First Spin Impressions

[Geoff]

All Time Low - 'So wrong it's right' ; Just spun it on the weekend and to be honest, not quite as good as the excellent debut EP from last year. I really had high hopes for this, and don't get me wrong - it sounds really great and I can't wait to hear it again... but not quite as good as Cauterize, Yellowcard, FFAF etc. IMO - and I was expecting it to be that good. Maybe in a few more listens though. Good stuff.

[eaglesfan3000]

DREAM POLICE - S/T

 

Holy fuck that's a great disc even better than Messing With The Blues it has a much harder sound to this one with great hooks, heavy guitar as on ROCK ME(a killer song) with a couple of surpurb ballads with a hint of blues is some of the songs. If any of you ever get a chance to buy anything by DREAM POLICE please do you won't be disappointed. Jarred really needs to send out one of his free downloads with this one if he has it in his collection.

 

TYPHOON - Sometimes

 

A real nice compilation of four songs on this disc comparible to Bonfire heavy guitar with keyboards filling in nicely WILD AND WILLING is just a kick ass tune the other three are not far behind another must have for AOR fans.

[Fat Freddy]

The Cult- Born into This

 

I f#@king love this cd. The great thing about The Cult is that no two cds sound the same and they continue to grow and bring different elements into each release. While this cd isn't quite as good as the perfect 'Beyond Good Evil', it's still a great cd. Fav songs so far are "Dirty Little Rockstar", "I Assasin", "Holy Mountain", "Tiger in the Sun", and "Born into This".

 

 

I've given this one two or three spins now (is it OK to still post in the "First Spin Impressions" then?) and it's a decent Cult record. Not as mindblowing as I'd hoped, but definitely a solid entry. More in the stripped down vein of ELECTRIC than the overproduced, overblown SONIC TEMPLE or BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL vibe. So far the only song that is really sticking with me is "Dirty Little Rockstar" but maybe more will stick with me after a few more spins. (Oh, and at the beginning of the ballad "Holy Mountain" I swear Ian sounds a little like Johnny Cash!) It's just good to hear Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy playing together again after a six-year layoff.

[heaven&hell]

The Cult- Born into This

 

I f#@king love this cd. The great thing about The Cult is that no two cds sound the same and they continue to grow and bring different elements into each release. While this cd isn't quite as good as the perfect 'Beyond Good Evil', it's still a great cd. Fav songs so far are "Dirty Little Rockstar", "I Assasin", "Holy Mountain", "Tiger in the Sun", and "Born into This".

 

 

I've given this one two or three spins now (is it OK to still post in the "First Spin Impressions" then?) and it's a decent Cult record. Not as mindblowing as I'd hoped, but definitely a solid entry. More in the stripped down vein of ELECTRIC than the overproduced, overblown SONIC TEMPLE or BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL vibe. So far the only song that is really sticking with me is "Dirty Little Rockstar" but maybe more will stick with me after a few more spins. (Oh, and at the beginning of the ballad "Holy Mountain" I swear Ian sounds a little like Johnny Cash!) It's just good to hear Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy playing together again after a six-year layoff.

 

 

I got the same Johnny Cash vibe on 'Holy Mountain'. Not sure what it is about this cd but I still love it.

I'm not sure if I just dig the whole stripped down sound of if it's because it really dont sound anything like any other Cult cds.

[TIM (2)]

TED POLEY - Smile

 

Finally got my hands on this & it's totally essential. IMHO this is only second to the DD debut in terms of the material he's been involved with. It is pretty lightweight stuff (easily the most AOR Poley has ever sounded), even more so than "Collateral Damage" was. There truly is some killer material on here, with lush melodies throughout. Soundwise it's similar to the Goodbye Thrill album, but as good as that album is it simply can't compete here. Poley's voice is on top form, & whereas the sound/production is slightly thin sounding - the rhythm sections are very low in the mix - it still sounds very polished.

 

In the AOR/MHR genre, this is 2007's best moment IMHO.

[Geoff]

TED POLEY - Smile

 

Finally got my hands on this & it's totally essential. IMHO this is only second to the DD debut in terms of the material he's been involved with. It is pretty lightweight stuff (easily the most AOR Poley has ever sounded), even more so than "Collateral Damage" was. There truly is some killer material on here, with lush melodies throughout. Soundwise it's similar to the Goodbye Thrill album, but as good as that album is it simply can't compete here. Poley's voice is on top form, & whereas the sound/production is slightly thin sounding - the rhythm sections are very low in the mix - it still sounds very polished.

 

In the AOR/MHR genre, this is 2007's best moment IMHO.

Backed.

