First Spin Impressions

[Geoff]

House Of Lords - Anthology

 

When I first heard this was coming out, I expected the usual 'Best Of..' blah blah blah, but to my pleasant surprise, this is chock full of unreleased demos from 88-90 (very good quality soundwise I may add) 4 live cuts from 1988 and 2 new re-makes of 'Wanna Be Loved' and 'Can't Find My Way Home'. There are some real belters on here amongst the unreleased stuff, including the excellent 'The Legend Lives On' and 'Hero's Song' aswell as 'Dangerous Woman', Hold Back The Night', and 'Chains Of Love' Produced by the late great John Purdell.

The live tracks are ok, but this would have been alot better if they had continued with the unreleased stuff, as There is more stuff around, I have anothr disc of 5 or 6 demos that could have been added and would have made this an absolute killer disc. As it is though, it is still very much worth investing in.

 

Full Tracklisting.

 

1. Wanna Be Loved (Exclusive Track)

2. Can't Find My Way Home (Exclusive Track)

3. Dangerous Woman (Demo)

4. Hold Back The Night (Demo)

5. Chains Of Love (Demo)

6. The Legend Lives On (Demo)

7. Sahara (Demo)

8. Hero's Song (Demo)

9. Kiss Of Fire (Demo)

10. Bad Bones (Demo)

11. Beyond The Pale (Demo)

12. Looking For Strange (Live)

13. Edge Of Your Life (Live)

14. Lanny's Solo (Live)

15. Under Blue Skies (Live)

16. American Babylon (Live)

Wowser shitballs. Haven't heard about this but I want to hear it!

[aMetalhead1966]

Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy

 

Finally after 10 years in the making I hear these songs.

If you're looking for Appetite for Destruction look elsewhere because if one thing is obvious from first listen Axl has moved on from their early Sleaze Rock sound. But if you're open minded and enjoyed the adventerous nature of the Use Your Illusion releases then you might enjoy this one.

While there's much more techno beats and industrial guitars than I'd prefer there are some stunning songs on this release. "Better", "I.R.S.", "Madagascar", "Shackler's Revenge", "Chinese Democracy", "Street of Dreams", "If the World", "There was a Time", "Scraped", "Prostitute" and "Rhiad and the Bedouins" are all songs I'm digging with only "This I Love" being the only tune I didn't care for so far.

Backed...I'll add a few things...First hat's off to Buckethead who's playing is

Fucking outstanding...AXL's Vox are really good...In fact they are great..The songs

take a few spins but I really enjoy everything on this release..the band does an

outstanding job...there are killer solos everywhere and the sound/production is great.

This really show be called an AXL solo release...No it's not AFD..but it shouldn't be either..

[Geoff]

Fall Out Boy - 'Volley My Balls' ; this is going to be an easy target for hatred, and I'm almost (almost) sad to say it is due. I've never really liked this band, but been mildly interested for a while. I quite liked a couple of songs off the last CD until my fave was played to death on radio and the rest just lost their appeal. They've never been a band to put real stand-out tracks on their discs, but I mildly did enjoy early discs. This one is just sloppy. Sounds rushed and largely uninspired. Honestly, pretty crap. Obviously the new single is as bad as music ever gets and sadly the rest of this ain't much better. That said, 'Coffee's for closers' is a good catchy pop rock tune and the chorus in 'Tiffany Blews' is an absolute delight. Even the first song isn't the worst in the world... but there's not really a single reason on this disc to listen to it over another CD.

[TIM (2)]

Fall Out Boy - 'Volley My Balls' ; this is going to be an easy target for hatred, and I'm almost (almost) sad to say it is due. I've never really liked this band, but been mildly interested for a while. I quite liked a couple of songs off the last CD until my fave was played to death on radio and the rest just lost their appeal. They've never been a band to put real stand-out tracks on their discs, but I mildly did enjoy early discs. This one is just sloppy. Sounds rushed and largely uninspired. Honestly, pretty crap. Obviously the new single is as bad as music ever gets and sadly the rest of this ain't much better. That said, 'Coffee's for closers' is a good catchy pop rock tune and the chorus in 'Tiffany Blews' is an absolute delight. Even the first song isn't the worst in the world... but there's not really a single reason on this disc to listen to it over another CD.

