First Spin Impressions

[Hallows Victim]

Whitesnake - Good To be Bad

 

[TIM (2)]

House of Lords-Come to My Kingdom

 

For me there's a not quite as many rocking songs that there was on the last album and overall this cd leans more to the AOR sound.

 

Yep, the AOR crowd are gonna love this, there's none of the harder-rocking tunes on all their other albums (except "Demons Down" I guess). Soaring hooks & melodies everywhere. Love it.

[JLPRocks]

SIMPLE PLAN - S/T

 

I really like this band, definitely one of the better crop of Modern Rock artists, & this album is even catchier/hookier than previous albums. The fact the guitars are less in evidence doesn't detract from the very classy album, full of polish & big harmonies. The only strange thing here is the running order, as the best 4 tracks are at the end (especially the killer duo "Holding On" and "No Love"). In fact after the fairly average "Generation" in the middle this album just totally steps up a gear. Anyone who finds this music too generic won't be won over here, but they are one of the very best at writing ultra-catchy melodic pop/rock tunes.

I have to say, based on my first spin, I don't think it quite lives up to the excellent 'Still not getting any'. There is no doubt these guys can write a beautiful big chorus with delicious harmonies and there are some tracks on here which are as good as the last album - the ballads and mid-tempo tunes here are sensational - but I just don't think there are quite as many songs that are as good as the last album. The one HUGE plus I do have to say is that I'm glad to see the vocalist trying his best to get out of his awful pop-punk voice. He's not there yet, but he's trying and I like it.

 

 

Stick with it mate. It's worth it.... Whereas I really liked it on first spin, I'm loving it now....

 

I never bought any Simple Plan CDs but after reading some of your reviews, I did...and I must say that I totally like this album! Thanks!

[aMetalhead1966]

Judas Priest - Stained Class

 

I've been meaning to pick up this cd for years but finally just now got around to it. And I'm not dissapointed at all. This is one of best discs in the Judas Priest catalog IMO. The big difference in some of the early stuff like this cd is the drumming of Les Binks which is ten times as good as Dave Holland. It makes me wonder how much better Priest would of been if Binks would remained behind the drum stool throughout the 80's. This is the remastered version with the unreleased bonus track "Fire Burns Below", which is good song but sounds like it should of came off of "Point of Entry".

This cd has some of my fav Priest tunes like "Exciter", "Stained Class", and "Beyond the Realms of Death"(which is in my top 5 JP songs of all time).

It's an ass kicker for sure...

[TIM (2)]

SIMPLE PLAN - S/T

 

I really like this band, definitely one of the better crop of Modern Rock artists, & this album is even catchier/hookier than previous albums. The fact the guitars are less in evidence doesn't detract from the very classy album, full of polish & big harmonies. The only strange thing here is the running order, as the best 4 tracks are at the end (especially the killer duo "Holding On" and "No Love"). In fact after the fairly average "Generation" in the middle this album just totally steps up a gear. Anyone who finds this music too generic won't be won over here, but they are one of the very best at writing ultra-catchy melodic pop/rock tunes.

I have to say, based on my first spin, I don't think it quite lives up to the excellent 'Still not getting any'. There is no doubt these guys can write a beautiful big chorus with delicious harmonies and there are some tracks on here which are as good as the last album - the ballads and mid-tempo tunes here are sensational - but I just don't think there are quite as many songs that are as good as the last album. The one HUGE plus I do have to say is that I'm glad to see the vocalist trying his best to get out of his awful pop-punk voice. He's not there yet, but he's trying and I like it.

 

 

Stick with it mate. It's worth it.... Whereas I really liked it on first spin, I'm loving it now....

 

I never bought any Simple Plan CDs but after reading some of your reviews, I did...and I must say that I totally like this album! Thanks!

 

Pleased to hear that JLP, & (despite it being a basic modern rock disc) it really is a grower after 5 or 6 spins...

[heaven&hell]

Roxxi-Drive it to ya Hard

 

Sure this has been done before and there isn't one original note on this entire cd but with that being said I still think that this cd kicks ass. A great sleazy Hard rock album that has great song after great song.

