SANTA CRUZ "Anthem For The Young And Restless"

(c) 2011 Independent Release

1. Over The Limit
2. Let's Get The Party Started
3. Anthems For The Young N The Restless
4. Don't Run Away
5. Hostile Shakedown
6. We're Aiming High

Archie--Vocals, Guitars

Johnny--Lead Guitars, Backing Vocals

Middy--Bass, Backing Vocals

Taz--Drums, Backing Vocals

About two years ago, or so, I received a demo/EP called Another Rush Of Adrenaline from this band from Finland that really piqued my interest.  They had a great look, a really good sound, and a small handful of decent, if not spectacular, songs.  I thought if they could manage to score a label deal somewhere and maybe get a hold of a big name producer they could put out a really solid album.  Well, Santa Cruz has returned with a new EP that kicks the teeth in on their demo...and they still have no record label, no big name producer, and virtually no distribution, which really sucks because this is an album that needs to be heard by fans of the big hair 80's.  This album actually made me rethink my Top 11 of 2011 as it wormed its way onto that list.  This is just a great, great album that is worth seeking out.

Lead vocalist, Archie, is going to remind a lot of people of a younger Sebastian Bach with his vocal approach, as he rips off some killer screams, evidenced on nearly all of the fist pounding, head banging numbers, but is also capable of employing an above average singing voice, as he shows on the more-mid-tempo-than-lighter-in-the-air ballad, "Don't Run Away".  He and Johnny, who started the band together in 2007, are a far above average guitar tandem and rip their way through these tracks with the skill and chops of people twice their age and experience.  As such, it is on the smoking uptempo numbers that Santa Cruz really shines, although even when they choose to slow things down they aren't too shabby, either.

From the very first riff of "Over The Limit", it should be obvious to most listeners that Santa Cruz is the real deal.  This is a band that is steeped in the glam and sleaze of Hollywood tradition from the late 80's, but they also mix in the flash and style of what I call the NWoEGaS (New Wave of European Glam and Sleaze).  I don't care if you are a fan of Faster Pussycat and Babylon AD or Pussy Sisster and Babylon Bombs, you are most likely going to be slamming your head and pounding your fists to "Anthems For The Young And Restless" or "Let's Get The Party Started".  After the slowest track, the previously mentioned "Don't Run Away", this album returns to the high octane stuff, although just a bit slower, though just as heavy and energetic.  The closing tracks are every bit as good as the first three, with "Hostile Shakedown"being a really strong hard rocker, and "We're Aiming High", also a top notch rocker, hopefull being an anthem of sorts for this band that really deserves some kind of label notice for their next effort.  

One piece of advice, however...I don't think this is the greatest CD to listen to while driving because you will soon find your foot clear through the floor doing about 110 m.p.h., as these songs just get you going that well.  Seriously, this is a ferocious little disc chock full of huge solos and monstrous, heavy riffs.  But to top it all of, you can't escape the power of Archie's wailing, screaming vocals that, in addition to the aforementioned Sebastian Bach, also remind me a lot of Kingpin/Shotgun Messiah when Zinny Zan was the vocalist...only with better overall guitar sound.

I have heard there is a 10 song version of this CD out somewhere, but I have never found it and have to wonder if it isn't a bootleg.  While I am not a fan of bootlegs, I can see why someone might try to bootleg this CD, because it is INCREDIBLY hard to find...and it is that dang good!  If I find out if the 10 song version is legit, I will be sure to pass on ordering info.  For now, however, the only place I know of to get this is from a Finnish site you can access here.  I have used this site myself, and have never had any problems, so I wouldn't hesitate to order this little gem.

Rating:  Crank this baby to 9, folks!  Let 'er rip!!!

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JAGUAR BLAZE "Jaguar Blaze"

(c) 2012 Purple Box Records

1. Wild N' Free
2. My Kind Of Woman
3. Losin' Myself (In Your Kiss)
4. Never Says Forever
5. Standin' Next To You
6. Streets On Fire
7. Days Gone By
8. Heartbreak Style
9. Into The Sun
10. Lonely Road

Ian Keith Hafner--EVERYTHING, including songwriting and production

Jaguar Blaze is yet another musical project from Static Fuse/Angry Little Freak main-man Ian Keith Hafner.  This latest effort finds Hafner exploring music in a similar vein as his Static Fuse project, but without the blatant Christian lyrics, although there are still several deeper spiritual moments on this record, just not on every track.  I have heard/read a few people comparing Jaguar Blaze to bands like Def Leppard, Skid Row, KISS, or Ratt, but I don't hear that at all (with one exception).  This music is far more blues-based than those bands with nowhere near the pomp of KISS or the pop of Def Leppard.  If you are into that grittier, mostly mid-tempo hard rock sound of the 1980's (not hair metal, but more guitar-driven hard rock), there is a lot to like about Jaguar Blaze.

This time around, Ian handles everything himself, from vocals to guitars, bass, and drums.  It is a massive undertaking, to be sure, and I think Hafner acquits himself pretty well for the most part.  His guitar skills have never been in question, at least to my ears, and the solo on album opener, "Wild N' Free" is a testament to that.  One of my personal faves from this album, "Streets On Fire", is another great 80's-inspired blues-based hard rocker with some great licks and a nice, catchy hook.  This is the kind of song that bands like Keel, Leatherwolf, Vyper (if you have heard them), and even early Great White were playing a couple decades ago.  The big budget production is obviously not there, which is most notable in the drum sound, but you can definitely hear bands such as those performing "Streets On Fire" or the equally rocking "Into The Sun" back in the day.  "Into The Sun" is another song that has a great guitar solo in it that I would LOVE to hear with a big production budget behind it.  The same can be said of album closer "Lonely Road", which is the one song that I would say does have a Ratt feel to the music, carrying a similar tone and feel to "Back For More" on the main guitar riff.  "Standing Next To You", on the other hand, has a truly classic rock feel that has a more late-70's feel than the rest of the album, at least to these ears. "Heartbreak Style" is another pretty cool mid-tempo rocker with a nice guitar-and-drum breakdown section right before a quick solo that leads right back into the chorus.

Vocally, I have to say that the way Ian uses his voice is eerily similar to Layne Staley of Alice In Chains at times, especially when he is providing his own backing vocals.  This is especially evident on "Into The Sun".  It is not this apparent throughout the entire album, and the music isn't grunge by any means, but I have to say the vocals, especially on the pre-chorus, FREAKED ME OUT!  I get that Ian's voice is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and that's cool.  However, I do know that he has put a lot of effort into his vocals and there is a clear growth here, especially for people who are familiar with his earlier work.

The real downfall of this record, or any indy project for the most part, is always going to be in the production, as big, pounding drums and a really bright mix can cover up a lot of weakenesses in any band.  Don't believe me?  Remember some of the concerts you went to in your younger days when you asked, "is this the same band?!"  The guitars are a bit low in the mix in spots, and, as I stated before, there is a definite lack of a real drum presence here.  I am not sure if this is a programmed drum or not (I don't think it is), but just a beefed up bass drum would make a world of difference for a lot of listeners.  On the flip side, there is a certain charm in indy projects where it is just the artist, his instruments, and his talent on display without a bunch of wizardry on a mixing board to change the outcome of the product.   

A cool touch here is in the packaging.  The front insert is plastic, not paper, which I thought was pretty cool.  I don't think I have ever seen that before, and if I have, I don't know where.

Overall, Jaguar Blaze is likely to appeal to those who understand indy hard rock is not about overblown arena sounds but more about feel and attitude.  Is this my favorite album to come out so far in 2012?  Nope, but I wasn't expecting it to be, either.  It was exactly what I figured I would get...solid songwriting, above average guitars, much improved vocals, and a gritty, honest performance from a guy who works very hard at his craft.  Again, if you like the style and sound of his main band, Static Fuse, you are likely to find a LOT to like about Jaguar Blaze.

Rating:  Rock this to 6, which is pretty solid for an indy project such as this.