 

Yeah all the press reviews I've seen have said the same thing. I've mildly enjoyed a few of their tunes in the past too but - like PANIC AT THE DISCO! - they seemed to have purposely stayed away from the one & only thing they're good at, writing catchy choruses....

[Geoff]

Fall Out Boy - 'Volley My Balls' ; this is going to be an easy target for hatred, and I'm almost (almost) sad to say it is due. I've never really liked this band, but been mildly interested for a while. I quite liked a couple of songs off the last CD until my fave was played to death on radio and the rest just lost their appeal. They've never been a band to put real stand-out tracks on their discs, but I mildly did enjoy early discs. This one is just sloppy. Sounds rushed and largely uninspired. Honestly, pretty crap. Obviously the new single is as bad as music ever gets and sadly the rest of this ain't much better. That said, 'Coffee's for closers' is a good catchy pop rock tune and the chorus in 'Tiffany Blews' is an absolute delight. Even the first song isn't the worst in the world... but there's not really a single reason on this disc to listen to it over another CD.

 

Yeah all the press reviews I've seen have said the same thing. I've mildly enjoyed a few of their tunes in the past too but - like PANIC AT THE DISCO! - they seemed to have purposely stayed away from the one & only thing they're good at, writing catchy choruses....

The fame gets to 'em. Kills 'em. I guess when you're no-one you're still hungry, passionate, striving to make it with the best songs you can write. Now that they have this is just lazy crap. I'm nervous about the new All American Rejects disc too. Apparently they've held off for so long because they were unsure about the new songs. That said, they're about 5,000 times better than Fall Out Boy and especially Panic! At The Disco, who I just hate... but I really hope AAR deliver, because I've really been anticipating this one.

[TIM (2)]

Fall Out Boy - 'Volley My Balls' ; this is going to be an easy target for hatred, and I'm almost (almost) sad to say it is due. I've never really liked this band, but been mildly interested for a while. I quite liked a couple of songs off the last CD until my fave was played to death on radio and the rest just lost their appeal. They've never been a band to put real stand-out tracks on their discs, but I mildly did enjoy early discs. This one is just sloppy. Sounds rushed and largely uninspired. Honestly, pretty crap. Obviously the new single is as bad as music ever gets and sadly the rest of this ain't much better. That said, 'Coffee's for closers' is a good catchy pop rock tune and the chorus in 'Tiffany Blews' is an absolute delight. Even the first song isn't the worst in the world... but there's not really a single reason on this disc to listen to it over another CD.

 

Yeah all the press reviews I've seen have said the same thing. I've mildly enjoyed a few of their tunes in the past too but - like PANIC AT THE DISCO! - they seemed to have purposely stayed away from the one & only thing they're good at, writing catchy choruses....

The fame gets to 'em. Kills 'em. I guess when you're no-one you're still hungry, passionate, striving to make it with the best songs you can write. Now that they have this is just lazy crap. I'm nervous about the new All American Rejects disc too. Apparently they've held off for so long because they were unsure about the new songs. That said, they're about 5,000 times better than Fall Out Boy and especially Panic! At The Disco, who I just hate... but I really hope AAR deliver, because I've really been anticipating this one.

 

Haven't you heard the new All American Rejects stuff yet? I heard 2 new songs & they both pretty much suck. Much more of a pop sound. Yuk....

[TIM (2)]

DAVID COOK - S/T

 

Thanks to Glen for highlighting this one as I'd never heard of this guy, but this is a pretty decent album. Different from most of the other Idol-winners albums as he wrote the songs himself, which is probably why there aren't quite enough killer tunes to make this a great disc. Though ironically it's the Chris Cornell tune (and first single) "Light On" that's one of the weakest IMO. Great vocals, though some better songs would've helped his voice shine even more, & a few real killer tracks - especially the amazingly soulful ballad "Permanent", which is easily the standout track - make this well worth investigating IMO, and I'm sure it will grow on me....