[heaven&hell]

Blonz-s/t

 

A nice Bon Jovi influenced Hard Rock band from the early 90's. I enjoy almost every song on this cd. Nothing great or ground-breaking but a very fun rocking melodic rock disc with a few solid ballads mixed in. "Rainbow" is one hell of a ballad too.

[Geoff]

Had a very busy weekend after being without a CD player for a full week and receiving quite a few new discs. Here's the rundown after one spin each so far:

 

Alleycat Smile - s/t ; killer first track and overall a very cool sound. Nicely produced and the start of this album is very strong. I recall a nice ballad as well, I believe. The album does trail off towards the end with a few fillers, but the strength of the best tracks makes this one well worthwhile.

 

Cutlass - 'Kiss your sass goodbye' ; A little disappointed with these guys, but I see this being a grower. I'd call it solid with a few good tracks but nothing amazing. I'm still looking forward to more spins, though. Good listening.

 

Cutlass - 'No explanation necessary' ; Same as the first one. A few more better tracks, I think. 'Missing you' stood out and this was another good but not amazing CD.

 

Far Cry - s/t ; This reminds me of early Fifth Angel. Featuring the singer from Metal Church, this is maybe not so much what I normally listen to, but I still enjoyed this one. The later tracks were my preferred ones, but this is a good EP. Again, looking forward to more spins.

 

Lorraine - 'Wanted' ; After hearing a lot about this one I finally got my hands on a copy! Firstly, the lead singer is a dead ringer for the guy from Legs Diamond. Man they're similar. Aside from that, this is actually a really cool indie. There are a few fillers, but generally I really liked this CD. Some great songs and a delicious ballad or two. Good stuff.

 

Lovechild - 'Soul Collector' ; Great stuff. If you like Jaded Heart, Million and other like-minded heavy rock bands this is more than worth checking out. I was not sure what this'd be like as it was released in 2006 and pretty much no one ever mentioned it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Great riff-heavy hard rock.

 

Nasty Black - 'Larger than life' ; Decent at best. There are a few cool tracks on this one - enough to make it worthwhile. Definitely a few fillers, but I still enjoyed the listen and hope to find a few more choice tracks when I listen next.

 

Sikekixx - 'Talk of the town' ; Just started this one, but I love what I hear in the first 3 tracks, especially 'In the night'. This thing has a great 80's rock production job too. Hope the quality lasts throughout.

[TIM (2)]

I'm on my second spin of this now but it deserves a mention here:-

 

DEATH ANGEL - Killing Season

 

Coming off the back of their slightly disappointing & pretty lightweight re-union album "The Art of Dying", D.A are back to very nearly the power & aggression of "The Ultra Violence". The pace is slowed down, but this is still pretty aggressive considering after that awesome debut they ventured off into Mordred-style thrash/funk territory. Their songwriting here is also every bit as good as it was on the mighty "Act III", & tunes like "Sonic Beatdown" just shred. This is nowhere near as heavy as latter day Testament or Exodus, & they can't really compete with these bands, but if you love thrash this is a very solid album....

[Geoff]

Third Degree - s/t ; a couple of really weak songs with some really odd ideas for choruses (complete disregard for potential hooks) but on the other hands there are a couple of good solid tracks. Overall, for 6 tracks, this was a pretty cool EP.

 

Tyger Tyger - 'No Icons' ; Pretty decent live hard rock disc. Not a huge fan but it was okay.

 

Whitesnake - 'Good to be bad' ; Oh, 4th song how I love you dearly. The first 3 tracks sounded pretty average/weak to me, but after that it kind of picked up. A grower, I suspect, but pretty good on first listen.

 

Bonfire - 'the Rauber' ; write-up elsewhere. In short, 4 great songs and 10 not so great tracks.

[heaven&hell]

Whitesnake - 'Good to be bad' ; Oh, 4th song how I love you dearly. The first 3 tracks sounded pretty average/weak to me, but after that it kind of picked up. A grower, I suspect, but pretty good on first listen.

