First Spin Impressions

[TIM (2)]

EXODUS - Let There Be Blood

 

This is the re-record of the "Bonded By Blood" album, & it's great to actually be able to hear these songs at last (the horrible production utterly killed the original, to the point where it's unlistenable IMO). This sounds sensational, as you'd expect, with new vocalist Dukes sounding remarkably like Souza on the pacier songs (which is nearly all of them!). So all the Old School fans will moan about how it lacks this & lacks that from the original, but the truth is it's just a whole load of classic thrash songs that are finally given the killer sound they deserve - and lets face it, no amount of remixing or remastering would've saved the original. The musicianship is amazing, the songs are all killer, & I can finally hear what people are talking about when they say this is a classic album....

[heaven&hell]

Adriangale-Crunch

Just a killer Melodic Rock album. So many great tunes but so far my favs are "Faith", "Without a Moments Notice", "Long Gone", and "This Time".

 

Adriangale-Re:Program

Again great Melodic Rock. My fav tunes so far are "If", "Closer" and "Over, Said and Done".

[glam_junkie]

Glam Nation Vol 1,2,3,4

 

A series of newly released glam compiltations from 272 Records (the same people releasing the new Alleycat Scratch - Encore package). I had this on in the background whilst doing some work outside over the weekend so was only paying partial attention.

 

Lots of great tracks, although not all from the traditional glam category. Quite a few tracks in the rock genre, punk 'n' roll genres, plus a heap of glam gems. Lots of bands I've been dying to hear but havn't been able to shell out the cash. A good opportunity to sample them. All discs are packed to the brim with about 2 tracks each. For around $8 - 10 each from demondoll records, quite worth it i think.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Made it half way through Fire It Up by X-Sinner and bah dah bah da dah, I'm loving it! I often think you guys are over-exaggerating a lot of reviews, but now I truly understand all the hype around these guys. And I'm only half way through!

[heaven&hell]

Shaw/Blades-Hallucination

 

A solid album but not what I was expecting. I was hoping to hear more of a Damn Yankees sound but this is much more AOR, not that that's a bad thing. There's some good songs on here but for this just average to above average. Don't get me wrong this is very well played and sung but I guess I was expecting more.

[Jez]

Lovex - Pretend Or Surrender

 

Absolute Killer follow up to 'Divine Insanity'. 14 excellent tracks with not a filler in sight , 'If She's Near', 'Turn', 'Take A Shot' & 'End Of The World to name but 4 of my faves so far. I loved the debut, but this beats it by some way. Huge choruses throughout, killer production and to me, this is what the term 'Modern Melodic Rock' is all about, not all those hopeless bands that our resident 'Emo' fan (sorry mate ) keeps harking on about in great detail in the non rock thread.

 

 

Carmen Gray - Welcome To Grayland

 

As with Lovex's debut 'Divine Insanity', I also really rated Carmen Gray's debut 'The Portrait Of Carmen Gray' very highly . Of the two, I rated the Carmen Gray higher, generally for it's consistency and strength of some songs. The follow up 'Welcome To Grayland' is pretty much a continuation of 'The Portrait..' although I have to say that on the first 2 spins, I don't think the songs are quite as good. It still has some great songs on here 'Honey' and 'Miss Last Chance' especially, but the consistency isn't quite as high as before.

 

Of the two, then Lovex reverses last years vote and wins hands down this time, but for fans of their previous releases, they are both highly recommended slices of Modern melodic rock.

[Glen]

Lovex - Pretend Or Surrender

 

Absolute Killer follow up to 'Divine Insanity'. 14 excellent tracks with not a filler in sight , 'If She's Near', 'Turn', 'Take A Shot' & 'End Of The World to name but 4 of my faves so far. I loved the debut, but this beats it by some way. Huge choruses throughout, killer production and to me, this is what the term 'Modern Melodic Rock' is all about, not all those hopeless bands that our resident 'Emo' fan (sorry mate ) keeps harking on about in great detail in the non rock thread.

 

Sorry mate but I listened to some samples of this and I wasnt blown away.....sounded like a spruced up Rasmus to me.............?

 

Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Disciple's song 'Falling Star' - it absolutely kills this stuff stone dead.

[Blue Charvel]

Faith Circus - s/t

 

A little more than halfway through this new release from my labelmates at Kivel, and I'm liking it. Great melodic rock, in every sense of both words. Reminds me of Place Vendome, Khymera, Krackerjack... the tunes are well written and full of hooks and strong melodic sensibility. "Tried and True" features Morty Black and (TNT) on bass, Tony Harnell on (awesome!) backing vox, and a few other guest musicians and sounds like a TNT tune with Mr. Farrano on lead vox. There's a lot going on here and I think this will most likely benefit from repeated spins.