 

Goodbye Thrill - s/t ; I'm glad to say this is a huge step up from 2002's 'Fallen heroes' album by Ferriera. So much so, that I believe 'Fallen heroes' and 'Give you away' are both songs that were featured on that album - but they are completely unrecognizable here. I'll have to spin it again to confirm. Anyway, onto this one - this kicks ass. 'Dead to me' was my favourite song on first spin, but they all sounded like nice, solid slabs of melodic rock. I can't wait to get familiar with all these songs. Well done to Mr Ferriera. There was a lot of potential on his debut, and the band situation suits him MUCH better.

[heaven&hell]

Dirty Looks- Gasoline

 

The Good:

1)The songs. Their some classic Dirty Looks elements on this cd and while it's not in the same league as their first few albums there are some fun gems here. "Doesnt Count the Juice", "See you in the Morning", "Through your Eyes", "Over Me", "Wake the Sky"(my fav song on the cd), and "I Am that I Am" are all songs that are kicking my ass so far. This cd is just has a fun, raw, and dirty rock n roll vibe, and I'm really digging it so far.

 

 

The Bad:

1)The production(if that's what they call it). How much more awesome this cd would of been with a killer production job.

2)The packaging. It's just a crappy book with the names scribbled on the inside with the cd in it. I might be alone but I prefer a jewel case with a booklet, pictures, and maybe some lyrics. Hell I'm not even sure who's playing on this besides the singer Henrik. I think Paul Lidel's on there too but I'm not for sure.

 

 

Final verdict: A fun kick ass cd that I recommend to all Dirty Looks, AC/DC, and Hard Rock fans. This is one of those type of cds that's perfect to throw in the stereo and sit back and drink yourself into oblivion.

[heaven&hell]

Dirty Looks- Gasoline

 

The Good:

1)The songs. Their some classic Dirty Looks elements on this cd and while it's not in the same league as their first few albums there are some fun gems here. "Doesnt Count the Juice", "See you in the Morning", "Through your Eyes", "Over Me", "Wake the Sky"(my fav song on the cd), and "I Am that I Am" are all songs that are kicking my ass so far. This cd is just has a fun, raw, and dirty rock n roll vibe, and I'm really digging it so far.

 

 

The Bad:

1)The production(if that's what they call it). How much more awesome this cd would of been with a killer production job.

2)The packaging. It's just a crappy book with the names scribbled on the inside with the cd in it. I might be alone but I prefer a jewel case with a booklet, pictures, and maybe some lyrics. Hell I'm not even sure who's playing on this besides the singer Henrik. I think Paul Lidel's on there too but I'm not for sure.

 

 

Final verdict: A fun kick ass cd that I recommend to all Dirty Looks, AC/DC, and Hard Rock fans. This is one of those type of cds that's perfect to throw in the stereo and sit back and drink yourself into oblivion.

[TIM (2)]

PRONG - Power of the Damager

 

This is a great band, one that just have never really lost belief in what they were doing. You know you're never going to get a watered-down album or any type of nu-metal etc with Prong. The slicing guitar work is there, so is the Voivod-type of ambience, but it still crushes. It's not ground-breaking like they were with "Cleansing" and "Beg to Differ", but it's more massively heavy & groove-laden Metal. First listen is always a little tough with their inaccessible sound, but this will definitely grow....

[TIM (2)]

ALTER BRIDGE - Blackbird

 

Never really a band you should judge on first listen, I've flicked through the album for a couple of days but only today found time to play it from start to finish. Fundamentally their style is the same (a more melodic Creed/Nickleback) but they've truly stepped up the songwriting on this one. My fave tunes are still the two ballads - the magnificent title track, & "Watch Over You" - but there are so many top tunes on this. First single "Rise Today" is impressively catchy on first spin too. This really could grow into a big fave.

 

If you're fed up waiting for the new RA album to surface, pick this up.

[heaven&hell]

ALTER BRIDGE - Blackbird

 

Never really a band you should judge on first listen, I've flicked through the album for a couple of days but only today found time to play it from start to finish. Fundamentally their style is the same (a more melodic Creed/Nickleback) but they've truly stepped up the songwriting on this one. My fave tunes are still the two ballads - the magnificent title track, & "Watch Over You" - but there are so many top tunes on this. First single "Rise Today" is impressively catchy on first spin too. This really could grow into a big fave.

 

If you're fed up waiting for the new RA album to surface, pick this up.

 

 

This is a great cd IMO, I'm not sure if it's as killer as the debut yet but I'm loving it so far.

Myles Kennedy's voice is just amazing and Tremonti plays his ass off.