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VAN HALEN "III"

(c)1998 Warner Bros.

1. Neworld
2. Without You
3. One I Want
4. From Afar
5. Dirty Water Dog
6. Once
7. Fire In The Hole
8. Josephina
9. Year To The Day
10. Primary
11. Ballot Or The Bullet
12. How Many Say I

Eddie Van Halen--Guitars, Keyboards,Bass, Lead and Backing Vocals

Gary Cherone--Lead Vocals

Michael Anthony--Bass, Backing Vocals

Alex Van Halen--Drums, Backing Vocals

After getting a chance to live with the new Van Halen album, A Different Kind Of Truth for a while now, I thought I would dig into the band's back catalog a bit and review some of their older material.  Oddly, I chose to start with the band's least popular, most maligned album ever recorded, 3.  I will be the first to admit I disliked this album so much when I got it that I actually shelved it for probably two solid years.  To give myself the chance to write a true and honest review, I pulled it out again recently and gave it several spins and was extremely surprised to find that I don't hate this album nearly as much as I once thought.  I'm not going to say I love it...I don't even know that I would go so far as to say I like it very much...but I certainly don't hate it.

The more I have listened to it, the more it sounds like a natural progression from the Sammy Hagar years of the band.  Perhaps that's the problem I have always had with it; 3 sounds like Van Hagar album with Gary Cherone on vocals...doing his best Sammy Hagar impersonation.  I took me the better part of three years to accept Sammy as the new voice of Van Halen (I still don't care for much of the first three Van Hagar albums), but    by the time For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance rolled around, I really liked what the band was doing.  But when Sammy was out and it was teased that David Lee Roth would be back, I thought that would be a really great thing, as I love that version of the band.  When that fell apart and Cherone was chosen as the next vocalist, I have to say I was extremely (no pun intended) excited.  I LOVE the work Cherone did with Extreme and I thought he could bring a fresh sound and perhaps writing perspective to the band.  But it's like Gary was never given a chance to succeed.  It is really odd to hear the way Cherone approaches some of these songs because it doesn't even sound like him in several places.  Perhaps if Eddie had allowed Gary to sing like he does with Extreme this would have been a better album overall and would have been treated better by fans of the band.  My guess is yes, but obviously we will never know.

The sound of the album, musically, is not really all that different than the last two Hagar albums (Unlawful and Balance).  The songs alternate between guitar-driven hard rockers and more keyboard-laden ballads.  There are a couple of things that differentiate this album from anything else the band has done, however.  First, these songs have a definite alternative rock vibe to them at times, especially in the production.  The themes tend to be a bit darker, less, for a lack of a better term, hair band anthems about partying and chicks, and the fun sound of the DLR era is definitely gone by now.  Also, some of these songs run considerably longer than a lot of the older VH material, which again goes along with the more alternative vibe and darker themes.  One other thing that really sets this album apart is the fact that Eddie steps up to the mic as the lead singer on one track, which is also the most unusual track on the disc.  Album closer, "How Many Say I", is a piano-based acoustic ballad that is unlike anything Van Halen has tried in any other incarnation.  For my money, it's not a particularly great song and, well, let's just be glad that Eddie recognized his skill as a guitar player and has always had lead singers to handle the front-man spot.  The other big thing, at least for fans of the band, is the fact that Michael Anthony steps away from the group during this album, playing on only three songs, with Eddie handling the rest of the bass.  The bass playing isn't what is noticeable, but Anthony's vocal harmonies are missed, I think.  I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not, but the three songs Anthony plays on are also the three tracks that were released as singles from this album:  "Without You", "Fire In The Hole", and "One I Want".

Even after giving it another shot, and being prepared to admit it is not as horrible as I had initally categorized it as, the plain and simple fact is that 3 really isn't that memorable.  There are no classic hooks, no scorching solos, and no real  arena anthems like the band had been noted for throughout its history.  Maybe this was intentional; I don't know.  The three singles did chart fairly well, with all three going Top 30 on the rock charts, and "Without You" actually topped the rock charts for a few weeks in 1998.  Even with this success though, Van Halen chose to completely ignore this album when they released their career retrospective collection Best Of Both Worlds (maybe it's because they didn't have a song called "Best Of All Three Worlds"...).

The thing is, with the reunited Roth era lineup (minus Anthony, who continues to play with Sammy Hagar's band), and the excellent return disc A Different Kind of Truth, this album is going to slip farther and farther from people's mind, and maybe that's a reasonable thing to have happen.  As a co-worker friend of mine told me when we were talking about this album the other day, there is just nothing that connects people to this album.  The debate will likely rage for as long as people listen to hard rock over whether the Roth-era or the Hagar-era was the best span of time for one of the greatest hard rock bands in music history (we all know Roth is the answer, by the way).  But I highly doubt that Cherone's effort will ever even be mentioned in the debate.  Incidentally, there has been a rumor for many years now that Van Halen actually recorded a second album with Cherone but the horrible reviews and poor sales of 3 caused the band to shelve it.  Personally, I would hope that at some time that album might see the light of day, just to see if the band overcame the depths that most people think 3 took them down to.

Bottom line...3 isn't terrible, it just isn't memorable and Eddie sounds tired and like he is no longer having fun. I can say it won't be two or three years before I pull this out again, but I'm not going to be spinning it on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis, either.

Rating:  Turn this down to a 4.5, but consider pulling a couple of tracks off of it to put on your iPod or mp3 player to mix in with the other, classic material...and the new album, of course.

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VAN HALEN "A Different Kind Of Truth"

(c)2012 Interscope Records

1. Tattoo
2. She's The Woman
3. You And Your Blues
4. China Town
5. Blood And Fire
6. Bullethead
7. As Is
8. Honeybabysweetiedoll
9. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin'

David Lee Roth--Lead Vocals

Eddie Van Halen--Lead Guitars, Keyboard, Backing Vocals

Alex Van Halen--Drums

Wolfgang Van Halen--Bass, Backing Vocals

Well, well, well...some things never cease to amaze me.  Let me start by saying this to all those who doubted...Van Halen is 100% back, folks, and considerably heavier than people probably suspected.  Anyone looking for one of the keyboard-driven ballads that became the standard fare for Van Halen in the Sammy Hagar-era will be sorely dissapointed as there is not even a single ballad on this entire guitar-smoking album.  For anyone who though David Lee Roth was washed up...think again.  For anyone who thought Eddie would never again be able to channel the guitar god that he was (rightfully) built up to be...you are proven wrong.  For anyone who doubted that Wolfgang would be able to live up to Michael Anthony's bass rumblings...you might find yourself surprised.  And for anyone who bought into Sammy's musings that the new VH album was unimpressive...well, I suggest you get it yourself and give it a spin because I am not entirely sure what the Red Rocker was listening to.  This is one smoking return to form for the once mighty Van Halen rock machine!

On this new offering, you get a real mix and match of things.  New album on new label with a new member.  Old songs (several were actually written more than 30 years ago), old (original) lead singer, and the old (classic) Van Halen sound.  A couple of things are missing, also.  Keyboards are a relegated to a supporting role again.  The big arena sound that Van Hagar (sorry, it had to be said) brought to the table has been stripped away and the classic, power-rock of the DLR pre-1984 era albums is back (come on, admit it...songs like "Jump", in particular, were heading in the direction of the Hagar stuff).

If you have been hesitant to give the album a chance after listening to the lead single, "Tattoo", I can kind of understand.  That track is NOT representative of the album as a whole, however.  In fact, "Tattoo" is actually one of the last songs I would have chosen as a single, although it is probably the closest to a Top 40 possibility.  This and "Honeybabysweetiedoll" are the two tracks that I would probably consider to be throwaways on this record, and neither is terrible.  In fact, I would probably encourage album buyers to put in the CD and IMMEDIATELY hit skip to track two and proceed from there and they will then be treated to some of the sonic magic that made Van Halen such a force in the late 1970's and early 80's.  Starting with "She's The Woman" and working throughout the rest of the first half of the album...and two-thirds of the second half...A Different Kind Of Truth reminds people of why this band was so great.  For me, it reminds me of the difference between a hard-rocker's view of the band (the Roth era) and the Top 40, mainstream view of the band (the Hagar era)...and, I guess, the disastrous near-end of the band (the Cherone experiment).  This is what Van Halen was supposed to sound like.  Eddie just tears up the fretboard throughout this album, resurrecting his signature sound and adding just a hint of modernness, mostly on the production end of things.   