 

I worry that your not gonna dig that album as much as those that dig the older stuff.

For me it's "Slide it In" for 2008. Bluesy, Melodic with great singing and playing.

And so far it's my fav album of 2008.

[Geoff]

Wicked Ryhme - 'Fallen angel' ; Wow, this one is actually pretty crap. Yeah... haven't got anything positive to say about it at all. Bland, lifeless hard rock. Not recommended.

 

XT - s/t ; Have to admit this one ain't so bad at all. Nice solid AOR. A few annoyingly silly christian songs with lyrics you'd sink a boat over, but there's nice melodies and choruses here and a crisp 80's AOR sound. I liked it.

 

Day of Fire - s/t ; Good modern rock, but not great. Before I heard it I built an idea of what it'd be like in my head and I was right, pretty much note for note. Good, predictable modern hard rock but not one I'll be dying to hear too often, I dare say.

[TIM (2)]

Day of Fire - s/t ; Good modern rock, but not great. Before I heard it I built an idea of what it'd be like in my head and I was right, pretty much note for note. Good, predictable modern hard rock but not one I'll be dying to hear too often, I dare say.

 

Yeah I've got that one, decent Modern Rock. Kinda like that NEVE album & the first MARS ELECTRIC, they have all the right ingredients but not strong/hooky enough tunes IMO....

[Geoff]

Day of Fire - s/t ; Good modern rock, but not great. Before I heard it I built an idea of what it'd be like in my head and I was right, pretty much note for note. Good, predictable modern hard rock but not one I'll be dying to hear too often, I dare say.

 

Yeah I've got that one, decent Modern Rock. Kinda like that NEVE album & the first MARS ELECTRIC, they have all the right ingredients but not strong/hooky enough tunes IMO....

Yeah, agreed on all three albums. 'Someday' by Mars Electric is the only amazing song on all three albums. The rest is just good/decent.

 

Recent first spins:

 

House of Lords - 'Come to my kingdom' ; I'll look for the threads to say more on this and White Lion, so I'll keep it brief. This was f*cking excellent. Possibly my favourite album of the year and first impressions are I actually prefer it to the last excellent album. It'll be a close call and I said that about Khymera's new album early this year too. But as playing progresses, as much as I love Khymera's newie, it is nowhere near as good as 'A new promise', imo, so I might say that about HOL too. Killer first impression though.

 

White Lion - 'Return of the pride' ; 'Dream' and 'I will' are great tracks, but what is with the horrible guitar at times? Sounds like Human Clay or something like that. This album is an odd one. It's not White Lion, but I wouldn't say it's a typical Tramp solo album either. It wasn't awful and is probably better than 'Big Game' but it's far from great.

 

David Zaffiro - 'Yesterday's left behind' ; nice AOR disc with a few good tracks. Nothing special, but a decent album.

[heaven&hell]

Day of Fire - s/t ; Good modern rock, but not great. Before I heard it I built an idea of what it'd be like in my head and I was right, pretty much note for note. Good, predictable modern hard rock but not one I'll be dying to hear too often, I dare say.

 

Yeah I've got that one, decent Modern Rock. Kinda like that NEVE album & the first MARS ELECTRIC, they have all the right ingredients but not strong/hooky enough tunes IMO....

Yeah, agreed on all three albums. 'Someday' by Mars Electric is the only amazing song on all three albums. The rest is just good/decent.

 

Recent first spins:

 

House of Lords - 'Come to my kingdom' ; I'll look for the threads to say more on this and White Lion, so I'll keep it brief. This was f*cking excellent. Possibly my favourite album of the year and first impressions are I actually prefer it to the last excellent album. It'll be a close call and I said that about Khymera's new album early this year too. But as playing progresses, as much as I love Khymera's newie, it is nowhere near as good as 'A new promise', imo, so I might say that about HOL too. Killer first impression though.

 

White Lion - 'Return of the pride' ; 'Dream' and 'I will' are great tracks, but what is with the horrible guitar at times? Sounds like Human Clay or something like that. This album is an odd one. It's not White Lion, but I wouldn't say it's a typical Tramp solo album either. It wasn't awful and is probably better than 'Big Game' but it's far from great.

