First Spin Impressions

[Jez]

Isom - Hearts On Fire

 

Great release this one. If an American version of Treat + the likes of Aviator (Guitarist Richie Cerniglia is in the line up here) and Tyketto gets you interested, check this one out. Great songs, loads of keys, catchy choruses and (for demos) pretty good production as well (maybe a couple of songs at the end suffering a little in sonic quality). Check out 'Your Eyes' and 'Heartbreak' and the very Treat like 'Hold Back' and tell me i'm wrong. There's an extra DVD to accompany it as well from a club show in NY, when the band were known as Valentino, which is quite amusing to watch in places.

[Geoff]

Isom - Hearts On Fire

 

Great release this one. If an American version of Treat + the likes of Aviator (Guitarist Richie Cerniglia is in the line up here) and Tyketto gets you interested, check this one out. Great songs, loads of keys, catchy choruses and (for demos) pretty good production as well (maybe a couple of songs at the end suffering a little in sonic quality). Check out 'Your Eyes' and 'Heartbreak' and the very Treat like 'Hold Back' and tell me i'm wrong. There's an extra DVD to accompany it as well from a club show in NY, when the band were known as Valentino, which is quite amusing to watch in places.

WHAT WHERE AND WHEN???

 

Who the hell are these guys and when was this released and how can I get a copy?

[Jez]

Isom - Hearts On Fire

 

Great release this one. If an American version of Treat + the likes of Aviator (Guitarist Richie Cerniglia is in the line up here) and Tyketto gets you interested, check this one out. Great songs, loads of keys, catchy choruses and (for demos) pretty good production as well (maybe a couple of songs at the end suffering a little in sonic quality). Check out 'Your Eyes' and 'Heartbreak' and the very Treat like 'Hold Back' and tell me i'm wrong. There's an extra DVD to accompany it as well from a club show in NY, when the band were known as Valentino, which is quite amusing to watch in places.

WHAT WHERE AND WHEN???

 

Who the hell are these guys and when was this released and how can I get a copy?

 

 

Geoff - Avaliable over at Retrospect - soundbytes avaliable there I think. Released a few weeks back, songs from '87 period. Silver pressed + DVD make a nice little package.

[heaven&hell]

Rockarma - 'Bring It'

 

So far I'm loving this cd. The guitar player isn't half bad either. This cd is just a perfect blend of late 80's Melodic Hard Rock with great songs, excellent vocals and probably the the greatest guitar playing your ever going to hear. My fav songs so far are "Bad June", "All 4 You", "I Know", and "Missing You". I'd say if you like late 80's/early 90's Melodic Hard Rock your gonna love this.

 

 

Edit: Geoff you're gonna love this.

[Geoff]

Isom - Hearts On Fire

 

Great release this one. If an American version of Treat + the likes of Aviator (Guitarist Richie Cerniglia is in the line up here) and Tyketto gets you interested, check this one out. Great songs, loads of keys, catchy choruses and (for demos) pretty good production as well (maybe a couple of songs at the end suffering a little in sonic quality). Check out 'Your Eyes' and 'Heartbreak' and the very Treat like 'Hold Back' and tell me i'm wrong. There's an extra DVD to accompany it as well from a club show in NY, when the band were known as Valentino, which is quite amusing to watch in places.

WHAT WHERE AND WHEN???

 

Who the hell are these guys and when was this released and how can I get a copy?

 

 

Geoff - Avaliable over at Retrospect - soundbytes avaliable there I think. Released a few weeks back, songs from '87 period. Silver pressed + DVD make a nice little package.

Thanks mate, I think I must own this. Sound essential from above description.

[Blue Charvel]

Rockarma - 'Bring It'

 

So far I'm loving this cd. The guitar player isn't half bad either. This cd is just a perfect blend of late 80's Melodic Hard Rock with great songs, excellent vocals and probably the the greatest guitar playing your ever going to hear. My fav songs so far are "Bad June", "All 4 You", "I Know", and "Missing You". I'd say if you like late 80's/early 90's Melodic Hard Rock your gonna love this.

 

 

Edit: Geoff you're gonna love this.

Apologies! I totally missed this post...

 

Really glad you like it bro! And I agree, it's TOTALLY late 80's/early 90's, not a hint of modern to be found... and I for one am not disappointed by this...

 

p.s. the guitar player is a hack...

[Wotty]

Action - s/t

 

What a fookin' stunner this is.....