[Jez]

Lovex - Pretend Or Surrender

 

Absolute Killer follow up to 'Divine Insanity'. 14 excellent tracks with not a filler in sight , 'If She's Near', 'Turn', 'Take A Shot' & 'End Of The World to name but 4 of my faves so far. I loved the debut, but this beats it by some way. Huge choruses throughout, killer production and to me, this is what the term 'Modern Melodic Rock' is all about, not all those hopeless bands that our resident 'Emo' fan (sorry mate ) keeps harking on about in great detail in the non rock thread.

 

Sorry mate but I listened to some samples of this and I wasnt blown away.....sounded like a spruced up Rasmus to me.............?

 

Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Disciple's song 'Falling Star' - it absolutely kills this stuff stone dead.

 

 

Hmm - it's ok nothing special, I'll stick to the Lovex/Carmen Gray Thx. Check the whole disc out, rather than just soundbytes.

[Glen]

Lovex - Pretend Or Surrender

 

Absolute Killer follow up to 'Divine Insanity'. 14 excellent tracks with not a filler in sight , 'If She's Near', 'Turn', 'Take A Shot' & 'End Of The World to name but 4 of my faves so far. I loved the debut, but this beats it by some way. Huge choruses throughout, killer production and to me, this is what the term 'Modern Melodic Rock' is all about, not all those hopeless bands that our resident 'Emo' fan (sorry mate ) keeps harking on about in great detail in the non rock thread.

 

Sorry mate but I listened to some samples of this and I wasnt blown away.....sounded like a spruced up Rasmus to me.............?

 

Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Disciple's song 'Falling Star' - it absolutely kills this stuff stone dead.

 

 

Hmm - it's ok nothing special, I'll stick to the Lovex/Carmen Gray Thx. Check the whole disc out, rather than just soundbytes.

 

Jez mate, Im starting to worry about you - how can you say that song is just 'OK'....it encompasses almost everything I love about rock music...massive riff, great chorus and a ripping solo.

 

Check you pulse mate

[TIM (2)]

TNT - Atlantis

 

So I got a free copy of this, & I'm even being generous & have waited until after the 2nd spin to review (the first spin is nothing short of fucking horrendous). Now I'm pretty open-minded in my musical tastes so the fact this band isn't playing AOR or MHR anymore doesn't bother me at all, but what does bother me is utterly abysmal song structures, lyrics penned by a 4 year-old, and piss-poor vocals that don't work with this musical style. Speaking of the style, this album is kinda like a modern-sounding Queen tribute album, with a lot of bluesy moments thrown in. Songs (I use the word loosely) like "Peter Sellers Blues" (WTF?), and "Bottle of Wine" were surely ment as a joke. But aren't funny. Or good. Opener "Hello Hello", which sounds embarrasingly bad when you first play it, actually turns out to be one of the best tracks by the time you've got to the end. This does close on a highpoint though, "Had It, Lost It" is a decent tune with awesome shredding. But you'll be either asleep, or have turned it off, by this point.

 

Truly awful beyond belief, and interestingly (I know this for a fact) Tony Mills hates this too.

[Jez]

Lovex - Pretend Or Surrender

 

Absolute Killer follow up to 'Divine Insanity'. 14 excellent tracks with not a filler in sight , 'If She's Near', 'Turn', 'Take A Shot' & 'End Of The World to name but 4 of my faves so far. I loved the debut, but this beats it by some way. Huge choruses throughout, killer production and to me, this is what the term 'Modern Melodic Rock' is all about, not all those hopeless bands that our resident 'Emo' fan (sorry mate ) keeps harking on about in great detail in the non rock thread.

 

Sorry mate but I listened to some samples of this and I wasnt blown away.....sounded like a spruced up Rasmus to me.............?

 

Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Disciple's song 'Falling Star' - it absolutely kills this stuff stone dead.

 

 

Hmm - it's ok nothing special, I'll stick to the Lovex/Carmen Gray Thx. Check the whole disc out, rather than just soundbytes.

 

Jez mate, Im starting to worry about you - how can you say that song is just 'OK'....it encompasses almost everything I love about rock music...massive riff, great chorus and a ripping solo.

 

Check you pulse mate

 

No need to worry about me mate, my pulse is quite normal, which is exactly the problem. I've heard stuff like this thousands of times over and this doesn't stand out i'm afraid. I just listened to a few other tracks just incase and the same thing. It may be stuff that encompasses everything you like in rock music, but it doesn't do it for me im afraid. It's ok, but we'll have to beg to differ on this one mate.

[Blue Charvel]

Talon - Fallen Angels

 

Right from the beginning I like this one. Love the intro/buildup into the title track. Love the guitars, love the vocals, love the driving rhythms. This is just good, solid, riff-driven hard rock, and probably would've been called "metal" back in the day. Just started my second spin, and liking it as much or more as the first spin. Some great guitar work on here for those who like that sort of thing as well. The sound is everything you would expect from a Ty Sims production with big, full guitars and solid drums that make you want to crank the whole thing up as loud as your speakers will permit.

