First Spin Impressions

[TIM (2)]

Los Angeles s/t : Good disc and solid melodic hard rock, but far from awesome IMHO. I'm a little bit disappointed by this new 'all star' band. The sound production is weak. 6 or 7/10...

 

I've been living with this one for a while & it just sounds so flat. And where are the keyboards? When you get Gregg Giuffria as a guest on your album why would you mix-down all the keys?

 

And the weak - slightly too heavy sounding - version of one of my all-time fave tunes ("I Must Be Blind") is unforgivable. Pretty average stuff.

[aMetalhead1966]

SIXX AM-The heroine diaries.....Okay this is Not Crue sounding at ALL.

So if that's what ya looking for you'll be sorely disappointed. This is however

a GREAT Release...Very Modern...Nikki's Influences are all over the place..

Some of The Sweet, Queen, T-Rex, Bowie...etc..But it DOES NOT sound like any of them...

I was very impressed with the vocals...and The Guitars are very Good...

This is probably an acquired taste...So Far GREAT...IMO..

 

WIG WAM-Wigwamania..I have their "Neighbor of the Beast"release and really like

it...this is not doing anything for me...I have read many great posts on this

but I just don't like it...

 

Velvet Revolver-Libertad...This has a few Really good songs...and some real duds

Too band cause they could be so much better IMO...but a few tracks are really good..

[eaglesfan3000]

WIG WAM-Wigwamania..I have their "Neighbor of the Beast"release and really like

it...this is not doing anything for me...I have read many great posts on this

but I just don't like it...

 

Oh shit Eric I've been looking for Neighbor of the Beast for a long time now it's very hard to find.

[Geoff]

Recover - This May Be the Year I Disappear ; Pretty decent modern rock. Not the best, but solid and good.

 

Still Life Projector - Dance Riot ; Another good solid modern rock album with good catchy choruses. I'm liking it.

 

So They Say - So They Say ; awesome self-produced debut EP. Great sound, even better songs. Picture Cauterize mixed with Story of the Year and a few others thrown in there. I really like this band, really like this EP. Great stuff.

 

So They Say - Antidote for Irony ; debut full-length album, and a great one for modern rock fans. I'm immediately a big fan of these guys. Great stuff.

[phaffas]

Dean Geyer - A very handsome young man

 

yeah... who also likes other handsome young men..... got something to tell us all Geoff???

 

 

never thought id see that name on the site though....

[phaffas]

Def Leppard - Yeah

Def Leppard has been my fave band for a long time and ive loved every single album theyve released...but i just did not care for this release and so ive only just bought it now. I got the version with Action - live and Winter song.

I thought thered be a few cool tracks on here... esp Rock on which ive heard live versions of and it went off... however the album version was... tame. So after my my first listen id say it isnt as bad as what people say, however it is still only average and bland. Yes prob the weakest tracks theyve ever done and i got bored, except for a few decent tracks. It was actually a chore to get through. And the bonus tracks? meh.. ive heard better versions of Action live and Winter song... was bleh.

 

I just listened to this again and it was a lot better, some good fun tracks and it grew on me alot. But still even though i like quite a few of the tracks now... does not live up to ANYTHING this band has done before...

[phaffas]

Damone - from the attic

 

Got this after totally loving their second album which i cnat get enough of.

Well what can i say.. "from the attic" is.... umm.... i dont remember... i dont remember anything off it. It was bland. Nothing stood out. The girls vocals are also alot weaker And its only 30mins long for 11 tracks!!! ill listen again. sad. Its good to see they developed for album #2

[phaffas]

Damone - from the attic

 

Got this after totally loving their second album which i cnat get enough of.

Well what can i say.. "from the attic" is.... umm.... i dont remember... i dont remember anything off it. It was bland. Nothing stood out. The girls vocals are also alot weaker And its only 30mins long for 11 tracks!!! ill listen again. sad. Its good to see they developed for album #2

 

 

another spin and one or two ok songs, the rest... ordinary.., ill stick with the followup - its a gem!

[Geoff]

Dean Geyer - A very handsome young man

 

yeah... who also likes other handsome young men..... got something to tell us all Geoff???

 

 

never thought id see that name on the site though....

Wow, is he seriously gay? That means I'm in with a shot!!! Mmmmm, hey Deany-poo. I like your hair today.

 

As I said, I have to admit the album ain't that bad at all mate. As I said, a bit slow in places, but not the worst.

 

Where'd you find the debut Damone disc??? Sounds like I may not bother... just like no one should bother with Hinder's debut.

[phaffas]

Dean Geyer - A very handsome young man

 

yeah... who also likes other handsome young men..... got something to tell us all Geoff???

 

 

never thought id see that name on the site though....

Wow, is he seriously gay? That means I'm in with a shot!!! Mmmmm, hey Deany-poo. I like your hair today.