[Geoff]

Fall Out Boy - 'Volley My Balls' ; this is going to be an easy target for hatred, and I'm almost (almost) sad to say it is due. I've never really liked this band, but been mildly interested for a while. I quite liked a couple of songs off the last CD until my fave was played to death on radio and the rest just lost their appeal. They've never been a band to put real stand-out tracks on their discs, but I mildly did enjoy early discs. This one is just sloppy. Sounds rushed and largely uninspired. Honestly, pretty crap. Obviously the new single is as bad as music ever gets and sadly the rest of this ain't much better. That said, 'Coffee's for closers' is a good catchy pop rock tune and the chorus in 'Tiffany Blews' is an absolute delight. Even the first song isn't the worst in the world... but there's not really a single reason on this disc to listen to it over another CD.

 

Yeah all the press reviews I've seen have said the same thing. I've mildly enjoyed a few of their tunes in the past too but - like PANIC AT THE DISCO! - they seemed to have purposely stayed away from the one & only thing they're good at, writing catchy choruses....

The fame gets to 'em. Kills 'em. I guess when you're no-one you're still hungry, passionate, striving to make it with the best songs you can write. Now that they have this is just lazy crap. I'm nervous about the new All American Rejects disc too. Apparently they've held off for so long because they were unsure about the new songs. That said, they're about 5,000 times better than Fall Out Boy and especially Panic! At The Disco, who I just hate... but I really hope AAR deliver, because I've really been anticipating this one.

 

Haven't you heard the new All American Rejects stuff yet? I heard 2 new songs & they both pretty much suck. Much more of a pop sound. Yuk....

Been trying to, uh, "access" it for a few weeks now, but still no luck. I did hear the single and was wildly unimpressed. I still have hope, though. The two ballads off 'Move along' were just so freakin' stunning. I have to give this new one a good chance.

[phaffas]

Fires of Babylon - s/t

 

Turned it off 2/3 way through. Why is Rob Rock singing into a tin can? Where are the hooks? Why do all the songs sound the same? Weak RR leftovers.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Fires of Babylon - s/t

 

Turned it off 2/3 way through. Why is Rob Rock singing into a tin can? Where are the hooks? Why do all the songs sound the same? Weak RR leftovers.

That's disappointing. I was looking forward to this.

[phaffas]

Fires of Babylon - s/t

 

Turned it off 2/3 way through. Why is Rob Rock singing into a tin can? Where are the hooks? Why do all the songs sound the same? Weak RR leftovers.

That's disappointing. I was looking forward to this.

 

Yep, but true.

 

Im gonna check out Driver soon..

[phaffas]

Fires of Babylon - s/t

 

Turned it off 2/3 way through. Why is Rob Rock singing into a tin can? Where are the hooks? Why do all the songs sound the same? Weak RR leftovers.

That's disappointing. I was looking forward to this.

 

Yep, but true.

 

Im gonna check out Driver soon..

[Glen]

DAVID COOK - S/T

 

Thanks to Glen for highlighting this one as I'd never heard of this guy, but this is a pretty decent album. Different from most of the other Idol-winners albums as he wrote the songs himself, which is probably why there aren't quite enough killer tunes to make this a great disc. Though ironically it's the Chris Cornell tune (and first single) "Light On" that's one of the weakest IMO. Great vocals, though some better songs would've helped his voice shine even more, & a few real killer tracks - especially the amazingly soulful ballad "Permanent", which is easily the standout track - make this well worth investigating IMO, and I'm sure it will grow on me....

 

Backed...although I quite like 'Light On'. Good ballad for me.