'Rise Today', 'Brand New Start', and 'One by One' should all be hit songs.

[aMetalhead1966]

Dirty Looks- Gasoline

 

The Good:

1)The songs. Their some classic Dirty Looks elements on this cd and while it's not in the same league as their first few albums there are some fun gems here. "Doesnt Count the Juice", "See you in the Morning", "Through your Eyes", "Over Me", "Wake the Sky"(my fav song on the cd), and "I Am that I Am" are all songs that are kicking my ass so far. This cd is just has a fun, raw, and dirty rock n roll vibe, and I'm really digging it so far.

 

 

The Bad:

1)The production(if that's what they call it). How much more awesome this cd would of been with a killer production job.

2)The packaging. It's just a crappy book with the names scribbled on the inside with the cd in it. I might be alone but I prefer a jewel case with a booklet, pictures, and maybe some lyrics. Hell I'm not even sure who's playing on this besides the singer Henrik. I think Paul Lidel's on there too but I'm not for sure.

 

 

Final verdict: A fun kick ass cd that I recommend to all Dirty Looks, AC/DC, and Hard Rock fans. This is one of those type of cds that's perfect to throw in the stereo and sit back and drink yourself into oblivion.

Backed on all counts

[Geoff]

The Altered - 'Yours truly' ; for those who care, this is nothing like 'Dreaming awake'. Songs are nowhere near as good, and it just sound WAY different. Granted, there are almost 10 years between the 2 albums. The first song is a horrible christian track, but the rest of the songs are okay. Nice, polite modern rock. Not even barely essential.

 

Dangerous Age - 'Troubled times' ; Very safe AOR on display here. Not bad at all I guess. It's okay.

[Fat Freddy]

Crashdiet - THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION

Hair Metal's Great White Hope returns with a new singer, but no alterations to their style/sound. New boy H. Oliver Twisted is a little squeakier sounding than the late Dave Lepard, but otherwise has the confidence to help the Crashdiet boys carry on. On a first spin I don't quite hear a "Riot In Everyone" on this album, if you catch my drift, but "In The Raw," "Falling Rain" and "Die Another Day" jumped out at me right away as strong contenders.

In short, if you liked REST IN SLEAZE then you should have no problem getting into THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION as well.

[Blue Charvel]

Crashdiet - THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION

Hair Metal's Great White Hope returns with a new singer, but no alterations to their style/sound. New boy H. Oliver Twisted is a little squeakier sounding than the late Dave Lepard, but otherwise has the confidence to help the Crashdiet boys carry on. On a first spin I don't quite hear a "Riot In Everyone" on this album, if you catch my drift, but "In The Raw," "Falling Rain" and "Die Another Day" jumped out at me right away as strong contenders.

In short, if you liked REST IN SLEAZE then you should have no problem getting into THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION as well.

I'm feeling lazy, so I'll just say my first spin impressions are... backed.

[Fat Freddy]

Crashdiet - THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION

Hair Metal's Great White Hope returns with a new singer, but no alterations to their style/sound. New boy H. Oliver Twisted is a little squeakier sounding than the late Dave Lepard, but otherwise has the confidence to help the Crashdiet boys carry on. On a first spin I don't quite hear a "Riot In Everyone" on this album, if you catch my drift, but "In The Raw," "Falling Rain" and "Die Another Day" jumped out at me right away as strong contenders.

In short, if you liked REST IN SLEAZE then you should have no problem getting into THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION as well.

I'm feeling lazy, so I'll just say my first spin impressions are... backed.

 

There you go, letting me do all the work for you again...

[Blue Charvel]

Crashdiet - THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION

Hair Metal's Great White Hope returns with a new singer, but no alterations to their style/sound. New boy H. Oliver Twisted is a little squeakier sounding than the late Dave Lepard, but otherwise has the confidence to help the Crashdiet boys carry on. On a first spin I don't quite hear a "Riot In Everyone" on this album, if you catch my drift, but "In The Raw," "Falling Rain" and "Die Another Day" jumped out at me right away as strong contenders.

In short, if you liked REST IN SLEAZE then you should have no problem getting into THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION as well.

I'm feeling lazy, so I'll just say my first spin impressions are... backed.

 

There you go, letting me do all the work for you again...

That's not why you came here?

[Fat Freddy]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia (I say "were" because they are apparently now defunct). The singer has a decent voice in the Michael Kiske mold and the choruses are catchy and melodic. The lyrics, at least what little I can make out without a lyric sheet, seem to be uniformly cringe-inducing, Dungeons and Dragons inspired stuff.

