First Spin Impressions

[heaven&hell]

Metal Church-A Light in the Dark

 

I'm digging this one. So far I like almost ever song especially "The Believer", "Mirror of Lies" and the title track.

[Geoff]

Rio - 'Sex Crimes' ; This was so good that there are still particles of my face and head splattered all over my car as it blew my head off. Killer melodic hard rock (this is not AOR - may too much balls) and on first spin I might just prefer this to the debut, bar the rawer production job.

 

Ochsenknecht - s/t ; before anyone ever hassles bands like Poison who use stage names, look at this shit. Seriously, wtf? But to the music - pretty good stuff. Killer version of 'I must be dreaming', great opening song and stunning version of a stunning Mark Spiro song; 'Better with a broken heart'. A lot of crappy AOR fillers, but some really good stuff for fans of Jim (Jidhed).

 

Bad Society - Demos ; Alfonzetti's version of the songs he wrote for Bai Bang's 'Cop to con'. Sensational songs (as we already know) and and great delivery. Loved it.

 

Stormwing - 'Awakening' ; after seeing these guys compared to every awesome Scnadi band for about a decade now, I finally hear it... and am unimpressed. Nowhere near the likes of Treat or any of the good ones, but more like Sha-Boom and Return's early and cheesy albums. Good verses, but poor choruses all over this. Was not a fan.

 

Valentino -s/t ; Good solid 80's hard rock EP. Looking forward to more spins. I liked it.

 

Simon Chase - 'Witch doctor' ; I heard the first 2 songs and thought, 'Man you guys are way to harsh... this is okay.' Then the rest of the album happened - awful. Really, really awful.

 

Dear Superstar - 'Heartless' ; ; Loving this. Really good sleaze hard rock / metal. Some really strong songs on this, almost like recent Papa Roach.

[TIM (2)]

Stormwing - 'Awakening' ; after seeing these guys compared to every awesome Scnadi band for about a decade now, I finally hear it... and am unimpressed. Nowhere near the likes of Treat or any of the good ones, but more like Sha-Boom and Return's early and cheesy albums. Good verses, but poor choruses all over this. Was not a fan.

 

Yep, waste of time that one. Fetches big eBay prices too, but they're a million miles from the best Scandi bands....

[Jez]

Saxon - S/T...+14 ('09 Remaster)

Saxon - Wheels Of Steel...+8 ('09 Remaster)

Saxon - Stron Arm Of The Law...+8 ('09 Remaster)

 

The new '09 Saxon Remasters series, starting with the first 3 classic albums. All of these are newly remastered by Pete Mew, who has just done the UFO re-issues and they sound fantastic and are easily the best these albums have ever sounded. All 3 come loaded with loads of bonus tracks, from early previously unreleased pre-album demos, to alternate mixes, aswell as live stuff from the first Monsters of rock show and the BBC sessions discs (which have been released before). Definitely the way to go with these and the ultimate versions. I look forward to the next batch.

[Glen]

Saxon - S/T...+14 ('09 Remaster)

Saxon - Wheels Of Steel...+8 ('09 Remaster)

Saxon - Stron Arm Of The Law...+8 ('09 Remaster)

 

The new '09 Saxon Remasters series, starting with the first 3 classic albums. All of these are newly remastered by Pete Mew, who has just done the UFO re-issues and they sound fantastic and are easily the best these albums have ever sounded. All 3 come loaded with loads of bonus tracks, from early previously unreleased pre-album demos, to alternate mixes, aswell as live stuff from the first Monsters of rock show and the BBC sessions discs (which have been released before). Definitely the way to go with these and the ultimate versions. I look forward to the next batch.

 

I might need to invest in that re-issue of Wheels Of Steel.

[Rockministeri]

Stormwing - s/t (japanese press), I had big expectations (since I have the finnish private press)...more up-tempo rockers and this would've been excellent. Nevertheless this is like listening to a Da Vinci album.

[Jez]

Free Spirit - Pale Sister Of Light

 

Another quality band to emerge from Finland and one that I had already heard 5 tracks from over at their myspace page and was immediately impressed. Having the hard copy for a week now, I can gladly report back that this is a belting disc. If you like the Brother Firetribe, Leverage style of stuff (maybe a ittle more AOR tinged than those two), then this is definitley one to check out. Of the 11 tracks on offer, only 2 have me searching for the fast forward button, but even those 2 have warmed on me over the last few spins. Excellent playing, with some great harmonies and keys especially of note with some damned fine hooky choruses are all on offer on this disc, so if you like quality MR/AOR,you could do a hell of a lot worse than this one.