 

 

 

I haven't heard the White Lion but I do agree that the HOL is excellent. There's a couple of fillers IMO and I don't think it's quite as good as "World Upside Down" but it's still one of the top albums of 2008 so far.

[Geoff]

Stand - 'Encircled' ; I saw these guys open for Mike Tramp ages ago... then then they became his band for Mike's set. I can't remember what I thought of them but this CD really isn't that bad at all. I kind of enjoyed it. Good, straight forward Aussie hard rock.

[phaffas]

Stand - 'Encircled' ; I saw these guys open for Mike Tramp ages ago... then then they became his band for Mike's set. I can't remember what I thought of them but this CD really isn't that bad at all. I kind of enjoyed it. Good, straight forward Aussie hard rock.

Its good isnt it. Not killer, but nice mellow aussie hard rock.

[Geoff]

Stand - 'Encircled' ; I saw these guys open for Mike Tramp ages ago... then then they became his band for Mike's set. I can't remember what I thought of them but this CD really isn't that bad at all. I kind of enjoyed it. Good, straight forward Aussie hard rock.

Its good isnt it. Not killer, but nice mellow aussie hard rock.

Yeah, definitely mellow but as you say, it's nice. So many Aussie bands I hear I have to turn off asap because they're just shit. This is not bad at all. I'll spin it again.

[Geoff]

Crash Romeo - 'Gave me the clap' ; I like their debut album, 'Minutes to miles' a lot. It's not amazing, but there are no bad tracks, the last track is great and the song 'Serious' was one of the highlights of 2006. I was hoping this new release would be amazing and really take them to a new level, like maybe Just Surrender's 2nd album did. To be honest, I didn't really expect it would. And to be honest, this isn't going to convert any one who didn't like the debut. But what it does do is heavily please fans of the debut, like me. The sound / production is immaculate and I wish every album sounded this good. The drums are delicious! The changes from the debut are that the synth is gone - which is brilliant as I actually found it a little annoying. This is all rock. There are also a few more killer tracks (still no bad ones in sight) and the highlight for me was the awesome 'One night only', equipped it a "guitar solo" and all! Great album for modern rock and fans of the debut.

[TIM (2)]

AVANTASIA - Scarecrow

 

Never heard any Avantasia before so as this was cheap I picked it up. Despite having the likes of Jorn Lande, Kai Hansen, Bob Catley, Alice Cooper etc on guest vocals it really doesn't amount to much. The musicianships great & so are some of the vocal performances, but the songwriting is dismal. Everything sounds great & the verse/bridge sections are all good but the lack of a decent chorus is the downfall here. Apart from on the one true killer tune here: "What Kind of Love", an immense ballad. Truly good enough to seek out on it's own, & head & shoulders above all the other mediocre tunes on here.

 

HOUSE OF LORDS - Come to My Kingdom

 

Not really had time to play this all the way through until now, & it's another top class HOL album. Definitely more AOR than the previous album, but not quite as good IMO. The title-track is immense, as are tracks like "Your Every Move", "In a Perfect World", "I Need to Fly" and the lush AOR of "Believe". It even sounds a little better than "World Upside Down", & like that album some of the verse sections are filled with bigger melodies than the chorus lines. "I Need to Fly" is a perfect example, stunning huge melodies as the songs builds, & then a good but not amazing chorus. This is definitely worth getting, & is as classy as they always have been, but it's not as good as some people are making out & it will be nowhere near the BROTHER FIRETRIBE album come year-end album lists...

[heaven&hell]

HOUSE OF LORDS - Come to My Kingdom

 

Not really had time to play this all the way through until now, & it's another top class HOL album. Definitely more AOR than the previous album, but not quite as good IMO. The title-track is immense, as are tracks like "Your Every Move", "In a Perfect World", "I Need to Fly" and the lush AOR of "Believe". It even sounds a little better than "World Upside Down", & like that album some of the verse sections are filled with bigger melodies than the chorus lines. "I Need to Fly" is a perfect example, stunning huge melodies as the songs builds, & then a good but not amazing chorus. This is definitely worth getting, & is as classy as they always have been, but it's not as good as some people are making out & it will be nowhere near the BROTHER FIRETRIBE album come year-end album lists...