[Fat Freddy]

Girlschool - LEGACY

These gals have been around forever it seems (dating back to the NWOBHM era) but I've heard very little of their material over the years. Pretty good ol' fashioned rockin' stuff, sorta like a more polished sounding Motorhead (and in fact, Lemmy makes an appearance here on one track, as does Ronnie James Dio). Me likee.

 

Rebellion - MIKLAGARD

If Iced Earth had a German accent and were obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons instead of space aliens and horror movie characters, they'd probably sound kinda like this power metal troop. Interesting but will require more spins to sink in.

[Blue Charvel]

and in fact, Lemmy maked an appearance here on one track

...what planet did you learn English on, offworlder?

[Fat Freddy]

and in fact, Lemmy maked an appearance here on one track

...what planet did you learn English on, offworlder?

 

I thought Wes was the Typo Police. What are you, an editor?

[Blue Charvel]

and in fact, Lemmy maked an appearance here on one track

...what planet did you learn English on, offworlder?

 

I thought Wes was the Typo Police. What are you, an editor?

I work for Wes, he's too busy discovering AdrianGale.

[Fat Freddy]

and in fact, Lemmy maked an appearance here on one track

...what planet did you learn English on, offworlder?

 

I thought Wes was the Typo Police. What are you, an editor?

I work for Wes, he's too busy discovering AdrianGale.

 

Either way, consider it fixed, Mister Sharp Eyed Guitar Person.

[Jez]

Girlschool - LEGACY

These gals have been around forever it seems (dating back to the NWOBHM era) but I've heard very little of their material over the years. Pretty good ol' fashioned rockin' stuff, sorta like a more polished sounding Motorhead (and in fact, Lemmy makes an appearance here on one track, as does Ronnie James Dio). Me likee.

 

Great band Keef - Try getting 'Demolition' and 'Hit And Run', probably their best 2.

[Fat Freddy]

Girlschool - LEGACY

These gals have been around forever it seems (dating back to the NWOBHM era) but I've heard very little of their material over the years. Pretty good ol' fashioned rockin' stuff, sorta like a more polished sounding Motorhead (and in fact, Lemmy makes an appearance here on one track, as does Ronnie James Dio). Me likee.

 

Great band Keef - Try getting 'Demolition' and 'Hit And Run', probably their best 2.

 

Yea, I think I've seen you recommend some Girlschool round here before Jez -- I shall keep my orbs peeled for more from these gals.

[phaffas]

Girlschool - LEGACY

These gals have been around forever it seems (dating back to the NWOBHM era) but I've heard very little of their material over the years. Pretty good ol' fashioned rockin' stuff, sorta like a more polished sounding Motorhead (and in fact, Lemmy makes an appearance here on one track, as does Ronnie James Dio). Me likee.

 

Great band Keef - Try getting 'Demolition' and 'Hit And Run', probably their best 2.

 

Yea, I think I've seen you recommend some Girlschool round here before Jez -- I shall keep my orbs peeled for more from these gals.

 

Is this the release where they use the ashes or something of a past member as an instrument?

[Fat Freddy]

Girlschool - LEGACY

These gals have been around forever it seems (dating back to the NWOBHM era) but I've heard very little of their material over the years. Pretty good ol' fashioned rockin' stuff, sorta like a more polished sounding Motorhead (and in fact, Lemmy makes an appearance here on one track, as does Ronnie James Dio). Me likee.

 

Great band Keef - Try getting 'Demolition' and 'Hit And Run', probably their best 2.

 

Yea, I think I've seen you recommend some Girlschool round here before Jez -- I shall keep my orbs peeled for more from these gals.

 

Is this the release where they use the ashes or something of a past member as an instrument?

 

The press release that came with the CD does mention something to that effect, but I don't have it with me so I don't remember exactly what the deal is. I know one of the members passed away about a year ago and it sez something about her playing on the album "in spirit."

[Fat Freddy]

Clawfinger - LIFE WILL KILL YOU

Three words: Swedish rap metal.

 

Consider yourselves lucky that I'm the poor schmuck that has to listen to this in order to review it... therefore, you won't have to.

[Blue Charvel]

Clawfinger - LIFE WILL KILL YOU

Three words: Swedish rap metal.

 

Consider yourselves lucky that I'm the poor schmuck that has to listen to this in order to review it... therefore, you won't have to.

Sounds awesome! Maybe it should take a trip around the world like the Ten Seconds To Tokyo disc...

[Fat Freddy]

Clawfinger - LIFE WILL KILL YOU

Three words: Swedish rap metal.

 

Consider yourselves lucky that I'm the poor schmuck that has to listen to this in order to review it... therefore, you won't have to.

Sounds awesome! Maybe it should take a trip around the world like the Ten Seconds To Tokyo disc...

 

Not a bad idea. But do you really think the world's postal services could handle TWICE as much god-awfulness snaking its way through their systems?

 

I think the farthest this thing will be traveling is to my trash can. (fling... CRASH!)