First Spin Impressions

[Glen]

marcello / vestry - s/t , what an incredible slice of mhr bliss, an absolute masterpiece.

 

no where on earth is ONE going to hear the perfect danger danger album to come between their debut & "screw it"

 

you want cheese with your melodies then you ain't going to find a better album that truely delivers out there than this.

'Without you'? This is mind-blowing... right at the top of my fave songs of the year.

 

hands down the best song on the album.

[melodicrockoz]

action - s/t ( check em out www.actiontheband.com ) , incredibly amazing melodies & glazed with lush harmonies ala surrender, saffire

[TIM (2)]

marcello / vestry - s/t , what an incredible slice of mhr bliss, an absolute masterpiece.

 

no where on earth is ONE going to hear the perfect danger danger album to come between their debut & "screw it"

 

you want cheese with your melodies then you ain't going to find a better album that truely delivers out there than this.

'Without you'? This is mind-blowing... right at the top of my fave songs of the year.

 

hands down the best song on the album.

 

I'm juggling between that tune & "One More Night"....

[Geoff]

marcello / vestry - s/t , what an incredible slice of mhr bliss, an absolute masterpiece.

 

no where on earth is ONE going to hear the perfect danger danger album to come between their debut & "screw it"

 

you want cheese with your melodies then you ain't going to find a better album that truely delivers out there than this.

'Without you'? This is mind-blowing... right at the top of my fave songs of the year.

 

hands down the best song on the album.

 

I'm juggling between that tune & "One More Night"....

That is killer too. And what about the verses in 'Gone' and 'Love injection'?! Both are excellent songs overall, but the verses are the most perfectly crafted melodic rock verses since Treat's 'Take me on you wings'!!! I find 'Gangster of love' to be a filler, but the rest is magnificent.

[Geoff]

City Sleeps - 'Not an angel' ; This is very nice stuff. If you're a fan of All-American Rejects, Change of Pace and most of all, Mest, then these guys are worth checking out. Very solid commercial rock. Not as blatantly instant as a band like Change of Pace, but there were a lot of good songs here and I look forward to becoming familiar with these guys.

[TIM (2)]

MARCELLO/VESTRY - S/T

 

Wow, the soundbytes of this really don't do it justice. The sound is HUGE, & I love those vocals. Like the perfect combination of Poley & Laine. This is sensation hook-laden MHR (with a lot of AOR on here too) that really goes from good to great when you hear the mid-album combo of "Gone"/"Without You"/"Live Life" which are just incredible tunes with soaring melodies & layers of keyboards. So the chorus of "Love Injection" is a little flat, & "Gangster of Love" is a filler, but by that stage of the album you won't care. Style-wise it's more AOR than anything DD did, even the debut, but is probably more like a much sharper-produced version of the last Poley solo album, but it sure as hell beats that. Completely & utterly essential, & right up there with Brother Firetribe IMO....

[Blue Charvel]

MARCELLO/VESTRY - S/T

 

Wow, the soundbytes of this really don't do it justice. The sound is HUGE, & I love those vocals. Like the perfect combination of Poley & Laine. This is sensation hook-laden MHR (with a lot of AOR on here too) that really goes from good to great when you hear the mid-album combo of "Gone"/"Without You"/"Live Life" which are just incredible tunes with soaring melodies & layers of keyboards. So the chorus of "Love Injection" is a little flat, & "Gangster of Love" is a filler, but by that stage of the album you won't care. Style-wise it's more AOR than anything DD did, even the debut, but is probably more like a much sharper-produced version of the last Poley solo album, but it sure as hell beats that. Completely & utterly essential, & right up there with Brother Firetribe IMO....

Backed... "essential" sums it up, and I don't bandy about that word very often...

[Jez]

Overland - Break Away

 

I wasn't completely blown away with this on the first few listens to be honest - but it is growing nicely on each subsequent listens. Quite mixed bag of styles on this one, and a lot more rockier than I expected in places. The opening 2 or 3 tracks are all ok, without being mindblowing. The album really starts kicking into gear at track 4 - the AOR ish 'Like A River' which is really good. The main standout tracks on here are from 6-8, with the excellent 'After The Fire' 'Heartache Calling' (with Steve Newman on Guitars) and the superb (and album highlight) 'Evangeline' - great solo on this one and pure AOR bliss for me. Some of this album reminds me in places of The Code disc from last year, mixed with the Pompy Melodic rock of the excellent Grand Illusion, all topped off with Steve Overlands exquisite vocals.

 

Thankfully it doesn't go that close to the disappointing Shadowman and Ladder stuff and is for me probably the best thing Steve Overland has been involved in in recent years.