 

I agree it's a great album but not as good as "World Upside Down".

It's funny how you mention "Your Every Move" as one of you favs when that was one of my least favs.

Maybe it'll grow on me after a few more listens. I'd say so far that "I Need to Fly" is my fav from this cd and so far is one of my fav songs from 2008.

[Geoff]

HOUSE OF LORDS - Come to My Kingdom

 

Not really had time to play this all the way through until now, & it's another top class HOL album. Definitely more AOR than the previous album, but not quite as good IMO. The title-track is immense, as are tracks like "Your Every Move", "In a Perfect World", "I Need to Fly" and the lush AOR of "Believe". It even sounds a little better than "World Upside Down", & like that album some of the verse sections are filled with bigger melodies than the chorus lines. "I Need to Fly" is a perfect example, stunning huge melodies as the songs builds, & then a good but not amazing chorus. This is definitely worth getting, & is as classy as they always have been, but it's not as good as some people are making out & it will be nowhere near the BROTHER FIRETRIBE album come year-end album lists...

 

I agree it's a great album but not as good as "World Upside Down".

It's funny how you mention "Your Every Move" as one of you favs when that was one of my least favs.

Maybe it'll grow on me after a few more listens. I'd say so far that "I Need to Fly" is my fav from this cd and so far is one of my fav songs from 2008.

I love 'Your every move' and 'I need to fly' - two of my faves.

 

I plan to expand on all these in their subsequent threads, but a few words on what I heard over the weekend:

 

The Used - 'Shallow believer' ; the first 3 songs are some of the best from The Used so far and overall this is a pretty worthy release. It's tracks that were to be featured on an EP that never happened and a few b-sides apparently, but they've never sounded as good as they do on 'Dark Days', which is a hugely commerical hard rock tune. I like this CD.

 

The Used - 'Demos from the basement' ; not an official release and it doesn't do them any favours. Just rough demos from before their debut. Really not worth listening to ever again.

 

Airbourne - 'Runnin' wild' ; Okay, I couldn't handle being the only one who hadn't heard it so I gave into my reservations and finally heard it. All I can say is I wish I'd trusted my instincts. IMO, this is just throwaway rock that a dozen pub bands could match on any single night at any local pub anywhere. My mate's been in better bands than this. I started skipping after the first chorus from about song 5 onwards and turned the CD off around track 8. Not a fan at all.

 

Edguy - 'Rocketride' ; Okay, credit where it's due. Matt told me to hear this, I thought he was leading me on a wild goose chase but I have to admit, this is f*cking excellent! Better than any recent PC69, imo and a perfect blend of balls and melody. As much as it pains me to say it, lol, thanks Matt for a killer recommendation.

 

Donots - 'The story so far (Ibbtown Chronicles)' ; more demos and b-sides and to be honest, most of these are better than a lot of official releases from bands. I think there's a few 'Pocketrock' b-sides here and there were some of the best Donots songs I've heard on this one. Can't wait to hear again. Hardcore Superstar fans should also check out these guys.

 

The Click Five - 'Modern minds and pastimes' ; Wow. Seriously, freakin' wow! This CD could and should appeal to so many people here. Straight up melodic rock with hints of Rick Springfield and 80's AOR bands. The style varies well from track to track, but there were about 5 straight up melodic rock gems here. A little modern, maybe a little like Waltham but not as fast paced. This was just a real good CD.

[glam_junkie]

Donots - 'The story so far (Ibbtown Chronicles)' ; more demos and b-sides and to be honest, most of these are better than a lot of official releases from bands. I think there's a few 'Pocketrock' b-sides here and there were some of the best Donots songs I've heard on this one. Can't wait to hear again. Hardcore Superstar fans should also check out these guys.