As great as it is to hear Eddie shredding again, I have to say the biggest, most pleasant surprise for me was the return of David Lee Roth.  Not his return to the band, necessarily, but his return to being David Lee Roth!  This isn't the same guy that sounded so tired on much of his solo material.  This is the David Lee Roth that hinted at a resurrection with the track "Slam Dunk" on his DLR Band album...only to fall flat for so much of the rest of that disc.  While no one will ever claim that Diamond Dave was the greatest lead singer in the history of hard rock and metal, it is a VERY short list as far as the greatest front men in the history of the genre and many, myself included, put Dave at the top of that list.  This an album filled with songs that are going to slide perfectly into a live show packed with DLR-era hits, and nearly every one of these songs has the potential for Diamond Dave to turn it into a show-stopping spectacle. 

Okay, so now for the million dollar question for a lot of folks...does Wolfgang fill the shoes of Michael Anthony?  Does he belong in more than just his name?  My thoughts?  Definitely.  Wolfie is able to lock into a groove with Uncle Alex throughout the album, more than adequately filling in the backbeat of these tracks, some of which were written years before he was born.  It is obvious he has been versed in the classic Van Halen style and sound, and he more than holds his own.  Is he Michael Anthony?  No, of course not.  But for anyone who was waiting for him to fall flat...keep waiting.

On an album full of great songs, a few definitely stand out.  "Better Than Workin'" is one that instantly pops into my head, especially with it's "I could swear I have heard this hook before" sound, but it is not a rip-off of anything, including old Van Halen material...it just has that feel.  "Bullethead" is a MONSTER of a shredder.  "She's The Woman" and "Big River" are also excellent rockers, "China Town" has an insanely catchy hook, and one of my faves, "As Is" just reeks of the best that Van Halen had to offer back in the day.  Eddie's fretwork on that track, alone, recalls what was so great about those early Van Halen albums.  In fact, as I mentioned, if you abandon "Tattoo", which really isn't terrible, and the almost modern-sounding "Honeybabysweetiedoll", and you can get through "Stay Frosty" (which Van Hagar fans won't likely get, and "Ice Cream Man" fans will likely love), it's hard for me to think that fans of the early years will find anything to dislike. 

Is this the best Van Halen album ever, DLR, Hagar, or Cherone?  No.  It does not top Van Halen I, which I think would be virtually impossible to do.  It doesn't hold the across the board appeal of 1984, either, at least not yet; time may change that as I listen to it more.  I do put it ahead of Diver Down and Women And Children First, WAY ahead of Fair Warning, and probably slightly ahead of II also, largely because I think A Different Kind Of Truth is a more solid album all the way through.  Again, time will tell if any of these new tracks become the next "And The Cradle Will Rock" or "Dance The Night Away" or "Everybody Wants Some", which were key moments from those other early albums.  If this is the end for Van Halen as far as studio albums go, it is going to be a GREAT bookend to a legendary career, and is a far more fitting end than Van Halen III, or even the unfortunate reunion-that-never-reunited following the recording of the new tracks on the greatest hits album.  I truly hope it isn't, but if it is...what a great way to go out.

Rating:  Crank this...and I mean CRANK this...to a blistering 8.5 (a 9 without two very average tracks) and just pray that these rock gods have at least one more album of this quality in them before calling it a day.


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ONE MAN'S TRASH (featuring Jimi Jamison) "HIStory"

(c) 2011 As Is Records

1. Real Thing
2. The Restless Kind
3. Long Time
4. History
5. Meadowland
6. Lose My Mind
7. Through Your Eyes
8. She Shines
9. Out Of Control
10. Tears In My Eyes
11. The Restless Kind (acoustic)
12. History (Hotel-room version)

Jimi Jamison--Lead Vocals
Frank Zahl--Guitars
Beathoven--Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Timo von Kresslein--Bass, Backing Vocals
Heinzangel--Drums, Backing Vocals

Not long after it was reported that Jimi Jamison would be heading back to Survivor (again), I received this little CD by a band called One Man's Trash.  Now, I realize I put "featuring Jimi Jamison" on the title line, and not "featuring Jimi Jamison and Frank Zahl", but come on, be honest...do you have any clue who Frank Zahl is?  I didn't think so.  While Jimi rightfully deserves to be listed as one of the most powerful vocalists of the 1980's (and, in my opinion, in the history of melodic hard rock), nobody outside of Germany likely has any clue who Zahl is.  Well, for fans of solid melodic AOR-styled rock, that will change if people track this CD down.

Zahl, it turns out, is a pretty solid songwritier who also plays guitar on this album.  He is not a fretboards-blazing type of player as much as he is a tasteful, laid-back, smooth melodic player that can rock a nice solo when he wants to, but is content to sit back and let the writing and musicianship of the entire project take center stage.  Granted, it's going to be tough for this project to be viewed as anything more than a vehicle for Jamison's smooth-as-silk delivery, but that's okay.  If it is Jamison that brings people to the party then there are a lot of people who are likely to leave that party fairly happy.  Not ecstatic, but probably smiling a bit and feeling a bit warm inside.

This is not a metal album by any stretch; heck, a lot of people might question if it is even a hard rock album for much of the record.  In fact, never does it even touch the hardest sounds that Survivor released.  There are no "Eye Of The Tiger" or "Burning Heart" moments to be found here.  I would categorize this more in the vein of Survivor's...or Journey's....or Foreigner's....more middle-of-the-road rockers, radio friendly but with just the hint of an edge that will keep the rocker in you happy.  Fan's of Jimi's solo work are definitely going to find a lot to like here, I think, as this is pretty much the style and sound of One Man's Trash...up-tempo melodic rockers that have that classic rock feel, never really reaching the arena rock style of Survivor. 

The album starts off with one of the harder-edged tracks, "Real Thing", which then leads into one of my two favorite tracks, "The Restless Kind", which has the most Survivor-like feel to it with a rocking guitar lick and the keyboards playing a supporting role in the background.   "Lose My Mind" falls into that Survivor-rock camp as well and features a voice-box guitar intro before settling into a solid classic rock rhythm with some understated keys and a nice, melodic guitar solo.  The title track, "History" has a big drum intro, a nice opening guitar lick, an above average, rocking solo at the end of the track, and some huge harmony vocals on the "whoa's" of the chorus that will have arena rockers from the 80's grinning from ear to ear.  It's not a hard rocker on this disc, but I'm betting that in a live setting it bumps up the rock factor just a bit.  "Out Of Control" is my other favorite here and showcases Zahl letting loose on the guitar on this song, which is the truest hard-rocker on the disc.  The main riff is AC/DC-styled three-chord rock, but neither Johnson or Scott can hold a vocal torch to Jamison's stellar pipes.  Zahl has a tasty but TINY solo in this one (come on, Frank...let it rip!!!) that just begs to be extended by even fifteen or twenty seconds.  "Tears In My Eyes" is more of a mid-tempo rocker, despite it's ballad-sounding title, and is another one of the strongest tracks here. 

There are a couple of more down-tempo numbers here, and while they are good musically, I have to say that they are distractions for me.  "Meadowlands", to be truly honest, is actually almost boring during the verses, although the chorus picks things up a bit.  It seems like the band is trying out a sort of 90's-era Bon Jovi sound...you know, when they went all pop-schlock sounding on us like on the weakest moments of Keep The Faith or These Days.  "She Shines" has a roadhouse stomp kind of country sound made popular by the pop-country crossover band Restless Heart, and the big ballad here, "Through Your Eyes" REEKS of that same country act.  Not bad songs, really, but they will turn off the sleaze and hair metal fans of this site, for sure.