[Glen]

Overland - Break Away

 

Some of this album reminds me in places of The Code disc from last year

 

 

That's an avoid from me then - I couldn't stand that album.

 

On the other hand I loved 'Sacred' by The Ladder.....looks like Im in the minority, as Ive seen a few diss that album on here.

[hardrockhaven]

MARCELLO/VESTRY - S/T

 

Wow, the soundbytes of this really don't do it justice. The sound is HUGE, & I love those vocals. Like the perfect combination of Poley & Laine. This is sensation hook-laden MHR (with a lot of AOR on here too) that really goes from good to great when you hear the mid-album combo of "Gone"/"Without You"/"Live Life" which are just incredible tunes with soaring melodies & layers of keyboards. So the chorus of "Love Injection" is a little flat, & "Gangster of Love" is a filler, but by that stage of the album you won't care. Style-wise it's more AOR than anything DD did, even the debut, but is probably more like a much sharper-produced version of the last Poley solo album, but it sure as hell beats that. Completely & utterly essential, & right up there with Brother Firetribe IMO....

Agreed with most of TIM2's review. Spun this again today. Perfect summertime music. However, I find the song "Gone" to be one of the fillers though. I think the Poley reference might tend to make a few people shy away from this when it shouldn't. Ted's solo and other projects have been a shell of his former self since he quit DD years ago. He's never had to sing to his full potential since "Screw It" or "Cockroach". Marcello-Vestry is definitely one of the better releases of the year so far for melodic rock.

[metalmaniac777]

DEF LEPPARD: "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge"

 

Repeatedly, fans' cries for another "Pyromania," "Hysteria," or heck, even "Adrenalize" have fallen on deaf ears as the band continues to do whatever they want regardless of fan demand. But much like a leopard can't change its spots, each D.L. album has shown at least some portion of the band's sound, and "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" (still a stupid title) is no different. Except for a few songs, the hooks aren't as catchy as the D.L. hooks of old, but they are still catchy. The guitars don't rock as hard as they did back in the day, but they do still rock. The harmony vocals don't swell as much as they did in the "Hysteria" days, but they are still there. In other words, when compared to Def Leppard in their heyday, this new CD sort of disappoints, but taken on its own terms, it's a fine rock 'n' roll album.

[phaffas]

Vanilla Ninja - Blue Tattoo

 

I read somewhere that these girls were a mix between Poodles and Within Temptation, .... yeh... no. This is Eurosong pop... well at least this album is (if there are better albums please inform me). The first two tracks did have some orchestration ala Within Temptation but thats all. Title track "Blue tattoo" was decent, though not overly exciting. The second track "Cool Vibes" was cool. The next 12 werent. There is actually a solo here and there, but after watching them live on Youtube.. well surprise surprise... no solos! The only saving grace is they are hot... but you dont need to hear them for that. Not sure why this on HH really... its just pop.

[glam_junkie]

Damaged Dollz - 2008 Demo

 

3rd ep from this young swedish sleaze band. Yet another in the long line of scandi sleaze bands... and they are definitely worth a listen. Only 3 tracks, but one absolute gem - Bad Boy Gigolo. Perfectly described as a mix between hardcore superstar and crashdiet. (Not as glam as crashdiet, but not as heavy as HCS).

 

 

I know everyone is just thinking... just another swedish sleaze band, but these guys do not disappoint.

 

 

[Geoff]

Overland - Break Away

 

Some of this album reminds me in places of The Code disc from last year

 

 

That's an avoid from me then - I couldn't stand that album.

 

On the other hand I loved 'Sacred' by The Ladder.....looks like Im in the minority, as Ive seen a few diss that album on here.

I always forget about that album, completely, but I do agree. That was actually a really great disc. Easily the best since 'Tough it out' for Overland.

 

Vanilla Ninja - Blue Tattoo

 

Not sure why this on HH really... its just pop.

I don't think I've heard this album, but the ones I have heard (think I've heard two other albums from these girls) are DEFINTELY hard rock... the must have done this one before these?

 

Anyway, had a HUGE weekend of listening. If I get around to it I'm going to try to honour many of these in separate threads, so here's the brief for those not interested in the threads:

 

GYPSY ROSE - 'Another world' ; about 3 or 4 really great tracks but overall this was quite disappointing and not anywhere near as good as the debut. The cover of Accept's 'Hell hammer' was one of the album's best tracks.

 

HOMERUN - 'Don't stop' ; A mix of Boysvoice and a much lesser version of Wild Ride, imo. A few nice songs, but there were organs in this and a heavy accent and a lot of average tracks. Decent, but not great.

