First Spin Impressions

[heaven&hell]

UZI - 'Madhouse' ; I admit that I do prefer releases like this to be in chronological order so that the production/sound has some kind of flow. The way that different tracks from different eras and recording sessions are mixed around is a bit of a downer, but the songs are what's most important and this is one of the better Eonian discs. Good kick-ass hard rock.

 

Pretty good stuff but just wish the production was better.

To bad it's not up to the standard of the Charlemagne, Strike Twice and Shake City discs.

There are some good songs though that have kind of a Skid Row/No Respect vibe at times.

[Geoff]

Winger - 'Karma' ; as I just noted in the other thread, I'm totally impressed with this. Great hard rocking disc and a wonderful offering of redemption after 'IV'. As far as I'm concerned, with this offering Winger are back in the winner's circle.

 

Grand Design - 'Time elevation' ; holy shit. This is absolutely awesome!!! If you love prime Def Leppard and Heavy Pettin' and were impressed with Wildstreet... well, if you ask me these guys are the better version. I loved Wildstreet, but it was a little patchy and almost only an EP. What we have here is an album full of pure prime Def Leppard/Heavy Pettin'. I have to admit I'm not finished yet (still 2 songs to go) but so far this has been relentless. Every song has been fantastic. Without a doubt this CD just cracked my top 5 this year. Love it.

 

Cartel - 'Cycles' ; I've had a big soft spot for these guys since the release of their critically adored debut, 'Chroma'. Although leaning towards pop rock, these guys set themselves aside from the pack and I'm pleased to say they have done so again. Great, solid almost "mature" modern pop rock with a great ear for a good song and these guys have the ability to create CDs that sound great first time round, and just get better with every spin. Another very good CD.

[Geoff]

Stiffkitty - s/t ;

http://heavyharmonies.ipbhost.com/index.ph...c=22776&hl=

I thought I'd just add some comments here too as I'm not sure the thread above is attracting the right crowd. This is the new band from ex-Roxy Blue vocalist Todd Poole. Very cool modern-ish rock with some good solos too. Well worth checking out for any fan of Roxy Blue.

[Geoff]

Bad Sister - 'Heartbreaker' ; dudes, whaddup? I thought I'd seen people saying this was good. IMO, this is totally shithouse. I pretty much just skipped my way through it, and the tracks I did allow to play through were just pretty average 80's rock. I guess some weren't bad (like 'For you'), but overall I just wasn't it this at all.

 

Above Only - s/t ; average, totally forgettable modern rock EP.

[Geoff]

Lady MacBeth - 'Eye of the moon' ; incredibly boring melodic rock release. Totally forgettable (and avoidable).

 

Soulicit - 'The right time' ; incredibly boring modern rock release. Totally forgettable (and avoidable).

[phaffas]

Bad Sister - 'Heartbreaker' ; dudes, whaddup? I thought I'd seen people saying this was good. IMO, this is totally shithouse. I pretty much just skipped my way through it, and the tracks I did allow to play through were just pretty average 80's rock. I guess some weren't bad (like 'For you'), but overall I just wasn't it this at all.

 

Id read somewhere it was as good as Dante Fox.. yeh right. Bad sister ... or just bad?

[Dead Planet]

Slingshot Kitty........Up Yours...............average at best sleazy hard rock...won't get many replays....

 

 

Stryper...........To Hell With The Devil...........much better release here.....not as good as 'Against The law' but still quite good....

[Dead Planet]

Lordi...........The Monster Show............decent hard rock/metal......will get more spins......

[TIM (2)]

SCAR SYMMETRY - Dark Matter Dimensions

 

Most of the interest in this disc is because of the change of vocalist, as he was so key to the sound of this band, but - having replaced him with 2 vocalists who duet on every song - it's barely noticeable there's been a change. The music is still brutally heavy with ultra-melodic chorus lines, in fact they've gone to even bigger extremes as the heavy stuff is heavier and the melodic stuff borders on the pop/metal. It's all a little more progressive and technical than before, but nothing to detract from the quality of the chorus-lines on here. In fact, "Noumenon & Phenomenon" is probably the best song this band have penned on any of their discs. Frankly this whole thing is seriously KILLER and this is pretty essential if you liked the last disc, or enjoy bands like SONIC SYNDICATE/DEAD BY APRIL.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

The Brave - Battle Cries

 

Holy shit, this album rocks! Why did I never have this before? I can just see a 5 year old me rockin' the shit out of this. Far better than anything Stryper ever did, and I target Stryper, because they always seem to be set as the standard for any CCM release.

[Geoff]

SCAR SYMMETRY - Dark Matter Dimensions

 

Most of the interest in this disc is because of the change of vocalist, as he was so key to the sound of this band, but - having replaced him with 2 vocalists who duet on every song - it's barely noticeable there's been a change. The music is still brutally heavy with ultra-melodic chorus lines, in fact they've gone to even bigger extremes as the heavy stuff is heavier and the melodic stuff borders on the pop/metal. It's all a little more progressive and technical than before, but nothing to detract from the quality of the chorus-lines on here. In fact, "Noumenon & Phenomenon" is probably the best song this band have penned on any of their discs. Frankly this whole thing is seriously KILLER and this is pretty essential if you liked the last disc, or enjoy bands like SONIC SYNDICATE/DEAD BY APRIL.