The last two tracks on the disc are reworks of previous tracks.  There's really no reason for an acoustic version of "The Restless Kind", as the rock is removed from this track which, when stripped down, becomes nothing more than Jimi and an acoustic guitar.  The "hotel room" version of the title track is, once again, simply an acoustic rendering that does nothing to improve upon the main version of what is really a pretty good rocker.   

Overall, I was nicely surprised by most of the music here, at least as far as the songwriting goes.  I was not surprised by the strength of Jamison's vocals, as he sounds pretty much like he always does, which is a great thing.  I just wish more time was spent in the style of the title track, "Out Of Control" or "The Restless Kind", with a few less mid-tempo or slower tracks.  Would I recommend this album to my friends?  Depends on their preferences musically.  If they are of the glam, sleaze, or hair metal ilk, then no.  If they are more into the arena rock, AOR, melodic hard rock style of the 80's, then by all means.  It is a solid effort by a band that I have a strong suspicion is a one-and-done project, at least with Jamison on vocals.

If you want to hear it before you buy it, I believe most of the album streams on a player on the band's site here.

Rating:  Rock this to a nice 6.5.

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ABSYNTH AURA "Unbreakable"

(c) 2011 logic(il)logic Records

1. Believe Me
2. Desert Flower
3. That's Why You Die
4. Smile
5. Understand My Fight
6. Looking For The One
7. Life
8. Fire In My Eyes
9. Will Is Power
10. Unbreakable
11. Zombie

Claudia "Klod" Saponi--Vocals, Keyboards
Michelle "Dr. Viossy" Vionni--Guitars
Giorgio "JT" Terenziani--Bass
Marco "Mark" Renzi--Drums

Absynth Aura is a female fronted band from Italy that really has more in common with modern hard rock bands like Disturbed than they do the vast majority of bands found on this review site.   Lacuna Coil, who also hails from Italy, by the way, would be another obvious comparison if you want to take the female lead vocals into consideration when drawing a comparison, and I am sure Evanescence is use by many to describe the Absynth Aura sound.  While there are elements of all of these bands in a song or two, Absynth Aura really strikes me as more, due largely to their intricate song structures and much more distinct guitar sound throughout this album.  Dark and moody at times, generally pretty heavy, and also rather complex on several occasions, the music found on Unbreakable is not what a lot of followers of Glitter2Gutter are accustomed to seeking out.  However, the band possesses an undeniable sense of melody that a lot of modern bands are missing, and there is a definite level of musical talent found in this band that is not present in a lot of others.   

On the opening track of this album, I have to admit that I thought Absynth Aura was pretty much in-line with every other modern hard rock band out there now, trying to go for that downtuned, chugging sound that Disturbed took to the top of the modern rock charts so many times, and that bands such as Shinedown molded with a bit more melody in places.  "Believe Me" is a track that, had Klod's vocals not kicked in, could have easily been mistaken for something off of the last two Disturbed discs as far as the style and sound of the guitars. But by the time that song ends and "Desert Flower" kicks in, it should be obvious to the listener that something is different here, and it isn't just Klod's enormously powerful vocals.  Vioni's guitar skills really come screaming through on this track, as the full scope of Absynth Aura's sound can be appreciated starting here.  In fact, if I had my choice, "Believe Me" would have been buried somewhere down in the tracklisting, as it is not really representative of the overall sound of the band.

Complexity abounds on this album, with tracks like "That's Why You Die" and "Unbreakable" both showing some incredible musicianship and songwriting depth. The same can be said of the aggressive "Understand My Fight", which I think is one of the stand out tracks on this album.  The band can do a lot with a less aggressive, less pounding song as well, however.  "Smile" is a track that stands out because of the pop-styled nature of its arrangement and the power which Klod delivers the vocals with.   There is also a soaring, melodic guitar solo on this extremely radio-friendly track.  "Life" is a nice bottom-heavy, groove-filled mid-tempo number that lets Klod stretch her vocal style just a bit.  Album closer, "Zombie" is, as you may have predicted, a cover of the Cranberries song.  Klod's voice fits this track very well but Absynth Aura brings an overall heaviness to the track that was lacking in the original with some furious guitar work that absolutely buries anything the Cranberries did with the song.  I find myself actually liking this version of the song, which is NOT something I can say about the original.

Not everything works 100% of the time.  For example, "Looking For The One" is a big ballad, filled with piano and powerful vocals, but this song falls flat to me compared to "Smile".  It lacks any kind of heft to its sound and really sticks out.   "Fire In My Eyes" has some great musical moments to it, but it is a bit forgettable as it sounds like a lot of other songs that find their way onto modern hard rock stations or Sirius/XM satelite radio.  These couple of misses aside, this is a great record filled with some very powerful musical moments and I think Absynth Aura is a band that people in the modern hard rock world should plan on hearing a LOT about in the near future.  Unbreakable is an album well worth tracking down, even if you are not part of the Disturbed, Lacuna Coil, Evanescence crowd.

Rating:  Crank this to a surprisingly good 7!

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DR. FREAK & MR. 4 "Rock N Roll Brotherhood"

(c) 2012 logic(il)logic Records

1. Rock N Roll Brotherhood
2. Occasional Lover
3. Love After Death
4. Farewell To My Muse
5. Jumpin' Again
6. I'll Never Forget
7. Destination L.A.
8. Masters Of Aesthetics
9. Your Words, Your Air, Your Day

Dr. Freak--Vocals, Guitars

Mr. 4--Bass, Lead and Backing Vocals

The information in the press release for this album is fairly sketchy about who plays what on this album, but what is known for sure is that Dr. Freak and Mr. 4 are the singer and bass player, repsectively, of the sleaze/horror punk band Superhorrorfuck.  For fans of that band, don't anticipate picking this record up and hearing a SHF album, however, because despite the fact that Dr. Freak's voice is the same as in Superhorrorfuck, low and growling, sounding like he just gargled with shards of glass, there is very little else that will remind of SHF.  This is especially true when Mr. Four steps up to the microphone to offer his own vocal stylings on a handful of songs here; in these moments, there is virtually nothing reminiscent of SHF at all.  

Musically, this project is more in the straight-up hard rock and sleaze vein with less punk added to the overall sound, although there are still moments that the frantic pace of Rock N Roll Brotherhood blurs the lines between the full-time band and this side project.  The press releases states, "Rock N Roll Brotherhood will show a new and intimate side of the two musicians, linked to their former life, experiencing an electro-glam rock trend, with forays into pop...".   Ummm...okay...whatever the heck that is supposed to mean.  Sure, there are a couple of tracks that bear more than a passing resemblence to an SHF song.  The title track, "Rock N Roll Brotherhood" is definitely a punked-up sleaze affair that I think was put at the front of the record to kind of ease listeners into this disc.  "Destination L.A." is another tune that carries enough punkish attitude in its style that no one is going to be shocked to hear it included here, although it is far from my favorite track here.  Beyond those tracks, however, I will say there are several songs on this album that would never find their way onto a Superhorrorfuck record.  Such a moment is the ballad, "Farewell To My Muse".  While, lyrically, it still deals with some rather dark subject matter, musically it is far more radio-friendly than anything these guys have released before, actually showing a sense of melody and style that would have placed it firmly in power ballad territory if this was 1991.  "Love After Death" is pure 80's/90's MTV-era hard rock with a simple chord structure and a hooky chorus.  "Jumping Again" is another very 80's sounding track, at least musically, with big drums, a nice guitar hook, and some slick production; Dr. Freak's vocals set it apart from anything you heard in the 80's however, with the exception of some of the stuff you heard from Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction.  Album closer, "Your Words, Your Air, Your Day", on the other hand, drifts into some electro-pop sounds, especially in the looped drums and keyboard usage, that I have a hard time picturing the members of SHF ever listening to, let alone playing!  Mr. 4 handles lead vocals on this song as well, which gives the track a distinctively different feel than anything recorded by his primary band.  