 

H.A.R.D - 'Traveller' ; very much like Homerun. Some good solid melodic hard rock tracks, but what is up with the inconsistency with so many bands in the MHR field today. Way too many fillers and average songs.

 

BRET MICHAELS - 'Rock my world' ; I hope to Jeebers this was an advance demo I was hearing because if this is the finished sound quality I am most unimpressed. Song-wise, it's basically a re-recording of 'Songs of life', which means they're pretty much all good songs. There seemed to be a lot more ballads here, but overall, song-wise, this was great. Shame about the sound though.

 

MIDNITE CLUB - 'Circus of life' ; Wow, huge congrats to these guys. After a tiresome debut and imo complete overkill of Carsten Schultz lately (I pretty much hate Domain these days and Evidence One are well past it) I had no hope for this disc. Glad to see I was proven wrong, though. This is the best one I heard all weekend. Very nice work. Good solid melodic hard rock. And a KILLER version of 'Danger Zone'... Yep, the 'Top Gun' one. Great disc.

 

MSG - 'In the midst of Beauty' ; ARGH!!! Crap, crap, crap! Like Asia's 'Phoenix' I actually had to turn this off after the 5th or 6th song - just terrible. Not sure what this shit is meant to achieve.

 

DARK SKY - 'Empty Faces' ; Another big thumbs up for these guys. Three previous albums have all disappointed me. But not enough for me to give up on them. Often compared to Frontline they are not even on the same planet, but this new album is easily their best (and heaviest) and is a really decent disc. Well worth checking out for fans of crisp, tight melodic hard rock.

 

ARRIVAL - 'Point of origin' ; Great stuff. Like a good version of Journey or Two Fires. This is great melodic rock. The Mark Free tracks are nice, but the others are generally stronger. Overall, this was a really great melodic rock/AOR spin.

 

REAL STEEL - s/t ; Odd one. Some screechy high-pitched vocals, but only on a few songs. The rest is just solid hard rock. I really quite enjoyed this one. Nice for 80's hard rock fans.

 

PRETTY BOYS - 'The metro sessions' ; The pre-Mariah band... awesome stuff. A few songs here I've heard before but not sure where... overall, though, this was good solid melodic rock/AOR. A great listen and essential for Mariah fans.

 

TEEZE - s/t ; I wasn't meant to get this one, and I can see why I didn't order it. It's okay, but pretty average. No frills hard rock from the early 90's. Not the worst, not the best.

[phaffas]

Edguy - lavatory love machine EP

Brilliant Ep. These guys can do nothing wrong! Lavatory Love Machine is their most straight up and down 80s rocker and is totally void of power metal and it plain rocks! Gotta love the lyrics too. Highly chuckle-able. The acoustic version, plus the acoustic cover of Europe acoustic "ill cry for you" are also good stuff. Finishes with a nice Edguy power ballad. Good stuff.

[Blue Charvel]

Damaged Dollz - 2008 Demo

 

3rd ep from this young swedish sleaze band. Yet another in the long line of scandi sleaze bands... and they are definitely worth a listen. Only 3 tracks, but one absolute gem - Bad Boy Gigolo. Perfectly described as a mix between hardcore superstar and crashdiet. (Not as glam as crashdiet, but not as heavy as HCS).

 

 

I know everyone is just thinking... just another swedish sleaze band, but these guys do not disappoint.

 

 

"Just another Swedish sleaze band" is pretty much enough to pique my interest., What's in the fucking water over there... ever since I first heard Hardcore Superstar - s/t I'm fucking addicted to the genre...

[TIM (2)]

JUDAS PRIEST - Nostradamus

 

Concept albums hardly ever work. With few exceptions, bands often get so wrapped up in some absurd/meaningless storyline that they forget to write any songs. If you love OTT bombastic Metal you might enjoy this, but you'll never remember any of the tunes because the chorus lines are either not obvious or are non-existent. Even the musicianship seems strangled by the lack of direction of any of the songs. I applaud bands that push boundaries & modernise, & Iron Maiden managed to do that on their last album while still retaining their sound & identity. Even Primal Fear, heavily influenced by Priest & just having realised a good-but-unspectacular album of their own, are kicking dirt in their faces. This is dull, tuneless, & the songs seem to just drag on forever. Rubbish.

[aMetalhead1966]

JUDAS PRIEST - Nostradamus

 

Concept albums hardly ever work. With few exceptions, bands often get so wrapped up in some absurd/meaningless storyline that they forget to write any songs. If you love OTT bombastic Metal you might enjoy this, but you'll never remember any of the tunes because the chorus lines are either not obvious or are non-existent. Even the musicianship seems strangled by the lack of direction of any of the songs. I applaud bands that push boundaries & modernise, & Iron Maiden managed to do that on their last album while still retaining their sound & identity. Even Primal Fear, heavily influenced by Priest & just having realised a good-but-unspectacular album of their own, are kicking dirt in their faces. This is dull, tuneless, & the songs seem to just drag on forever. Rubbish.