 

I suppose if you like Helloween, Maiden, Gamma Ray, Queensryche, etc., and wouldn't mind hearing a second (or perhaps third) generation copy of them, this is an OK release but certainly not essential by any means.

 

For Queensryche fans, the CD has a hidden bonus track of them covering "Queen of the Reich" which was a nice surprise.

[aMetalhead1966]

Crashdiet - THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION

Hair Metal's Great White Hope returns with a new singer, but no alterations to their style/sound. New boy H. Oliver Twisted is a little squeakier sounding than the late Dave Lepard, but otherwise has the confidence to help the Crashdiet boys carry on. On a first spin I don't quite hear a "Riot In Everyone" on this album, if you catch my drift, but "In The Raw," "Falling Rain" and "Die Another Day" jumped out at me right away as strong contenders.

In short, if you liked REST IN SLEAZE then you should have no problem getting into THE UNATTRACTIVE REVOLUTION as well.

Backed...It's a grower. it takes a few spins but I love it!!!

[TIM (2)]

EXODUS - The Atrocity Exhibition

 

This disc has been getting hyped up in every interview/magazine article I've read, with even the boss of Nuclear Blast saying it's one of the best things he's released. So it's only gonna lead to disappointment when you actually hear it. Especially when you bear in mind this album's more progressive/technical than the very straight-forward chanting-chorus style of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine". This is probably more like "Tempo of the Damned" in style. What it lacks in great catchy choruses it sure as hell makes up for in riffs. In fact this album has some of the most impressive riffing you're ever likely to hear, especially on killer cuts like "Funeral Hymn" (the opening minute of riffing is awesome) & "The Garden of Bleeding". Some of it is a bit aimless ("Children of a Worthless God") but even on those tunes the riffs more than make up for it. It's actually a fair bit less aggressive than the last CD IMO, but that allows the guitar riffs to really come to the fore rather than just pummel you in the head.

 

Even if you don't like the new direction, this album is worth buying alone for the 2 minute rifferama-intro to "Funeral Hymn" and album closer "Bedlam 123".

 

Incidentally, the whole album is being streamed for this week only on their myspace site:

 

http://www.myspace.com/exodus

[phaffas]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia (I say "were" because they are apparently now defunct). The singer has a decent voice in the Michael Kiske mold and the choruses are catchy and melodic. The lyrics, at least what little I can make out without a lyric sheet, seem to be uniformly cringe-inducing, Dungeons and Dragons inspired stuff.

 

I suppose if you like Helloween, Maiden, Gamma Ray, Queensryche, etc., and wouldn't mind hearing a second (or perhaps third) generation copy of them, this is an OK release but certainly not essential by any means.

 

For Queensryche fans, the CD has a hidden bonus track of them covering "Queen of the Reich" which was a nice surprise.

 

Dungeon are dead (actually one of the worst bands ive ever seen live... but anyway)... They are now carried on by the lead singer under the name "Lord". He has a new album out now.

[Geoff]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia

I went to TAFE (substitute university/college in Australia) with the drummer in this band. I am soooooooo famous.

[phaffas]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia

I went to TAFE (substitute university/college in Australia) with the drummer in this band. I am soooooooo famous.

 

yeh but arnt they similar to Spinal Tap with their drummers? or was that their bass players?

[Fat Freddy]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia

I went to TAFE (substitute university/college in Australia) with the drummer in this band. I am soooooooo famous.

 

yeh but arnt they similar to Spinal Tap with their drummers? or was that their bass players?

 

They seemed pretty similar to Spinal Tap musically as well... I was expecting them to bust into a song about Stonehenge by the halfway point of the CD

[Geoff]

Dungeon - A RISE TO POWER (2003)

Got a promotional copy of this disc in a trade. Having never heard of the band before I didn't know quite what to expect but judging from the comic book style cover art (a hairy guy who looks like The Hulk breaking out of shackles) and song titles like "The Prophecy," "Stormchaser" and "Netherlife (Black Roses Die)" I had a feeling I was in for some cheesy Euro-style power metal. Correctamundo! This band's sound is based on a healthy dose of Maiden and Queensryche, mixed with the speed and big choruses of the German power metal scene. I would've thought these guys were from Germany based strictly on the sound, but after a quick Google search it turns out that they actually were from Australia

I went to TAFE (substitute university/college in Australia) with the drummer in this band. I am soooooooo famous.

 

yeh but arnt they similar to Spinal Tap with their drummers? or was that their bass players?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he only played on one album. I got it back at the time, but sold it soon after and can't remember what it was called. I'm pretty sure he may not have played on this particular album. What was the one before called? I'd know it if I heard it.