[heaven&hell]

Gamma Ray - Land of the Free Part II

 

The return to the more happy Helloween/Gamma Ray style of old on the majority of songs on this one. This picks up from 1995's Land of the Free cd. There some real strong songs on this one like: "Into the Storm", "Rain", "When the World", "Real World" and "Insurrection"(even though Kai sounds like he's saying "It's ERECTION" ). I'd say if you're a fan of Gamma Ray or a Power Metal fan in general then you're gonna love this.

[aMetalhead1966]

Chastian-IN DEMENTIA. A Killer Release from this Prolific Band. I forgot how good

this band was. Killer Songs, Great Vox and David's Incredible Guitar Playing.

Man I'm Hooked!! (Big Thanks to Keef for this one!!!)

[heaven&hell]

Judas Priest - Turbo

 

I can't believe I'm just now getting around to hearing this cd. Being a big Priest fan I had avoided this cd due to the bad reviews I've read over the years. I had only heard the title-track(which I love) and "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" before I bought this. Well after spinning this one for the first time I wish I would of waited a little longer. It's not horrible it's just not a great Priest album. I get what they were doing with the synths just like Maiden had done with "Somewhere in Time"(both came out in 1986), I just feel like Maiden did it much much better. Overall there are a few good songs besides the ones I've already mentioned such as: "Locked In", "Private Property", "Parental Guidance", "Out in the Cold" and "Reckless". Really there's no bad songs there just a little to light and fluffy compared to what you'd expect out of Judas Priest. IMO one of the best songs is the unreleased track(I have the remastered version of the cd) "All Fired Up".

[Geoff]

Bedlight for Blue Eyes - 'The dawn' ; okay, so I had never heard this before. I thought I had, but I definitely haven't. Why reviewers were having a cry over the new album being so much lighter and more commercial, I don't know. This is every bit as commercial as the new album and although not quite as good it's close. Both these albums are actually very good. Well worth checking out for modern melodic rock fans.

[heaven&hell]

Intense - Second Sight

 

This cd is f#@king awesome. Killer vocals, unbelievable playing and great Metal songs. If you like Iced Earth, Iron Maiden or Power Metal in general then you'll love this one. Thanks to Keef for turning me on to this band. Their 2007 release "As our Army Grows" is one of my top albums of the year. And this cd, which I think is their second of three releases, isn't quite as good as the new one but is still a great Metal album IMO.

[Geoff]

Breaking Point - 'Beautiful disorder' ; I got this (for us$1.79) because of a kick-ass track I heard on the credits of the 'Fantastic Four' movie. That song is probably the best, but I did listen to it while typing here, so I didn't fully take it in but it seemed quite good. I can think of a few guys here who would like this stuff. Good modern hard rock.

[aMetalhead1966]

Sinner-"MASK OF SANITY". Wow big surprise here...I had heard how good this was

but for some strange reason I never picked it up.This is a Great Release...Nothing

new but done with tons of conviction, power and taste...Thanks to " Metal Brutha Keef"

for the hook up...

[Dr. Feelgood]

Tyketto - Strength In Numbers

 

Finally got around to listening to this one...it's no "Don't Come Easy", but i didn't expect it to be either. Highlights for me were "Rescue Me", "Write Your Name In The Sky", "Meet Me In The Night" and "Inherit The Wind". Didn't like "All Over Me" and "Why Do You Cry" much. The rest was good and i'm sure will grow on me. Sounds good to me

[Fat Freddy]

Jesus Freaks - SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE (1993)

I remember hearing lotsa whoop de doo about this band in Christian metal circles during the early 90s but never got a chance to hear'em back then. I'm glad I finally checked'em out cuz this thing womps some booty. The Freaks don't screw around on this six-song EP, every track is full on old school Thrash Metal (in the vein of early Metallica, Exodus, Overkill, etc.) with a touch of sloppy punk rock flavor. The vocalist is a dead ringer for a young James Hetfield, so this brings back pleasant memories of the classic MASTER OF PUPPETS/AND JUSTICE FOR ALL era of that band. Lyrically there's a LOT of preaching going on, so the constant in-yo'-face religiosity (is that a word?) may turn some folks off but on the whole I'm diggin' these Freaks big time.

[Metal T]

Angelica - Greatest Hits

 

Having only heard a couple of songs by this band,i got this comp.The fretwork is very nice,the only thing that pisses me off are some of the vox.Man-if ever there was a guy who i wished only did "all instrumental shred albums"-Dennis Cameron would probably be the guy.The majority of the vox here ruin it for me.The guitar playing however is excellent.