 

As I said, I have to admit the album ain't that bad at all mate. As I said, a bit slow in places, but not the worst.

 

Where'd you find the debut Damone disc??? Sounds like I may not bother... just like no one should bother with Hinder's debut.

 

he sure is... its been all over tv for a while now.

 

got the Damone debut for a cent on ebay.... and id say dont bother.

[Geoff]

Dean Geyer - A very handsome young man

 

yeah... who also likes other handsome young men..... got something to tell us all Geoff???

 

 

never thought id see that name on the site though....

Wow, is he seriously gay? That means I'm in with a shot!!! Mmmmm, hey Deany-poo. I like your hair today.

 

As I said, I have to admit the album ain't that bad at all mate. As I said, a bit slow in places, but not the worst.

 

Where'd you find the debut Damone disc??? Sounds like I may not bother... just like no one should bother with Hinder's debut.

 

he sure is... its been all over tv for a while now.

 

got the Damone debut for a cent on ebay.... and id say dont bother.

Are you serious? Are you sure you're not thinking of Anthony Callea? There's no way this dude could be gay. I've not seen it anywhere that he is and the girls f*cking LOVE him. It would be truly criminal to be gay when there is potential for him to bed so many women. Surely not.

[phaffas]

as discussed .... yes.... yes he is.

 

"more rampant totty" for the rest of us

[Faust]

Robin Beck 2007 : WOW ! VERY good disc ! I'm impressed ! This is a quality album filled with catchy tunes and big hooks ! I need to spin it more times but it's definately one of the best lady's album !

[Geoff]

TH Latona - Shake Well Before Using ; Good stuff. Under-produced indie with a dreadful opening track... I'm sure lesser men would have dismissed the album after such a shit start, but this is one of those 1 good/1 bad track albums and it swaps the good for the bad for most the disc. And the good tracks are really quite good. I liked it.

 

Yesterdays Rising - When We Speak, We Breath ; pretty shitty screamo stuff. Not bad, just not great.

 

The Chemistry - Chemistry ; this is what Hoobastank would sound like if they were a good band. Good, slickly produced commercial modern rock. Good disc, thumbs up.

 

Tokyo Rose - Reinventing a Lost Art ; I liked it. Very simple lyrics seemingly written by teens, but a cool vibe, good hooks. Good pop-punk stuff. I liked it.

 

New Transit Direction - Wonderful Defense Mechanisms ; Horrible, absolute shit. Avoid.

[Fat Freddy]

Onslaught - IN SEARCH OF SANITY (1989)

I've been searching for more Onslaught material because I've been digging their newest album, KILLING PEACE, which I received as a promo several weeks ago. IN SEARCH OF SANITY is a very different album than KILLING PEACE however. I'm told that Onslaught's first couple of records (THE FORCE and POWER FROM HELL, neither of which I've heard) were more extreme, Slayer-ish thrash (and the new one is very much in that vein) but when IN SEARCH OF SANITY was released in '89 they'd just signed a major label deal and replaced their gruff vocalist (Sy Keeler) with Steve Grimmett of Grim Reaper (!). The result is a very "mainstream" sounding thrash album, similar in a lot of ways to Metallica's AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Not a bad disc at all, except for the extremely annoying five-minute (!) long "intro" composed of scary noises that opens the album, and the god-awful cover of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" (which they released as a single back then, if memory serves). I can see why Onslaught's hardcore following at the time didn't embrace this album, and why they disappeared from view for over a decade after its release.

[TIM (2)]

NILE - Ithyphallic

 

2007 is the year of some of the mightiest riffs ever. Machine Head & Chimaira brought them to the table, & so have NILE. This thing just rumbles away like a huge thunder storm. Album close "Even the Gods Must Die" is the best thing they've ever done.

 

Heavy as f**k.

[aMetalhead1966]

WIG WAM-Wigwamania..I have their "Neighbor of the Beast"release and really like

it...this is not doing anything for me...I have read many great posts on this

but I just don't like it...

 

Oh shit Eric I've been looking for Neighbor of the Beast for a long time now it's very hard to find.

Bob if ya PM me I can hook ya up...

 

Topic at hand

GREAT WHITE-Back to The Rhythm.

This is one of the best things they have done in a long time..I'm speechless...

[Blue Charvel]

WIG WAM-Wigwamania..I have their "Neighbor of the Beast"release and really like

it...this is not doing anything for me...I have read many great posts on this

but I just don't like it...

 

Oh shit Eric I've been looking for Neighbor of the Beast for a long time now it's very hard to find.

Bob if ya PM me I can hook ya up...

 

Topic at hand

GREAT WHITE-Back to The Rhythm.

This is one of the best things they have done in a long time..I'm speechless...

Which previous GW does it compare to style-wise?