[Fat Freddy]

Metallica - DEATH MAGNETIC

OK, pass the salt, I'll eat some crow. Though five years ago I proclaimed that ST. ANGER was the last time Metallica would ever get a nickel outta me, the rave reviews for DEATH MAGNETIC finally caused my curiosity to get the better of me. One spin is not enough for me to shape a total opinion of this CD but it's enough for me to tell that this is the best Metallica disc since the Black Album. Nobody is more surprised than me.

 

King James - S/T (1994)

Something of a Christian hard rock "Supergroup" (featuring Rex Carroll of Whitecross and Tim Gaines and Robert Sweet of Stryper), this album should've been better than it was. Though there are a few hard rockin' songs here (not far removed from the Stryper sound), those tracks are choked by far too many soft, fluffy, AOR/worship songs. This sort of stuff was already dated as hell in 1994 and sounds even worse now. If this had been released in 1988 it would probably be considered a classic Christian rock album, but it came out so late in the game that it's ended up as little more than a footnote. Oh well.

[heaven&hell]

Metallica - DEATH MAGNETIC

OK, pass the salt, I'll eat some crow. Though five years ago I proclaimed that ST. ANGER was the last time Metallica would ever get a nickel outta me, the rave reviews for DEATH MAGNETIC finally caused my curiosity to get the better of me. One spin is not enough for me to shape a total opinion of this CD but it's enough for me to tell that this is the best Metallica disc since the Black Album. Nobody is more surprised than me.

 

If you would only listened to me(and everyone else) months ago.

Glad you dig it, see Miracles do happen.

[Fat Freddy]

If you would only listened to me(and everyone else) months ago.

Glad you dig it, see Miracles do happen.

 

It's a Festivus Miracle. Time for the Feats of Strength!!!

[aMetalhead1966]

If you would only listened to me(and everyone else) months ago.

Glad you dig it, see Miracles do happen.

 

It's a Festivus Miracle. Time for the Feats of Strength!!!

Or Feets that Stank..

[KarpetRydOFunk]

If you would only listened to me(and everyone else) months ago.

Glad you dig it, see Miracles do happen.

 

It's a Festivus Miracle. Time for the Feats of Strength!!!

Or Feets that Stank..

I just put my pole up the other day.

[Stefan]

If you would only listened to me(and everyone else) months ago.

Glad you dig it, see Miracles do happen.

 

It's a Festivus Miracle. Time for the Feats of Strength!!!

Or Feets that Stank..

I just put my pole up the other day.

What "pole" are you talkin' 'bout?

[Geoff]

All American Rejects - 'When the world comes down' ; looks like the pressure got to these guys too. Whilst this is not a bad album at all (I did actually honestly enjoy the whole thing) it's not as good as I was hoping for. Definitely missing some killer tracks. I'll spin it a few times, but it's a safe and almost ordinary sounding disc.

[Blue Charvel]

Here's a bunch o' stuff I got the other day...

Shinedown - The Sound of Madness

Classy driving modern hard rock with a boatload of melody and hooks. I had heard a lot of good things about this, and so far they appear to be true.

Hinder - Take it to the Limit

I also heard a lot about this one being great, and it is good, but I TOTALLY disagree that this is pure 80's rock/metal which is another one of the things I've read. This is modern hard rock ala Saliva IMHO. Not that it's a bad thing but this doesn't say 80's to me that much at all. Not of the high caliber of the Shinedown or Seether, but still good, we'll see how it goes with more listens.

Killers - Day & Age

I lasted about 2 minutes into the first song. Didn't like this much at all, reminded me of Oasis or something. I'll give it a go when I'm more in the mood for something different, but so far NO LIKE.

Seether - Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces

This fuckin' rocks! Modern, driving, and again with the big hooks, reminds me of all the things I like about the Shinedown but heavier.

Nickelback - Dark Horse

Wow, Mutt's influence on this is a tangible force. For my first listen it sounds disjointed and like a different band. That being said, I hear big hooks and a lot of variety that may really be a grower for me. Jury's still out on this one. Not as immediately likeable as some of my other purchases but this could be a real favorite once it gets stuck in my brain...