Ouch...that bad....

[Metal T]

JUDAS PRIEST - Nostradamus

 

Even Primal Fear, heavily influenced by Priest & just having realised a good-but-unspectacular album of their own, are kicking dirt in their faces. This is dull, tuneless, & the songs seem to just drag on forever. Rubbish.

 

PF have been kicking dirt in their faces for several years now........Priest losing it ? "Nostradumbass" ??

[aMetalhead1966]

DISTURBED-INDESTRUCTIBLE. Never was a fan of this band till now.

This is a great release, much more "Metal" than anything else they have done

but it still keeps all the right modern touches and production. Dan Donegan

(The Gtr Player) Produced this and it shows..Great Riffs and some smoking

well thought solos that add alot to the overall vibe of this. The Songs are

great my faves being "Inside The Fire", "The Night", "The Curse" and

"Haunted". Great Cover Too...8/10

[TIM (2)]

DISTURBED-INDESTRUCTIBLE. Never was a fan of this band till now.

This is a great release, much more "Metal" than anything else they have done

but it still keeps all the right modern touches and production. Dan Donegan

(The Gtr Player) Produced this and it shows..Great Riffs and some smoking

well thought solos that add alot to the overall vibe of this. The Songs are

great my faves being "Inside The Fire", "The Night", "The Curse" and

"Haunted". Great Cover Too...8/10

 

Yep, good shout. I actually rate it more highly than you, it's so consistent & the soloing is awesome. "The Night" is the best song they've ever written IMHO. It even sounds less 2-dimensional & limited than their previous albums, & they sure 'aint nu-metal anymore (frankly this pisses all over anything Sevendust have released). Killer.

[Geoff]

I'll post here too because I'm bored shitless:

 

Silence - 'Open Road' ; quality melodic rock disc which finally sees these guys made truly accessible to the masses (a strong accent may have hindered them before). The songs are very emotive, which gives these guys the edge in what can be a pretty cold, by-the-numbers and lifeless genre these days. The cover of 'The best' is a great inclusion too and I don't think I have a foul word to say about what I heard.

[aMetalhead1966]

DISTURBED-INDESTRUCTIBLE. Never was a fan of this band till now.

This is a great release, much more "Metal" than anything else they have done

but it still keeps all the right modern touches and production. Dan Donegan

(The Gtr Player) Produced this and it shows..Great Riffs and some smoking

well thought solos that add alot to the overall vibe of this. The Songs are

great my faves being "Inside The Fire", "The Night", "The Curse" and

"Haunted". Great Cover Too...8/10

 

Yep, good shout. I actually rate it more highly than you, it's so consistent & the soloing is awesome. "The Night" is the best song they've ever written IMHO. It even sounds less 2-dimensional & limited than their previous albums, & they sure 'aint nu-metal anymore (frankly this pisses all over anything Sevendust have released). Killer.

Yeah this pisses all over anything else they've done ( my wife has all the others).

I have always heard that they are big Metal Fans...The Night is a great tune!!!

[Metal T]

Sledgehammer Ledge S/T 1994

 

Sorry,not the first spin impression.More like my 150th first impression.Ive played the hell out of this and im still not sick of it.For fans of old "W.A.S.P.".Mean and nasty with a ton of attitude and balls reminiscent of BL and Co."Wake The Dead","It Ain't Pretty","On And On" and "Lock Your Door" all pummel you to death.Great Stuff !!!!

[Geoff]

Journey - 'Revelations' ; As noted in other threads, great disc. Didn't like the 2nd track or the intrumental, but the rest seems to be great. Wonderful effort from a band I don't expect much from.

 

Disturbed - 'Indestructable' ; Okay, there's got ot be one in every crowd. It's a nice disc, I do like it, but I'm nowhere near as enthusiastic as others. Yes, it's their best... but it's still not really my scene. I'll expand in their thread on the board. Good stuff, though.

 

Overland - 'Break away' ; Again, I'll expand in the thread on this disc, but this was bland as batshit. I think tracks like 'After the fire' is the best he's capable of these days, but it just doesn't measure up. Safe, uninspired... just bland, imo.

 

Alibi - 'Voice of reason' ; Solid, like the debut. Maybe a little less inspired this time as a lot of the songs sound similar to the debut. I do love some of the guitar in this and it's nice... just a little ordinary with some pretty average main hooks.