[aMetalhead1966]

WIG WAM-Wigwamania..I have their "Neighbor of the Beast"release and really like

it...this is not doing anything for me...I have read many great posts on this

but I just don't like it...

 

Oh shit Eric I've been looking for Neighbor of the Beast for a long time now it's very hard to find.

Bob if ya PM me I can hook ya up...

 

Topic at hand

GREAT WHITE-Back to The Rhythm.

This is one of the best things they have done in a long time..I'm speechless...

Which previous GW does it compare to style-wise?

I dunno... it has the best bits from each IMO...The sound is killer..

The playing is Killer but the songs REALLY Stick in your ear...there is just something

about it that I Love...I can't quite put my finger on it...they seem to have a

new/fresh lease on life/music...It's not as heavy as some of their stuff but it's not

easy listening either..the Production is REALLY Good IMO...

[metalmaniac777]

SHADOWS FALL: "Threads of Life"

 

Now this was the kind of stuff I was hoping to discover when I asked for heavy/thrash metal recommendations over in the Heavy Metal section. Crisp, clean, big-budget production, heavy-met-melodic, cool riffs, memorable choruses, etc. Vocalist could sing a little clearer for my tastes, but he doesn't bother me and he's not so screamcore/guttural that I can't understand him...well, at least 50% of the time. Seriously, if this is representative of modern thrash, then methinks I will be a most happy metalmaniac. Thanks to Tim(2) for all the help in turning me into a thrasher and pointing me in this band's direction.

[heaven&hell]

SHADOWS FALL: "Threads of Life"

 

Now this was the kind of stuff I was hoping to discover when I asked for heavy/thrash metal recommendations over in the Heavy Metal section. Crisp, clean, big-budget production, heavy-met-melodic, cool riffs, memorable choruses, etc. Vocalist could sing a little clearer for my tastes, but he doesn't bother me and he's not so screamcore/guttural that I can't understand him...well, at least 50% of the time. Seriously, if this is representative of modern thrash, then methinks I will be a most happy metalmaniac. Thanks to Tim(2) for all the help in turning me into a thrasher and pointing me in this band's direction.

 

 

Check out their last release "The War Within" too.

For me Shadows Fall is the new Testament.

[phaffas]

Anberlin - Cities

 

"Never take friendship personal" just blew me away for so many reasons. In my top few modern rock albums and i just couldnt take it out of the player. Anberlin became my secret little modern rock love. Every song but one stupid instrumental was fantastic.

Then came the new release Cities... what they were claiming as an even greater release.. a maturing of the band.

 

BLEH! I may never even listen to Cities again. After listening i cant remember anything except two really annoying choruses. There are no standout songs, and theres nothing really catchy. I listened to the bonus track version.... which they shouldnt have released because the bonus tracks are soft and bland and annoying. Every song kinda sounds the same. The dynamics are really messed up on the album (and live also!) in that even the softer mellower rock tracks are just as heavy and rockin as the real rock songs... meaning you just have this stream of tracks sounding the same. The killer riffs and catchy songs are not there. The guitar is reckon is not as good even. I put Cities behind even their first album "Blueprints for the black market".

 

sad...

[TIM (2)]

For me Shadows Fall is the new Testament.

 

I agree, although I have a feeling Testament may return a little heavier than Shadows Fall...

 

 

DEVILDRIVER - The Last Kind Words

 

Now this is a killer album. Even after first listen this thing just shreds. It's full-on modern metal/thrash that's somewhere between Sanctity & Killswitch Engage (the pumelling double-bass means it's nearer the latter). "Clouds Over California" is a true monster metal tune, but this band can write huge riffs & killer hooks and this album - while not touching the might of Machine Head's "The Blackening" - will be Top 5 for me this year....

[TIM (2)]

CANDLEMASS - King of the Grey Islands

 

A great return to form from the miserable bastards, after a couple of so-so discs. Doom-y Metal at it's best, & Lowe is awesome on vocs here (although this just sounds like a really good Solitude Aeturnus album). Some inspired riffing & a stunning production means at high volumes this will shake your house off it's foundations. A few overly plodding moments ("Devil Seed" is tiresome), which is always an issue with doom metal, but anyone looking for crunchy well-produced heavy metal should go to their myspace page & try this one out.

[Geoff]

7th Heaven - 'Sampler Vol.1' ; my word, every band who decides to make a stupid f*cked up covers album could learn a thing or two from these guys. I really loved this album... because they covered songs that sounded good in form of rock n'roll. The medley is all-time and the dude's voice is sensational, the way he imitates some of the dudes he covers. I think he's left the bands since. If so, that is a dreadful loss. 'Boys of summer', 'Every breath you take', 'Fields of gold' and the beautiful 'Somebody's baby' were all sensational. I have to find out who sings the last two. Anyway, I love this band - am missing them like hell - and this album is excellent. Covers or not.