 

Allied Nation - Touch And Go

 

Another nicely put together package from Bruce and the gang over at AOR-fm. This one is made up of various demos dating from '86 to '92 and even includes their very first recording of 'My Delilah (albeit in edited form due to sound quality issues) plus a bonus video of 'Touch And Go'. Only one track, the excellent 'Find Yourself Another Fool' has been released previously on the 'Hot Night In The City' compilation from way back, so If you know that track (I had heard it once previously), then the rest of this stuff will have you hooked after a listen or 2. Quality AOR is the name of the game here, although the opening 3 tracks are a little more straightforward Melodic hard rock with less in the keys department. Soundwise wise, this is a little uneven in places and you can definitely hear the varying quality of some of the recordings, but non are really bad or unlistenable, in fact, quite the opposite for the most part. If you like your mid late 80's AOR, this is one release to be added to your list and whilst I would say it isn't as good quality wise as the previous AOR-fm releases (the fantastic Dreamer disc especially), it is still a very very good in places and highly recommended.

[Geoff]

Adrenalin Kick - 'Massacre the mainstream' ; well, I will definitely need to spin this more to form an opinion. As warned, it is a completely different style to the debut, and admittedly not for the better. But that said, it is not some grungy sell-out slab of shit. It's more in line with bands like Swedish Erotica, Tuff and a couple of other bands who took the heavy route instead of the grungy route when hard rock was all but abandoned in the mid/late 90's. It's not exactly exploding with hooks and memorable choruses, but it didn't disgust me either. I'll give it some more spins...

[Glen]

Free Spirit - Pale Sister Of Light

 

Another quality band to emerge from Finland and one that I had already heard 5 tracks from over at their myspace page and was immediately impressed. Having the hard copy for a week now, I can gladly report back that this is a belting disc. If you like the Brother Firetribe, Leverage style of stuff (maybe a ittle more AOR tinged than those two), then this is definitley one to check out. Of the 11 tracks on offer, only 2 have me searching for the fast forward button, but even those 2 have warmed on me over the last few spins. Excellent playing, with some great harmonies and keys especially of note with some damned fine hooky choruses are all on offer on this disc, so if you like quality MR/AOR,you could do a hell of a lot worse than this one.

 

Yep, pretty much agree with that.

 

Just a word of warning....there is a slight accent thing going on.....it varies by track, but this could put some off.

 

The end of the disc is particularly strong.

[Fat Freddy]

Jag Panzer - DISSIDENT ALLIANCE (1994)

I'd read many reviews that said this was an atypical release for Jag Panzer and it seems that they were right on the money. Rather than the classy, Judas Priest inspired power metal that the band is known for, Jag Panzer attempted to go the "aggro" route on this album. The guitar work is chunkier and less fluid than on any other release and the vocals (by the late Daniel Conca) are basically Phil Anselmo inspired grunts. A couple of the tracks are pretty catchy but this doesn't sound at all like the Jag Panzer we know and love. For completists only, I guess.

[Geoff]

Urgent - 'Cast the first stone' ; hmmm, not really what I expected. I expected more balls and less 80's pop. There was some decent very lite AOR but some pop tracks I really had to skip, first spin or not. It was only okay-ish for me.

 

Urgent - 'Thinking out loud' ; the first half of this album sounds like the debut - 80's synth pop (the first track with those choir vocals is horrid!) but the second half, track 6-11 is MUCH better. I expected a lot more from these guys and although it was a strong 2nd half, this was only pretty good AOR to me and not much else. Maybe the strength of the 2nd half will click more when I spin it again.

[Jez]

Urgent - 'Cast the first stone' ; hmmm, not really what I expected. I expected more balls and less 80's pop. There was some decent very lite AOR but some pop tracks I really had to skip, first spin or not. It was only okay-ish for me.

 

Urgent - 'Thinking out loud' ; the first half of this album sounds like the debut - 80's synth pop (the first track with those choir vocals is horrid!) but the second half, track 6-11 is MUCH better. I expected a lot more from these guys and although it was a strong 2nd half, this was only pretty good AOR to me and not much else. Maybe the strength of the 2nd half will click more when I spin it again.