[aMetalhead1966]

Loudness-"HEAVY METAL HIPPIES"..I had heard some songs form this release years ago and Hated them.

I Finally Got a copy and I must say that even though the "Loudness sound" is not found on this

release I really like some of the songs and Ideas they are trying...takes a bit to get into but I'm

really enjoying this...Akria plays his ass off and the addition of "EZO"s Masaki on Vox really makes it work...by no means anywhere near classic "Loudness" but a nice try in a different sound. Thanks to Metal bro Keef for the hook up...

[Fat Freddy]

Loudness-"HEAVY METAL HIPPIES"..I had heard some songs form this release years ago and Hated them.

I Finally Got a copy and I must say that even though the "Loudness sound" is not found on this

release I really like some of the songs and Ideas they are trying...takes a bit to get into but I'm

really enjoying this...Akria plays his ass off and the addition of "EZO"s Masaki on Vox really makes it work...by no means anywhere near classic "Loudness" but a nice try in a different sound. Thanks to Metal bro Keef for the hook up...

 

Glad you're happy to give that one a good home brother... I couldn't stand it personally...

[aMetalhead1966]

Loudness-"HEAVY METAL HIPPIES"..I had heard some songs form this release years ago and Hated them.

I Finally Got a copy and I must say that even though the "Loudness sound" is not found on this

release I really like some of the songs and Ideas they are trying...takes a bit to get into but I'm

really enjoying this...Akria plays his ass off and the addition of "EZO"s Masaki on Vox really makes it work...by no means anywhere near classic "Loudness" but a nice try in a different sound. Thanks to Metal bro Keef for the hook up...

 

Glad you're happy to give that one a good home brother... I couldn't stand it personally...

Happy here!! I gotta a few more of the stack I got to post here...

[Metal T]

Roxx Gang-Love Em' And Leave Em' (Perris)

 

This disc has a few unreleased songs along with a few "Things-era" demos that got RG signed.I thought "Things You've Never Done Before" was one of the better late 80's sleaze/glam/hard rock metal releases to come out.That record kicked a ton of ass and after listening to this disc-im glad they later changed things up a bit for "Things"-especially on "Too Cool For School","No Easy Way Out" and "Scratch Your Back".The versions here are pure f'n horse-sh*t ! Not complaining about the sound-what sucks donkeys are the arrangements,melodys,vox and guitar.Ill listen some more if i can stomach it......ive also noticed that "Perris Records" puts out alot of very cheap and very lame acts material..they really blow.

[heaven&hell]

Overkill-Horroscope

 

Pretty kick ass stuff here. Just your classic thrash metal from one of the greats of the genre. I've just gotten into this band lately and I've been missing out. I'd say this is one of the better Overkill cds I've heard(so far) but I think I might prefer the new one over this as of right now.

[TIM (2)]

Overkill-Horroscope

 

Pretty kick ass stuff here. Just your classic thrash metal from one of the greats of the genre. I've just gotten into this band lately and I've been missing out. I'd say this is one of the better Overkill cds I've heard(so far) but I think I might prefer the new one over this as of right now.

 

Great CD. I like that one as it's one of their heaviest & thrashiest albums, along with "The Years of Decay", & has a killer production.

[Geoff]

Skansis - 'Take your chance' - this does not sound like Shakra... this IS a Shakra album... with a different band line-up. Seriously, this is 100% Shakra from start to finish. Nothing separates the two bands. I liked the first song but after that it all just pretty much blended into a Shakra-esque "oaky but average" trip. It's good, but this stuff does little for me these days. I just need a good hook or catchy chorus somewhere in there. It's good solid hard rock but nothing that's not been done 14,000 times before.

[Blue Charvel]

Skansis - 'Take your chance' - this does not sound like Shakra... this IS a Shakra album... with a different band line-up. Seriously, this is 100% Shakra from start to finish. Nothing separates the two bands. I liked the first song but after that it all just pretty much blended into a Shakra-esque "oaky but average" trip. It's good, but this stuff does little for me these days. I just need a good hook or catchy chorus somewhere in there. It's good solid hard rock but nothing that's not been done 14,000 times before.

I still feel that way after repeated listens. I enjoy when a song comes up in shuffle mode, but I never actively look for them in my iTunes library.... average, average, average... but not in a bad way...