A couple of tracks really don't go anywhere for me on this effort.  Despite the name, the previously mentioned "Destination L.A." really doesn't have anything in common with the L.A. music scene as far as style and sound goes. "I'll Never Forget", ironically, does nothing to make it memorable, so I am pretty sure I will forget this track the second I take the disc out of my player.  And "Masters Of Aesthetics"....well, I just don't get it.  It seems like a decent enough rocker, but it incorporates these weird keyboard in the background that are just annoying as sin, and the lyrics seem tied to pretty much nothing in particular.  Just an odd, odd song.... 

So what do we really have here?  Well, for me, it was easier to absorb this album on its own merits when I didn't keep refering back to Superhorrorfuck, as there is really very little in common between projects other than a couple of band members.  To be fair, when Rock N Roll Brotherhood is at its peak, I like it a lot more than anything SHF has released as it is not so punked up that it loses its sense of melody.  Unfortunately, this album comes of as being rather disjointed, jumping from style to style so frequently that it sounds more like a compilation album of studio outtakes than a true project album.  That makes it rather distracting and difficult to just sit down and listen to, at least for me, as there is no flow to the record at all.  I guess it says something when my favorite track on the entire album is one that has as much in common with the 80's New Wave sound as it does with glam or sleaze.  To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement, as I was really hoping for the best elements of Superhorrorfuck here, not the most unusual and mismatched.

Rating:  Unless you are a hardcore Superhorrorfuck fan, I'd recommend turning this mish-mash down to a non-intrusive 4.5, pulling out the things you really like and skipping over the rest.

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TWISTED SISTER "A Twisted Christmas"

(c)2006 Razor & Tie

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
3. White Christmas
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Silver Bells
6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
7. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
8. Deck The Halls
9. The Christmas Song
10. Heavy Metal Christmas
11. Untitled

Dee Snider--Lead Vocals
JJ French--Guitar, Backing Vocals
Eddie Ojeda--Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mark "The Animal" Mendoza--Bass, Backing Vocals
A.J. Pero--Drums, Percussion

As a general rule, I have a hard time with Christmas albums that are recorded by established acts.  They come off as little more than a cash-grab and are usually not very good, not very original, and not worth the time.  When I saw that Twisted Sister, a band which I have always loved, was putting out a Christmas album, I was greatly concerned, to put it lightly.  After fighting back some stomach problems, serious eye-rolling, and at least one anxiety attack, I picked the disc up and took it home.

I have to admit, I'm pretty glad I did.

Twisted Sister does not sacrifice who they are on this Christmas album in any way, shape, or form.  In fact, if you don't recognize the more than passing resemblence of "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" to "We're Not Gonna Take It", you either aren't a Twisted Sister fan or you are so oblivious to music I don't really know why you are reading this review.  There is also a very similar riff in "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" to the Judas Priest classic, "You've Got Another Thing Coming".  Both tracks rock very hard, especially when you remember they are Christmas tunes, and there are not a lot of little old ladies in nursing homes who are gonna slap this disc into their player to warm the hearts of their fellow residents around the holidays!  "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" is another furious rocking number the way TS performs it, even with the jingle bells that are tossed in for good measure.  "Deck The Halls" has a big, gang-shouted "fa la la la la" chorus and a ripping guitar solo, and the traditional "Twelve Days of Christmas" is given a Twisted make-over and is turned into the "Heavy Metal Christmas" song with some pretty funny lyrics, although I am sure many purists will not find the humor in them that I do.  I even found myself liking the power ballad-esque "i'll Be Home For Christmas" featuring a duet with Lita Ford.  Musically, this song once again hearkens back to a Twisted classic, feeling very much like "The Price" at times, especially on the intro.  Ford's voice is rather strong here, and is in much better form than she would be later on her God-awful Wicked Wonderland comeback album (more on that in another review...).

Not everything works overly well, which I suppose is to be expected.  Album opener "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" had me VERY worried when I heard it, as it doesn't rock at all and sounds like a bad lounge act performance for the first minute or so.  It does kick in a bit after that, although it would have been better being buried lower on the tracklisting, but that intro had me shivering and shaking and I wasn't out in the cold.    "The Christmas Song" (better known to some as "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire") is okay, but not great as it is just too slow for the most part. 

The album closes with what sounds to me like a radio drop-in for the holidays with people chanting "we wish you a Twisted Christmas and a Twisted New Year".

As far as pure Christmas albums go, most people are not going to like this a whole lot.  As far as a great hard rock album, most people are not going to be able to do much with it.  As far as a great hard rock Christmas album, I think Twisted Sister has managed to record one of the best out there, although Trans-Siberian Orchestra has NOTHING to worry about!

Rating:  Why rate it?  It's a Christmas album!  Just get it and enjoy it annually!

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ROXX "Diamonds & Rust"

(c) 2002 Perris Records

1. Breakdown
2. Better Off Dead
3. Too Little Too Late
4. Rockin' The City
5. Lickity Split
6. Rock Stead
7. Puss N Boots
8. Hot Sweet
9. A Girl Like You
10. Ruff Stuff
11. Deep In The Night
12. Kidz Rock
13. For You

George "Roxi" Hall--Lead Vocals
Fanky Novello--Guitar, Vocals
Marko Soccoli--Drums, Samples, Vocals
Mark Skovran--Bass, Vocals
Randy Ferri--Guitars, Vocals

Roxx is another one of those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" bands from the 1980's that not a lot of people have hear of unless they were living the scene at the time.  However, despite their looks and sound, the scene for Roxx was New York City rather than Hollywood.  These guys referred to their music as "bump and grind sex rock" and listed Aerosmith and KISS as their major influences, although neither plays prominently in the sound of the band.  (The band did take their name, Roxx, from the Aersomith album Rocks, although obviously with a re-spelling.)  I would say their sound is more akin to early Motley Crue (Too Fast For Love-era) blended with bits and pieces of Faster Pussycat and Ratt, mixing equal parts sleaze and glam to their sound, similar to a band like Kix, whose album Midnight Dynamite record is referred to as "the soundtrack of our lives..". 

This disc is comprised of demos that were recorded between 1985 and 1989, and while the majority of the songs are very good, the sound quality varies with the source it was taken from.  This is too bad, as a couple of tracks REALLY suffer in the quality department.  It would have been great to see Perris really step up and sink some money into properly remastering all of these songs and perhaps working a bit longer to find better source material.  Regardless, this collection has several high points along with a handful of lows as far as the songs themselves go.

Before getting directly into the songs, one thing of note here is the talent of the drummer, Marko Soccoli.  This guy was a machine gun behind the kit, pulling off some blistering fills and smoking double bass kicks that many thrash metal drummers only wish they could manage.  I was seriously awed by his skill from the very first time I put this album in, and right from track one, "Breakdown", his skills are on display.  Speaking of "Breakdown", this is an excellent example of this band's talent, as this is one smoking song, kicking off with a sampled motorcycle engine and ripping immediatley into a ferocious guitar riff.  It is on songs like this that the raw sounds of early Motley Crue really come to mind.  The follow-up, "Better Off Dead" is a bit more melodic, a bit more "hairy" in sound, but it is still a really good song that just reeks of 1986 or 1987, with Roxi sounding to me like a mixture of CJ Snare from Firehouse and Taime Downe from Faster Pussycat.  "Too Little Too Late" slips even further into radio-ready melodic territory, especially on the backing vocals which remind me of Enuff Z'Nuff as much as anyone.  "Rockin' The City" has some odd guitar effects being used on it, but is a more high-energy, sleazier feeling song. which is where the band is at their best.  This, however, is an example of a track that suffers a bit due to the tape source, as it is a bit hollow sounding and the mix is just a bit weak. 

"Lickity Split" is a song that took me a few listens to before I could say I appreciated it at all.  It has a definite boogie-woogie feel to the music and I can see women in poodle skirts dancing with guys in leather jackets, t-shirts and jeans, a la Grease, especially when the horn section and do-wop sounding backing vocals flare up in the chorus.  I still can't say I LOVE the song, and I have a hard time imagining the band pulling this song off live, but I think it would have been a fun filler track on a studio album and it is perfomed pretty well. 