[Glen]

Hinder - Take it to the Limit

I also heard a lot about this one being great, and it is good, but I TOTALLY disagree that this is pure 80's rock/metal which is another one of the things I've read. This is modern hard rock ala Saliva IMHO. Not that it's a bad thing but this doesn't say 80's to me that much at all. Not of the high caliber of the Shinedown or Seether, but still good, we'll see how it goes with more listens.

 

Wow, mate thats a really surprising comment!

 

As much as I love Shinedown, this pisses on that album from a great height.....also have you heard the bonus tracks floating around like 'One Night Stand' and 'Live For Today'....killer stuff!

 

& also it says pure 80s hard rock to me!

 

We must be listening to different albums.......I mean isnt 'Loaded & Alone' just like early BJ (say s/t, New Jersey kind of era??).

 

[Blue Charvel]

Hinder - Take it to the Limit

I also heard a lot about this one being great, and it is good, but I TOTALLY disagree that this is pure 80's rock/metal which is another one of the things I've read. This is modern hard rock ala Saliva IMHO. Not that it's a bad thing but this doesn't say 80's to me that much at all. Not of the high caliber of the Shinedown or Seether, but still good, we'll see how it goes with more listens.

 

Wow, mate thats a really surprising comment!

 

As much as I love Shinedown, this pisses on that album from a great height.....also have you heard the bonus tracks floating around like 'One Night Stand' and 'Live For Today'....killer stuff!

 

& also it says pure 80s hard rock to me!

 

We must be listening to different albums.......I mean isnt 'Loaded & Alone' just like early BJ (say s/t, New Jersey kind of era??).

 

Just my first impression so far, and in fact in your honor, I'm putting it back in the player right now...

[Glen]

Hinder - Take it to the Limit

I also heard a lot about this one being great, and it is good, but I TOTALLY disagree that this is pure 80's rock/metal which is another one of the things I've read. This is modern hard rock ala Saliva IMHO. Not that it's a bad thing but this doesn't say 80's to me that much at all. Not of the high caliber of the Shinedown or Seether, but still good, we'll see how it goes with more listens.

 

Wow, mate thats a really surprising comment!

 

As much as I love Shinedown, this pisses on that album from a great height.....also have you heard the bonus tracks floating around like 'One Night Stand' and 'Live For Today'....killer stuff!

 

& also it says pure 80s hard rock to me!

 

We must be listening to different albums.......I mean isnt 'Loaded & Alone' just like early BJ (say s/t, New Jersey kind of era??).

 

Just my first impression so far, and in fact in your honor, I'm putting it back in the player right now...

 

Good man........'Heaven Sent' and 'Lost In The Sun' just kill me with their awesomeness.

 

There are some killer solos on this album too.....something im sure you will appreciate

[Blue Charvel]

We must be listening to different albums.......I mean isnt 'Loaded & Alone' just like early BJ (say s/t, New Jersey kind of era??).

See, I can hear the some of that, especially in the muted guitar melody at the beginning, but not even addressing the vocal quality, the vocal line itself is modern rock to me, with the harmony throughout almost the entire song as opposed to the more judicious use (and therefore more impacting) of Richie Sambora. The groove set by the rhythm section is also pure modern rock with mostly straight ahead, driving beats as opposed to being dynamic and having more accents. The whole dynamic building of a classic Bon Jovi song compared to this leaves me feeling that this is a heavy-handed and pale imitation of the high quality songwriting of JBJ... I know, I can't believe I'm saying that either...

 

All this aside, it's a good song and a good CD from what I've heard so far, but it's missing the builds, and emotional tension that you find with really quality songwriting and productions overall. This to me sounds pretty straightforward and most of the songs take me to a certain level and just keep it there from start to finish. On another note, I'm not a huge fan of this guy's voice I have to say.

 

Besides it's just my opinion, and that's usually wrong anyway according to my wife...