 

 

Where can I look them up?

What hardcore era would you compare them too?

[phaffas]

HOUSE OF LORDS - Come to My Kingdom

 

Not really had time to play this all the way through until now, & it's another top class HOL album. Definitely more AOR than the previous album, but not quite as good IMO. The title-track is immense, as are tracks like "Your Every Move", "In a Perfect World", "I Need to Fly" and the lush AOR of "Believe". It even sounds a little better than "World Upside Down", & like that album some of the verse sections are filled with bigger melodies than the chorus lines. "I Need to Fly" is a perfect example, stunning huge melodies as the songs builds, & then a good but not amazing chorus. This is definitely worth getting, & is as classy as they always have been, but it's not as good as some people are making out & it will be nowhere near the BROTHER FIRETRIBE album come year-end album lists...

 

I agree it's a great album but not as good as "World Upside Down".

It's funny how you mention "Your Every Move" as one of you favs when that was one of my least favs.

Maybe it'll grow on me after a few more listens. I'd say so far that "I Need to Fly" is my fav from this cd and so far is one of my fav songs from 2008.

I love 'Your every move' and 'I need to fly' - two of my faves.

 

I plan to expand on all these in their subsequent threads, but a few words on what I heard over the weekend:

 

The Used - 'Shallow believer' ; the first 3 songs are some of the best from The Used so far and overall this is a pretty worthy release. It's tracks that were to be featured on an EP that never happened and a few b-sides apparently, but they've never sounded as good as they do on 'Dark Days', which is a hugely commerical hard rock tune. I like this CD.

 

The Used - 'Demos from the basement' ; not an official release and it doesn't do them any favours. Just rough demos from before their debut. Really not worth listening to ever again.

 

Airbourne - 'Runnin' wild' ; Okay, I couldn't handle being the only one who hadn't heard it so I gave into my reservations and finally heard it. All I can say is I wish I'd trusted my instincts. IMO, this is just throwaway rock that a dozen pub bands could match on any single night at any local pub anywhere. My mate's been in better bands than this. I started skipping after the first chorus from about song 5 onwards and turned the CD off around track 8. Not a fan at all.

 

Edguy - 'Rocketride' ; Okay, credit where it's due. Matt told me to hear this, I thought he was leading me on a wild goose chase but I have to admit, this is f*cking excellent! Better than any recent PC69, imo and a perfect blend of balls and melody. As much as it pains me to say it, lol, thanks Matt for a killer recommendation.

 

Donots - 'The story so far (Ibbtown Chronicles)' ; more demos and b-sides and to be honest, most of these are better than a lot of official releases from bands. I think there's a few 'Pocketrock' b-sides here and there were some of the best Donots songs I've heard on this one. Can't wait to hear again. Hardcore Superstar fans should also check out these guys.

 

The Click Five - 'Modern minds and pastimes' ; Wow. Seriously, freakin' wow! This CD could and should appeal to so many people here. Straight up melodic rock with hints of Rick Springfield and 80's AOR bands. The style varies well from track to track, but there were about 5 straight up melodic rock gems here. A little modern, maybe a little like Waltham but not as fast paced. This was just a real good CD.

 

I cant believe it! Someone actually liked one of my suggestions.... this has brought a tear to my eye... noone has ever liked my suggestions.

Told Edguy are a killer band!

 

 

HS fans check out Donots???? confused...

[Geoff]

Donots - 'The story so far (Ibbtown Chronicles)' ; more demos and b-sides and to be honest, most of these are better than a lot of official releases from bands. I think there's a few 'Pocketrock' b-sides here and there were some of the best Donots songs I've heard on this one. Can't wait to hear again. Hardcore Superstar fans should also check out these guys.

 

 

Where can I look them up?

What hardcore era would you compare them too?

I'll ressurect the Donots thread today, in 'Other styles of music'. I'd compare them with Hardcore Superstar before the last album. IMO, 'Pocketrock' and even 'Amplify the good times' are 10 times better than any Hardcore Superstar album, IMO. But that may just be me.