"Rock Steady" gets things back on track and features some nice bass work by Novello.  "Puss N Boots" is another song that obviously comes from a bit weaker source tape, but is another good song with Roxi really sounding like Vince Neil here, especially on his screams.  The way the lyrics are strung together also is very reminiscent of early Crue for me. 

From this point on, the CD loses a bit of interest for me, as I am almost positive that the next four songs are very early material that is nowhere near the songwriting quality as the first half of the disc.  For example, "Hot Sweet", which is another song with serious Vince Neil/Motley Crue sounds to it, has some pretty dumb lyrics and no real hook.  Therehere is also some slight tape warble about 1:20 into the track, which is a bit distracting.  "A Girl Like You" isn't terrible but would never be categorized as anything more than filler.  It comes off like a masterpiece, however, compared to "Ruff Stuff".."Ruff Stuff" is just about unlistenable, to be honest, with a FULL MINUTE LONG spoken intro and a very garage sounding recording with a "chugga-chugga-chugga" rhythm that goes nowhere.  I'm betting this is an early song for the band because it is not at all representative of the best stuff Roxx put out.  Additionally, there is again some tape wear problems on the source tape and you can literally hear the song fade in and out as far as sound quality goes.  Total skip material here.  "Deep In The Night" gets things headed back in the right direction, although again I am guessing this is an earlier effort as it is not as catchy as the first 6 or 7 tracks are.  The band was obviously experimenting with reverb and echo on the vocal tracks which is a tad bit annoying but it doesn't ruin the song. 

"Kidz Rock" is the glammiest sounding track on the disc, but it is a really good effort until about 2:40 in the song when Roxi tries to do some spoke riffing over the looped chorus.  It's not that the spoken part is bad, it's just mixed so out front it is slightly distorted and sounds like it was added as an afterthought.  The track would have benefitted from this part being left off.

"For You" closes things out and is the band's only attempt at a ballad, although I am not sure ballad is the right term.  We have some keyboards of some sort being played and Roxi singing, but nothing else...no drums, no bass, no guitars.  It's a really odd song and I'm glad it's at the end as I skip it every time unless I just have the CD in a mix or on in the background.      

The packaging is made up of two pages of band history written by bass player Franky Novello, and several pictures of flyers, ticket stubs, a band promo picture, and what appears to be a drum endorsement photo for Soccoli (which I could totally believe...the dude is WICKED on the skins!), and is generally well done.  There are individual head shots of the band members on the back and a full band shot under the clear disc tray.  No lyrics are included.  The website, www.roxxnyc.com, that is listed in the notes appears to be a dead link, and very little can be found on-line about this band, it seems.

Overall, this is about a 60/40 mix of really good to great music mixed with not-so-good to downright awful.  That being said, it is a nice collection that really shows a band that held a lot of promise but one that perhaps would have benefitted from not being so  stubborn and maybe trying to hit the Hollywood scene (Novello admits in the liner notes that the band was determined to make it in New York and not California.  Wrong choice perhaps...)

Rating:  Very hit and miss at times, so overall I would rock this at 6.5.  Still worth checking into if you can find it at a good price as the good parts outweigh the bad.

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ROXY BLUE "Want Some?"

(c) 1992 Geffen Records

1. Too Hot To Handle
2. Sister Sister
3. Times Are Changin'
4. It's So Easy
5. Rob The Cradle
6. Squeeze Box
7. Talk Of The Town
8. Rock-A-Bye Baby
9. Luv On Me
10. Nobody Knows
11. Love's Got A Hold On Me
12. Main Attraction

Todd Poole--Lead and Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Sid "Boogie" Fletcher--Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals
Scotty T--Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Josh Weil--Bass, Backing Vocals

I'm not sure if Geffen wasn't paying attention or what, but by 1992 bands like Roxy Blue were essentially dead and gone.  I mean, all they had to do was look at their own label to see the havok that Nirvana was releasing upon the hard rock and hair metal world.  That being said, I am extremely glad they put out this album because it is truly one of the best pure hair metal albums of the early 90's, without a trace of attempted alternative or grunge crossover to be found.  From the hairstyles to the clothing to the interior pictures...oh, and of course the music...Roxy Blue is just about the quintessential hair metal band, and I dare say they would have been HUGE if they had been around about 5 years earlier.  This album is simply that good.

Now, I'm not going to tell you this is the best album ever made...just that it is a very good album most people have never heard.  For some reason, every time I put this CD in, I am swept away to summer, as that is the fun vibe I get from the songs here.  Overall, the musical performances are really good, even when the lyrics are a bit simplistic, such as is the case with songs like "Sister, Sister" with it's oh-so-deep chorus of "Sister...let me show you around, Sister...let me take you down".  Fletcher is a very good guitar player with some cool solos, especially the intro to "Rob The Cradle", which is obviously this band's take on Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" in terms of style, attitude, and the bouncy rhythm contained within. 

Most of the songs are uptempo and range from the very good to the excellent.  Even the cover of Pete Townshend's "Squeezebox" is pulled off with a flair and attitude that many other cover versions seem to be lacking, and Fletcher rips off a tasty, if too short, solo in the middle.  "Rob The Cradle", as mentioned before, is chock full of swagger and I think David Lee Roth would be proud with the way this song is pulled off.  I am in no way saying it is a ripoff of "Hot For Teacher"...that's just the vibe I get from it.   "Talk Of The Town", "Too Hot To Handle", and "Love's Got A Hold On Me" are all very solid rockers that would have been a blast to hear in concert, I am sure.  "Main Attraction" closes the disc in excellent rocking fashion as well.  The required power ballads are here, also, with "Times Are Changin'" and "Luv On Me" both actually being more down-tempo songs than true ballads, but they were also both radio-worthy if this had been 1988 and not 1992.  Both of these tracks, along with "Rob The Cradle", were released as videos, but the boys from Memphis, Tennessee were simply too late to make a splash and disappeared after this album.

I keep trying to think of who lead singer Poole reminds me of, but the best I can come up with is Bret Michaels' delivery style sung in a bit lower register.  The backing vocals are excellent and remind me of the more radio-friendly, poppier backing vocals of Nelson, Trixter, and bands of the really melodic style.  This is owed, I am sure, largely to the fact that Mike Clink produced the record, and big backing vocals were his thing at that time.  The production is excellent throughout the album and the mix is nearly flawless, with no one instrument burying another.  Even the bass is prominent throughout, which was not always the case with hard rock and hair metal, especially in the early 90's as many bands seemed to try to differentiate themselves from the downtuned depressing sound of grunge.

The packaging is very simplistic, with no lyrics, which is always a bummer for me.  There is one band photo on the four page fold-out insert, and a large thank you section, but nothing other than that.  Minor details, I know, but I also know some people really care about that kind of thing...

I have seen this album fetch as much as $40 on eBay, probably because I am guessing there was a rather small print run on this disc due to lower than hoped for sales.  If you look around, you can find it for $20-25 most of the time, and occasionally it pops up quite a bit lower, at least for the starting bids.  If you can find it in a CD shop for under $20, I would definitely snap it up...it is well worth it.

Rating:  Crank this fairly hard to find gem in the rough to a very solid 8!

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BERETTA JANE "On With The Show EP"

(c) 2007 Maydan Entertainment  

1. Shot Down On Sunday
2. C'mon N Feel It
3. Let Me Go
4. Angel Got A Beretta
5. So Good
6. One More Night

Mickey Valentine--Lead Vocals

Evan Via--Lead Guitar, Vocals

Danny Mays--Bass, Vocals

Brent Allen--Guitar, Vocals

Rooobyn--Drums

Beretta Jane's 6-track EP On With The Show is a little disc that just feels like you have heard it before somewhere.  This is not a band that is trying to relive the sleazy Sunset Strip days...their music feels like they are actually there!  There is a certain comfort factor with this release that is almost tangible, like you can touch, taste...maybe even smell...the grime and grease and grit that the bands of Hollywood's underbelly were putting up on stage night after night.  In short, this is one excellent effort!