Do they still growl their way through the heavier parts, or do they just use "normal" screams yet? I'm still partially interested, but have to admit I discarded the last album... just can't listen to that growling shit.

[Jez]

SCAR SYMMETRY - Dark Matter Dimensions

 

Most of the interest in this disc is because of the change of vocalist, as he was so key to the sound of this band, but - having replaced him with 2 vocalists who duet on every song - it's barely noticeable there's been a change. The music is still brutally heavy with ultra-melodic chorus lines, in fact they've gone to even bigger extremes as the heavy stuff is heavier and the melodic stuff borders on the pop/metal. It's all a little more progressive and technical than before, but nothing to detract from the quality of the chorus-lines on here. In fact, "Noumenon & Phenomenon" is probably the best song this band have penned on any of their discs. Frankly this whole thing is seriously KILLER and this is pretty essential if you liked the last disc, or enjoy bands like SONIC SYNDICATE/DEAD BY APRIL.

Do they still growl their way through the heavier parts, or do they just use "normal" screams yet? I'm still partially interested, but have to admit I discarded the last album... just can't listen to that growling shit.

 

 

Very similar to the last album Geoff, although after 4 spins of the new one, I much prefer 'Holographic Universe'. 'Darl Matter Dimensions' is good, but I just find the songs alot better on the last one.

[Jeff]

Hardcore Superstar - Beg For It

Ok, my first spin...and nothing really stood out for me except for 2 songs. Beg For It which I already knew was good and another song that slips my mind (didn't stand out as much as I thought maybe). I am not too worried yet. Hardcore Superstar seems to be one of those bands that write songs that don't do much for me one way or the other until I spin them again and again. About the 4th time through I really start to dig them. My first spin impression is "eh, not much that totally stands out". But tomorrow is another shot with this one.

[Geoff]

SCAR SYMMETRY - Dark Matter Dimensions

 

Most of the interest in this disc is because of the change of vocalist, as he was so key to the sound of this band, but - having replaced him with 2 vocalists who duet on every song - it's barely noticeable there's been a change. The music is still brutally heavy with ultra-melodic chorus lines, in fact they've gone to even bigger extremes as the heavy stuff is heavier and the melodic stuff borders on the pop/metal. It's all a little more progressive and technical than before, but nothing to detract from the quality of the chorus-lines on here. In fact, "Noumenon & Phenomenon" is probably the best song this band have penned on any of their discs. Frankly this whole thing is seriously KILLER and this is pretty essential if you liked the last disc, or enjoy bands like SONIC SYNDICATE/DEAD BY APRIL.

Do they still growl their way through the heavier parts, or do they just use "normal" screams yet? I'm still partially interested, but have to admit I discarded the last album... just can't listen to that growling shit.

 

 

Very similar to the last album Geoff, although after 4 spins of the new one, I much prefer 'Holographic Universe'. 'Darl Matter Dimensions' is good, but I just find the songs alot better on the last one.

Cool. Really not sure if I'll try this one or not. I am tempted for those dazzling melodies, but I just doubt I'll return to spin it again after the first few spins and I wonder if I should bother.

 

A few recent spins:

 

Badmouth - s/t ; Average, average, average. Just boring plain rock like Little Caesar or a band like that.

 

Bert Heenrick - 'Better yet' ; Big surprise. Apparently this guy used to sing for Vandenberg but hasn't sung for decades. Well, nice return. This one has Voss written all over it again and at times sounds like the better Silver albums... but it's a good one.

 

Bonafide - 'Somethings dripping' ; Pretty much exactly what I said for Badmouth... pretty much the same CD. Yuck.

 

Contancia - 'Lost & Gone' ; another surprise. Good solid melodic hard rock. Not ground-breaking, but consistent and solid stuff.

[Geoff]

Mastedon - 'III' ; okay guys, what the hell? This has been getting some amazing press and I am totally baffled as to why. I honestly don't get it. Songwise, these guys are inferior to middle-range bands like Highest Dream or the like, imo. The highlight of the album, by far imo, was the chorus in 'That's What You Do' but the rest of the song is terrible. Elsewhere, 'Nowhere Without Your Love' and 'You can't take anything' were almost passable, but not really. I just didn't think there was one completely decent (let alone good) song on this whole CD. Honestly, in my opinion, totally shithouse. Sorry.

 

WASP - 'Babylon' ; Nice. LOVE the opening song. Definitely traditional WASP on display here - almost 'Last Command'-era sounding. I did like the entire album except, I have to admit the drumming troubled me at times. Just some odd drumming decisions, especially through some of the choruses. Still, once I get used it I think this will be a pretty good CD.

