CD is bit expensive for me.....

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Distorted-Wonderland-Distorted-Wonderland-CD-De-/310284677077?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item483e686fd5

 

$1000?

 

But shipping is free

 

Jeff gave me a headsup that this one is 9.99 at cduniverse. That's where I picked up my copy. I think it friggin ROCKS!!

[heaven&hell]

Distorted Wonderland - S/T

Killer sleaze metal from Sweden that puts these newcomers in the same class as Crashdiet and Hardcore Superstar IMO. There's so many great tunes on here that I could name them all but my top picks are "Losing It", "Raised on Rock N Roll", "Slave of my Desire", "In for a Thrill", "Never Had Nothing"(this chorus has stayed in my head for days), "Behind the Scenes". If this would of came out earlier in 2010 it probably would of broke into my top 5 for the year.

 

 

 

That CD is bit expensive for me.....

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Distorted-Wonderland-Distorted-Wonderland-CD-De-/310284677077?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item483e686fd5

 

$1000?

 

But shipping is free

 

Jeff gave me a headsup that this one is 9.99 at cduniverse. That's where I picked up my copy. I think it friggin ROCKS!!

 

Killer killer killer sleaze metal monster of a cd that I can't stop listening to that comes off like a mix of the sleazier side of Crazy Lixx mixed with Crashdiet. The disc has been around $12 on Amazon as well.

[heaven&hell]

"Love Kills" is about the only song on that VVI disc that I could tolerate... and that's probably due more to the "Nightmare on Elm Street"/horror geek factor than anything else....

 

Seriously, guys, I really f*ckin tried, but that CD was the textbook definition of "one and done" for me. Ugh.

 

Okay we'll test how much you hate this one.

 

Would you rather play the VVI or Kiss' Unmasked?

[Fat Freddy]

"Love Kills" is about the only song on that VVI disc that I could tolerate... and that's probably due more to the "Nightmare on Elm Street"/horror geek factor than anything else....

 

Seriously, guys, I really f*ckin tried, but that CD was the textbook definition of "one and done" for me. Ugh.

 

Okay we'll test how much you hate this one.

 

Would you rather play the VVI or Kiss' Unmasked?

 

Easy. UNMASKED.

 

...I still pull UNMASKED the shelf once or twice a year to hear "Talk to Me" and "Torpedo Girl."

 

...however, I would rather stick my weiner in a bear trap than ever let that Vinnie Vincent disc anywhere near my CD player again.

[Geoff]

Deadringer - 'Electrocution of the heart' ; somehow, in all my time worshipping at the church of Victory, I never knew about this release from 1989, featuring original Victory lead vocalist Charlie Huhn on vocals. All's well that ends well and thankfully this landed in my lap. And it's good. Not amazing, but definitely a worthy addition to any collection. A lot of good, solid tunes here with nothing bad included. It's a little more polished and lighter than Victory, but still rocks hard enough. I liked it.

 

Lisa Dominique - 'Rock n' roll lady' ; oh dear. In all honesty it's not as bad as I thought and I commend her for giving this music thing a go. The bad side of it all? She's not a good vocalist, she's not a good song writer and the guitarist is dreadful. Some of the songs are fun in a harmless and simple kind of way, most worthy being 'All fired up'... uh, I mean 'All fall down', which is indeed a blatant rip-off of the Pat Benatar classic, but still the best song on the CD. There are a few very weak songs, but some are listenable. Oh, and the production job is shithouse too, just to top it all off.

 

Joe Pasquale - 'Prey' ; this one hovers between pop and soft rock throughout but never manages to really pull me in. There are some pretty nice tunes, especially the closer, but overall it's not really a good disc at all. Not recommended.

 

Bobby Barth - 'Two hearts - one beat' ; I honestly kept expecting some 80's pop like 'Get out of my dreams get into my car' or something to pop up next. Total 80's pop CD, which I find pretty dreadful to be honest. Seriously, I came here expecting a glimpse of CITA and did not even get a sniff. Nostalgia aside, it's pretty bad.

 

Red Eye Jack - 'Eyeglass' ; speaking of bad, this takes the cake. Only a rock CD in places, but for the most part it's just a nightmare. Not even sure where I got this (Wishingwell?) but I wish I hadn't.

[JamesEagle]

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

 

Most of this CD seems like nothing new and sounds like Maiden-by-numbers to me, although 'The Man Who Would Be King' is a bit different and could be the standout. The rest of the songs seem to drag, but as ever repeated listens may unearth a few more gems.

[Glen]

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

 

Most of this CD seems like nothing new and sounds like Maiden-by-numbers to me, although 'The Man Who Would Be King' is a bit different and could be the standout. The rest of the songs seem to drag, but as ever repeated listens may unearth a few more gems.

 

Yeah its pretty good.....I think i rated it around 70%.

[JamesEagle]

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

 

Most of this CD seems like nothing new and sounds like Maiden-by-numbers to me, although 'The Man Who Would Be King' is a bit different and could be the standout. The rest of the songs seem to drag, but as ever repeated listens may unearth a few more gems.

 

Yeah its pretty good.....I think i rated it around 70%.

 

Seems fair, I think I'd be nearer 60%. 'El Dorado' and 'Coming Home' are quite good, I like 'Starblind' and the best track for me is still 'The Man Who Would Be King'. Very self-indulgent imo, but bands like Maiden can afford to be.

[Geoff]

Lisa Dominique - 'Gypsy Ryder' ; after the piss-weak debut, this was a pretty good surprise. She's still not the greatest songwriter and songs tend to end up a little repetitive quite often, but the production job makes this disc. Not that it's amazing, but there is a nice solid drum sound, big backing vocals - something the debut missed sorely. I actually thought there were a few pretty decent tracks on this one. Not bad at all.

 

Fiona - s/t & 'Whiter shade of pale' ; I always loved her 'Squeeze' album but for some reason I never really explored her any further. Recently I've picked up all her discs and these were the last two - both very good female fronted AOR / melodic rock. All these discs are well worth the effort.

 

Alter Bridge - 'III' ; never been a fan of this band and this didn't persuade me either. It's not bad, though not as well produced as your average modern rock disc. And that is what this is... an average modern rock disc. This is what bands were going before modern rock started to mix it with MHR and is just too forgettable for me. They sound like a mix of Ra and Shinedown, and even though neither of those bands are in the top tier of modern rock, Alter Bridge sound far inferior to both. Sure the guy can play guitar, and very well, but this band bores me with their songs.

[TIM (2)]

 

Alter Bridge - 'III' ; never been a fan of this band and this didn't persuade me either. It's not bad, though not as well produced as your average modern rock disc. And that is what this is... an average modern rock disc. This is what bands were going before modern rock started to mix it with MHR and is just too forgettable for me. They sound like a mix of Ra and Shinedown, and even though neither of those bands are in the top tier of modern rock, Alter Bridge sound far inferior to both. Sure the guy can play guitar, and very well, but this band bores me with their songs.

 

Best Modern Rock album of 2010 IMHO. No-one else mentioned it, but I kinda agree with you about the production as it's not as powerful sounding as their other two discs and the guitar sound is not as good.

[TIM (2)]

TIMES OF GRACE - "The Hymn of a Broken Man"

 

This is the mainman from Killswitch Engage and the former vocalist from KSE, and is almost exactly like a new KSE album (with better vocals IMO). Awesome riffs, killer vocal hooks, shattering production - it's all there, and this kills the last KSE disc. Mostly clean-vocals throughout and plenty of melodic tunes ("Willing" is a mighty tune with a sweeping chorus). If you find KSE a bit generic then this will not change your mind, but if you like that band then this is essential.