From note one, Beretta Jane treats the listener to some of the best American sleaze in quite a few years, at least in my opinion.  This EP fits right in with the style and sound of Guns N Roses, LA Guns, Faster Pussycat, and all the best sleaze rockers of the late 80's and early 90's.  This is not hair metal, folks...this is pure sleaze, from the slimy guitar tones to the scratchy, snarly vocals.  In fact, on the first track, "Shot Down On Sunday", the band sounds a LOT like the music of GnR with Taime Downe on lead vocals and in a very bad mood.  The follow-up, "C'mon N Feel It", for a very brief second, makes me think of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" with the drum rhythm at the very beginning, but this feeling is quickly shoved aside as the guys rip into another sleazy romp in an ode to essentially rocking a venue to the ground, drinking all the booze in the joint, and picking up on the sexiest, sleaziest chicks they can find.  There is a quaint little slow-down spot in the middle of this track that then morphs into a tight little solo, courtesy of mister Via, before rocking back up to full speed again.  "Let Me Go" is an interesting track, complete with barroom piano, some acoustic-type percussion, and a jangly rhythm that, again, reminds me of some of the stuff Faster Pussycat tried on their very first album when they infused just a bit of soul into their sleaze.  While definitely not a slow track, it does provide a bit of a break before the sull-bore attack of "Angel Got A Beretta" kicks in.  This song has the most modern sound of all the tracks, but don't take that to mean that the band changes styles at all, as this is still pure sleaze; the production is just a bit slicker than on most of the other songs here.  Still a solid track that has one of the best guitar solos here.  "So Good" has an almost funky feel to it, infusing a bit of a 70's classic rock feel to the sleaze they otherwise offer up on this EP.   Things close out with the slow rocker, "One More Night".  This song is the one where the band breaks formula just a bit and sounds a bit like Tesla, which is still really cool.  A good way to round out a very solid effort from start to finish.

The band is extremely tight throughout the disc, belying their relatively short existance at the time of recording.  Unfortunately, from what I understand, Mickey Valentine has left the band and I am not sure if Beretta Jane has continued on or not.  If not, this is a fine representation of what the band had to offer and is well worth tracking down if you can find it.  Soulful at times, sleazy nearly all of the time, and filled with catchy guitar hooks and short but skillful solos, On With The Show is a tasty little piece of modern sleaze that feels like it was born in 1989 instead of 2007.         

Rating:  Crank this to a sleazy 8.

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BLACK RAIN "A Lethal Dose Of..."

(c) 2011 SPV

Disc One

1. Get A Gun
2. I Need My Doctor
3. Dead Boy
4. She's In Love
5. Baby Shot Me Down
6. Overloaded
7. Burn N' Die
8. Heart Screams
9. Into The Groove
10. Addicted To Failure
11. Rock N' Jive
12. My Young Star
13. Shining Down On You
14. Rock Your City

Disc Two

1. Get A Gun (Live)
2. Nasty (Live)
3. Innocent Rosie (Live)
4. Overloaded (Live)
5. I Need My Doctor (Live)
6. Rock Your City (Live)
7. Shining Down On You (Alternate Version)
8. Baby Shot Me Down (Alternate Version)

Swan--Vocals
Max 2--Guitars
Heinrich--Bass
Iann Lewis--Drums

Black Rain is a band that is one of the very few true contenders for the throne of Crashdiet as far as the torch-bearers of the new generation of glam/sleaze bands.  These four French musicians have released an album that sounds like it was found on the streets of Hollywood in 1986 and then re-mixed and re-mastered using 2011 technology.  A Lethal Dose Of... is nearly as good as Crashdiet's Generation Wild, but it is about two songs too long, in my opinion.  More on that in a minute.

Things start off with "Get A Gun" which leads in with some great gang shouts only to be cut off by a gunblast and then some gunfire like drums that get things rolling in a big way.  This is an awesome way to kick off the album and it is immediately apparent that as good as the band sounded on 2009's License To Thrill disc, they are out to top themselves in every way.  Despite a somewhat simplistic chorus of "Get a gun, shoot them down, get a gun kill them all, get a gun mother f**ker, get a gun, shoot them down", this is a generally strong song filled with a lot of attitude and Swan's high-pitched, glammish vocals over a sleazy musical track.  Awesome stuff, to be sure!

"I Need My Doctor" is another great song with a nice throwback vibe that really works well and keeps things rolling along.  However by track three we run into one of the tracks I think could have been eliminated.  "Dead Boy", while not a terrible song, does not fit the rest of the disc and sounds a lot more modern in its musical approach.  It kind of reminds me of the odd turn that Faster Pussycat has taken in recent years, incorporating a techno/electronic vibe into what should be a sleazy song.  It really comes out of left field, because things get right back to normal with "She's In Love", another little rocker with a nice rhythm and a simplistic, yet catchy chorus and a very strong guitar solo from Max 2 a little over halfway through the track.  "Overloaded" keeps the party going full-speed ahead, and "Burn N' Die" kicks things into hyperdrive on this punked-up sleaze romp that just drips with spit and snarl.  "Into The Groove" has a similar punkish-charm to the guitar parts, but the verses have something of a poppy quality to them that might have some people thinking of Reckless Love, another killer band that has really broken out in the past year or so.  "My Young Star" is a mid-tempo song that has a nice groove to it and a catchy hook and "Addicted To Failure" is another attitude-infused rocker that really exemplifies the sound of this excellent band.  In fact, it is songs like this that leave me wondering how it is that this band doesn't get more exposure in the scene because they are just incredibly talented and should appeal to both glam and sleaze fans in equal doses as they are not afraid to cross the fine line that separates the two sub-genres. 

"Rock N' Jive" is the other song that I don't really think fits.  Swan uses some odd effects on his vocals on this track and he never really unleashes that siren-like scream that he is known for and has become a huge part of the sound of Black Rain.  Much like I said about "Dead Boy" before, I don't think this is an out and out terrible song, it just doesn't feel like Black Rain in general and doesn't fit this album in particular. 

The only "slow" moment on this disc is "Shining Down On You", and I wouldn't necessarily call it a ballad.  Its more of a slow rocker, if that makes sense, as this isn't some cozy-up to your cutie power ballad by any means.  The disc then closes in fine fashion with "Rock Your City", another high-intensity rocker with a pulsating bass line and some scorching guitar work right from the get-go.  Swan actually takes his seemingly helium-induced vocals down just a slight notch on the verses of this track, but re-inflates them when the chorus hits.  This is a great way to wrap up an absolutely smoking disc that really only has a couple of minor hiccups along the way.

On the expanded edition of this album, the second disc includes several live cuts and a couple of alternate takes from the main album.  "Get A Gun" shows that this is a very tight band, even in a live setting, and really showcases Swan's ability to pull off his vocals in front of a crowd.  I kept waiting throughout the live tracks for his voice to crach or fall out of register somewhere, but it never did, which is pretty incredible, really.  Live versions of "N.A.S.T.Y." and my personal favorite Black Rain song, "Innocent Rosie" really sound strong here.  The alternate takes of "Shining Down On You" and "Baby Shot Me Down" are good but not so different that I think they really warranted inclusion here unless it was simply to increase the length of the bonus disc.

Look, if you are seeking out another KILLER glam/sleaze band from the European scene, I would not recommend anyone, except possibly Crashdiet, more than I would recommend Black Rain.  These guys just get stronger with each release and they definitely have a firm grasp on the style and sound that they are seeking to recreate.  They have a definite love for the Sunset Strip sound and they go to great lengths to successfully recreate it without sounding like a clone of anyone.  Pick up A Lethal Dose... as soon as you can, and also look for License To Thrill and even the Innocent Rosie EP while you are at it!

Rating:  Crank this to an ear-bleeding 8.5!