 

 

I love 'Cast The First Stone', especially the tracks 'Running Back' and 'Only You'. It is quite poppy AOR in places, but very typical of what was around at the time and a damned fine album in general. 'Thinking Out Loud' was a disappointment after the debut for me, and was one of the few discs I got rid of when someone offred me a silly deal for it.

[Geoff]

Urgent - 'Cast the first stone' ; hmmm, not really what I expected. I expected more balls and less 80's pop. There was some decent very lite AOR but some pop tracks I really had to skip, first spin or not. It was only okay-ish for me.

 

Urgent - 'Thinking out loud' ; the first half of this album sounds like the debut - 80's synth pop (the first track with those choir vocals is horrid!) but the second half, track 6-11 is MUCH better. I expected a lot more from these guys and although it was a strong 2nd half, this was only pretty good AOR to me and not much else. Maybe the strength of the 2nd half will click more when I spin it again.

 

 

I love 'Cast The First Stone', especially the tracks 'Running Back' and 'Only You'. It is quite poppy AOR in places, but very typical of what was around at the time and a damned fine album in general. 'Thinking Out Loud' was a disappointment after the debut for me, and was one of the few discs I got rid of when someone offred me a silly deal for it.

Yeah, 'Running back' was definitely one of the best songs they recorded. And please disregard my opinion of 'Thinking out loud'!!! Well, the facts are still the same, but not the tracks. I just noticed the CDR I have is not in the correct track running order, so it's not 6-11 I like at all. I notice 'Extra Extra' and 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' are there, and they were terrible. I'll have to listen again and get actual track names.

[phaffas]

Sturm und Drang - rock n roll children

 

How perfect are those last 3 tracks?!

[Glen]

Sturm und Drang - rock n roll children

 

How perfect are those last 3 tracks?!

 

How perfect is that whole album.

 

(except Million Nights of course..............)

 

[metalmaniac777]

RED: "Innocence & Instinct"

 

It's simple, really--if you liked "End of Silence," you'll like this newie. Kudos to the band for not switching their sound despite the fact that their nu-metal-esque style is quickly fading from vogue. To my ears, they still sound like a heavier version of Linkin Park, albeit with more melody and much better songs. My instincts tell me not a whole lot of people here at Heavy Harmonies will bother with this, but those of you who are into modern hard rock/metal might find it enjoyable.

[heaven&hell]

Sturm und Drang - rock n roll children

 

How perfect are those last 3 tracks?!

 

How perfect is that whole album.

 

(except Million Nights of course..............)

 

 

Yeah it's a real good album and even great in places but I think I prefer the new Eclispse.

[Geoff]

RED: "Innocence & Instinct"

 

It's simple, really--if you liked "End of Silence," you'll like this newie. Kudos to the band for not switching their sound despite the fact that their nu-metal-esque style is quickly fading from vogue. To my ears, they still sound like a heavier version of Linkin Park, albeit with more melody and much better songs. My instincts tell me not a whole lot of people here at Heavy Harmonies will bother with this, but those of you who are into modern hard rock/metal might find it enjoyable.

Thank christ. I forget already what I thought of this one, but I think I was similar to you. Maybe a little bit more plain that the debut, which had some pretty nice sounding balladic numbers. The new one hasn't even warranted a second spin yet...

 

Faith Circus - s/t ; a little late to the party, but I liked this. I know guys were saying it was a bit soft, but to me it sounded every bit on par with Goodbye Thrill. The 7th song was excellent and overall I thought it was a pretty nice slab of melodic rock.

 

Worral - s/t ; not bad at all. Third song was stunning and overall, despite some pretty godawful fillers, it was a decent collection of AOR.

[heaven&hell]

Faith Circus - s/t ; a little late to the party, but I liked this. I know guys were saying it was a bit soft, but to me it sounded every bit on par with Goodbye Thrill. The 7th song was excellent and overall I thought it was a pretty nice slab of melodic rock.

 

I'll agree and say it's on par with the Goodbye Thrill as far as being softer but as far as songs go I think the Goodbye Thrill disc is better but that's just my opinion. I think I'm still mad that I bought the Faith Circus since I don't see myself giving it that many more spins in the future so if anyone out there wants to trade for it let me know.