 

Atreyu - 'Congregation of the damned' ; pretty nice. Definitely not as good as the last album and a few wayward kind of songs, but some gems too. 'Coffin Nails' is a great ballad, 'Storm to Pass' was the early highlight, 'Insatiable' was great too and the album closer, 'Wait for you' is just delicious... and not what you'd expect from Atreyu. Not a magnificent CD, but pretty good stuff.

[Jez]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

 

What's it like you ask? Well it's like the last couple of Dare CD's isn't it. Seriously - no change whatsoever here, Celtic inspired very light AOR, which is very pleasant, well played and recorded, but hardly makes you want to jump around the house with your tennis racket. The first 6 tracks only feature 3 new songs, the others being 2 reworkings from 'Out Of Silence' which are even more laid back than the originals (and definitely no better) and a cover of the Thin Lizzy classic 'Emerald', which admittedly is nice. The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album. The rest is of a similar nature and as before, is all well done without getting the pulse racing too much. IMO these guys need to get back to what they do best and rock (a little) as 3 albums worth of this stuff is now enough.

 

 

Overland - Diamond Dealer

 

The last Overland disc was a little patchy, although did at least contain a few good tracks. With this 'ere new one, although alot more AOR orientated than 'Break Away' and more to Steve's style, I am struggling to find more than 2 or 3 songs on here that I really like. Steve Overlands voice is brilliant as always and the whole things sounds excellent, but what use is that if the songs don't have many hooks and ain't up to much, like they are on this. Maybe a few more spins will change my opinion, but first impressions are that Mr. Overland deserves much much better material to sing than this I tell ya. At least there is a new FM album on the way which will hopefully change that.

[Geoff]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album.

How sad is it that I kind of want to hear this, but not the rest of the album?

[Jez]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album.

How sad is it that I kind of want to hear this, but not the rest of the album?

 

 

It sticks really close to the Cheap Trick version. Darren Wharton's voice really suits this song, although I wouldn't say it is better than the original. The rest of the album will depend if you liked the last 2 or not mate really. All pleasant enough, and very nice for doing the ironing to.

[Geoff]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album.

How sad is it that I kind of want to hear this, but not the rest of the album?

 

 

It sticks really close to the Cheap Trick version. Darren Wharton's voice really suits this song, although I wouldn't say it is better than the original. The rest of the album will depend if you liked the last 2 or not mate really. All pleasant enough, and very nice for doing the ironing to.

I love that song, love Darren Wharton's voice and I'm pretty sure I'd dig this version. And yeah, I honestly don't mind their last few discs, but wouldn't pay more than $5 for them. If they find me I'll try them, but I will not seek them. Luckily I don't need to iron at all anymore.

[TIM (2)]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album.

How sad is it that I kind of want to hear this, but not the rest of the album?

 

Same here. I love that song. Have heard one other tune from this disc and it was pretty dull so I won't be going near this one....

[Glen]

Dare - Arc Of The Dawn

The second half features 5 new songs and a rather nifty cover of Cheap Trick's 'The Flame' which they have done with some style and is one of the real highlights of this album.

How sad is it that I kind of want to hear this, but not the rest of the album?

 

Same here. I love that song. Have heard one other tune from this disc and it was pretty dull so I won't be going near this one....

 

Dare died a death for me many moons ago.

 

I pray to God that they never play FF, as I fear I might slip into a coma..............

[Geoff]

Harlan Cage - 'Temple of tears' ; bland, but not too bad. Just like every other CD from these guys. They've only recorded one song, ever, but it's a pretty decent song.

[Geoff]

Dead By Sunrise - 'Out of the ashes'

I liked it, despite it reminding me of (a rapless) Linkin Park. Strong songs, strong melodies. Good stuff for modern rock fans. Recommended.

Well dickhead, y'all should have said, it sounds like Linkin Park because it is the dude from Linkin Park's side project!!

 

If you had a soft spot for Linkin Park, I'm going to guess that like me it was almost 95% due to the actual singer in the band who was instrumental in any and all of Linkin Park's good songs, despite the horrible rapper. Well, this CD here is actually a full modern rock CD (not an ounce or even split second of rap) and I tell you what, it's pretty damn good. Totally worth checking out.

[Glen]

Dead By Sunrise - 'Out of the ashes'

I liked it, despite it reminding me of (a rapless) Linkin Park. Strong songs, strong melodies. Good stuff for modern rock fans. Recommended.

Well dickhead, y'all should have said, it sounds like Linkin Park because it is the dude from Linkin Park's side project!!

 

If you had a soft spot for Linkin Park, I'm going to guess that like me it was almost 95% due to the actual singer in the band who was instrumental in any and all of Linkin Park's good songs, despite the horrible rapper. Well, this CD here is actually a full modern rock CD (not an ounce or even split second of rap) and I tell you what, it's pretty damn good. Totally worth checking out.

 

will do. cos i always liked that dudes voice. cheers

[Dead Planet]

Quiet Riot.......Rehab..............decent but not amazing.....