[Geoff]

Faith Circus - s/t ; a little late to the party, but I liked this. I know guys were saying it was a bit soft, but to me it sounded every bit on par with Goodbye Thrill. The 7th song was excellent and overall I thought it was a pretty nice slab of melodic rock.

 

I'll agree and say it's on par with the Goodbye Thrill as far as being softer but as far as songs go I think the Goodbye Thrill disc is better but that's just my opinion. I think I'm still mad that I bought the Faith Circus since I don't see myself giving it that many more spins in the future so if anyone out there wants to trade for it let me know.

Yeah, I was going to say it might be better than Goodbye Thrill, but I didn't because I do think the GT disc was a bit better. Both are good but not great.

[Geoff]

Black Rose - 'Bright Lights Burnin' - The Anthology' ; I was pretty happy with this pick-up. To be honest, I was just after the 'Walk it how ya talk it' disc and I wish all of those songs were on this one, but it's nice to see a history of the band (I always just thought they'd only released the one CD). The early stuff is not my scene but the stuff off 'Boys will be boys' is good, the stuff off 'Walk it how ya talk it' is excellent and the 3 demos on the end are impressive. The first was okay, but the title track is great! Either way, if you don't have these CDs this is a nice summary of a good band's career.

[TIM (2)]

JSS - Beautiful Mess

 

Wow I didn't expect this. A complete transition to soul/funk & a sound that's very different to his last 2 solo discs. Definitely approach this with caution as, whereas he can still sing he is singing in a much lower register than previously & the material is nowhere near as catchy/hooky as "Prism" or "Lost in the Translation". I like the ballads on here, but I'm just not a fan of the funky tunes at all. I'd hoped this would be like TALISMAN 7, i.e, soulful & funky but still with enough guitar & hooky choruses to keep the average MHR fan interested, but this is a million miles from that last TALISMAN album IMO. Bring on the WET album (Talisman/Work of Art/Eclipse) & hope it's better than this...

[Swazi]

Ochsenknecht - s/t ; before anyone ever hassles bands like Poison who use stage names, look at this shit. Seriously, wtf?

 

His real name in life is Uwe Ochsenknecht. Poor bastard. It's not a stage name at all. In Germany he is more known as an actor. He became famous in his role as "Leutnant Werner" in the movie "Das Boot" about a german submarine in the 2nd WW. And he also had a role in the movie "Dune".

[Glen]

JSS - Beautiful Mess

 

Wow I didn't expect this. A complete transition to soul/funk & a sound that's very different to his last 2 solo discs. Definitely approach this with caution as, whereas he can still sing he is singing in a much lower register than previously & the material is nowhere near as catchy/hooky as "Prism" or "Lost in the Translation". I like the ballads on here, but I'm just not a fan of the funky tunes at all. I'd hoped this would be like TALISMAN 7, i.e, soulful & funky but still with enough guitar & hooky choruses to keep the average MHR fan interested, but this is a million miles from that last TALISMAN album IMO. Bring on the WET album (Talisman/Work of Art/Eclipse) & hope it's better than this...

 

Ouch.........heathen! I dont like you anymore LOL!!!!

 

Come on man, this album is awesome.

 

Takes a few spins to get into....but seriously I love this thing.

 

Hey ho, to each their own.

[TIM (2)]

JSS - Beautiful Mess

 

Wow I didn't expect this. A complete transition to soul/funk & a sound that's very different to his last 2 solo discs. Definitely approach this with caution as, whereas he can still sing he is singing in a much lower register than previously & the material is nowhere near as catchy/hooky as "Prism" or "Lost in the Translation". I like the ballads on here, but I'm just not a fan of the funky tunes at all. I'd hoped this would be like TALISMAN 7, i.e, soulful & funky but still with enough guitar & hooky choruses to keep the average MHR fan interested, but this is a million miles from that last TALISMAN album IMO. Bring on the WET album (Talisman/Work of Art/Eclipse) & hope it's better than this...

 

Ouch.........heathen! I dont like you anymore LOL!!!!

 

Come on man, this album is awesome.

 

Takes a few spins to get into....but seriously I love this thing.

 

Hey ho, to each their own.

 

Well I got it the same day I got PLACE VENDOME, but have been spinning that thing so much I only just got round to playing this one. I will stick with it, but would be amazed if I end up liking this as much as the TALISMAN 7 album. I might get stoned for this, but even his vocals don't seem anywhere near as good as on previous albums...