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TRYX "DAYZ GONE BY"

(c) 2011 Demon Doll Records

1. She's So Fine
2. Don't Want To Know Your Name
3. Sugar Sugar
4. Don't You Need It
5. Cross My Heart
6. Hold On
7. You've Got A Lot To Learn About Love
8. Only For The Summer
9. Whatever Happened To Tomorrow
10. Do You Think About Me
11. She's So Fine (music video)

Jessie Star--Vocals
Roxy Deveaux--Guitars
Tracy Dahne--Bass
Cody Marks--Drums

Glam fans, listen up.  One of the most over-the-top glam bands to never sign a record contract, Tryx finally has (some) of their music officially released on this nice little collection from Demon Doll Records.  Sometimes referred to as the "Purple, Red, Pink and Blue Crew", Tryx likely suffered from a visual image problem more than they did a musical image problem as these four guys were so out there with their look (check the hair in the cover photo) and style that I sometimes wonder if that is what turned record labels off.  Originally from Florida, by all accounts, Tryx was one of the top-drawing acts on the Sunset Strip in the late 80's and very early 90's and managed to record 3 demos and an EP before deciding to go their separate ways after years of frustration.  I am very glad to finally get to see and hear an official release because I can tell you that this band's music is some of the hardest to find (at least with decent audio) and most widely sought after in the demo trading markets that I have frequented with some regularity.

For those not familiar with the scene, or the differences in styles, the glam sound that Tryx encorporated has very little in common with what a lot of people call "glam", i.e. bands like early Poison or Warrant.  Tryx is FAR poppier in approach than either of those bands and have virtually none of the hair metal sound that Poison and Warrant both incorporated.  Tryx has more in common with bands like The Sweet, T. Rex, and Slade.  This is especially apparent in songs like "She's So Fine" which bounces along with a slightly upgraded 1970's glam rhythm.  Another example is the somewhat odd cover choice of the 1969 Archies hit, "Sugar Sugar" which keeps a lot of it's late 60's charm but is juiced up just enough to bring it to the Strip.  The band's big ballad, "Hold On" would never be classified as a power ballad or Monster ballad as it is far too sugary to have likely ever garnered even Top 40 radio airplay, let alone rock radio airtime.  This is not to say that these songs are not good or don't hold a certain charm to them, but I don't want readers of this review to think they are getting a band that sounds like Firehouse or Winger or some of these other bands that are frequently mis-labeled as glam.  Think Bang Gang and not Bangalore Choir when comparing the Tryx glam sound to what some people call glam.    

The "raw, unmixed" tracks included here have a definite demo-quality sound to them of varying quality.  The rocking "You've Got A Lot To Learn About Love" doesn't really sound any different than "Sugar Sugar" or "Hold On".  On the flip side, "Only For The Summer" has a VERY garage recording quality to it, which is too bad because this mid-70's mid-tempo groover is one of the best songs the band recorded.  "Whatever Happened To Tomorrow" is so raw here that it is practically unlistenable, to be frank, and I can guarantee I would skip it every time it came on just because of the poor quality.  It is cool to hear the song, however, if you have never had the chance, and it gives the listener yet another glimpse into the overall sound of this band.   What makes it VERY frustrating to hear "Summer" and "Tomorrow" is the fact that I personally have better sounding versions of both of these songs than what Demon Doll used on this compilation.  I think Demon Doll would have been better served to have done some more snooping and digging before committing these particular versions to CD.

The video is a neat little inclusion using old concert footage interspersed with some computer graphics and shots of an obviously more recently recorded young lady dancing in her lingere to "She's So Fine".   The live footage is what really makes this and I wish they would have left the other stuff out.  It is easy to see from the video that these guys put a lot into their look and performances, and I think it would be cool to dig up some more concert footage if it is of good quality.  Am I going to watch this little video dozens and dozens of times?  Not at all, but again, for people who are new to the band, this is a good way to not only hear, but also to see, what this band was about.

Obviously, this CD does not leave me without at least some frustration.  I have collected 22 different Tryx songs through the years, with 18 of them being studio recordings of various quality, with the other four songs being live versions.  I'm not sure why Demon Doll didn't do a complete two-disc career retrospective, which I think would have made for a KILLER collection!  Also, I am a bit confused about the origin of some of these songs, as Demon Doll stated in their press release that the first seven songs on Dayz Gone By were released between '87 and '89, but all these songs were just demo recordings as far as I know...and none were on the 1991 High Stakes EP.  I don't know if this was merely an oversight or if the High Stakes EP was never an officially released album.  Maybe we will never know unless there is another Tryx CD released by Demon Doll or someone else in the future. 

Still, main issue with this package is one that I have had with Demon Doll releases in the past:  the remastering quality.  While Demon Doll claims to have digitally remastered the first seven tracks here, but I have to say that if that is true it is one of the weakest remaster jobs I have heard in quite some time.  The sound on some of these songs is still very tinny in places with very little in the way of bottom end.  The drums sound a bit hollow, especially on a song like "Cross My Heart", although even this sound is a couple of steps up from most of the demo copies I have heard out there.  "Sugar Sugar" also has majorly hollow-sounding drums in the recording. Now, not all songs suffer from these problems.  For example, the tape warble that is commonly heard on "Don't Want To Know Your Name" has been erased, so that is a great improvement, and this song actually has a bit of bump to it, so I know that there was some work done to at least a few tracks.  Perhaps it is a problem of limitations from the original source, but I have heard better remasters from far worse source tapes than those that I know are available from Tryx, so I come away feeling like this was a bit of a rushed or budgetarily-restricted effort on the part of Demon Doll.    

All in all, this is a great introduction to the band for fans of the glam scene of the Sunset Strip.  It is really nice to hear some of these songs, especially "Sugar Sugar" and "Cross My Heart" at least somewhat cleaned up from the demo recordings I had already tracked down.  It's also cool that guitar player Roxy Leveaux officially endorsed the project, adding still a bit more authenticity to the project despite the fact that all of these songs are at least 20 years old.  Here's hoping we get a chance to hear the rest of the catalog, with an even better remastering job done, in the not-too-distant future.

Rating:  Due to the less-than-stellar remastering job, I can't give this more than a rocking 6.5, but these songs are a glamsters dream and serious glam fans should track this disc down before it sells out.

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MYSTICA GIRLS "Metal Rose"

(c) 2011 Independent Release

1. My Dinner
2. Rabia
3. Mi Sangre
4. Metal Rose
5. Torura
6. Diluvio

Sofia Renie--Vocals, Violin
Cinthya Blackcat--Guitars
Red Jane--Bass
Alice--Drums

This four piece, all-girl band is from Mexico and features a rather interesting line-up which includes a violin.  That's right...a metal violin!  Previously, the band was simply called Mystica but changed their name to Mystica Girls for some reason (is there a Mystica Boys, also?).  I'm not 100% sure how this CD ended up in my hands as it is not a glam/sleaze/hair metal band at all, although I would imagine the album cover would lead someone to that assumption, as all of these very attractive ladies are dressed in their best Vixen-meets-Posion-meets-LA Guns attire.  However, when you listen to the music, these four ladies are pretty much straight-ahead classic/power metal with some thrash tendencies (especially in the drumming department), with very little in the way of glam to their sound.  That does not mean these songs are unlistenable by any means, as the music is very well-executed for the most part...they just aren't what I normally listen to. 

Musically, the performances are excellent.  The guitarist, Blackcat, is an amazing performer and you can find her doing a lot of power metal covers if you look her up on YouTube (I have tracked down covers of Rhapsody, Stratovarius, and, of all people, Joe Satriani).  The girl can flat out shred when she wants to and her solos and rhythm playing are some of the hightlights of each of these six tracks, with her work on the title track being exceptionally powerful.  The same holds true of her very melodic solo on "Tortura"  Alice, the drummer, is also extremely talented and shows this talent witha lot of thrash-styled double-thumping on her drums that would leave a LOT of her male drumming counterparts in the dust!  This is especially evident on songs like "Mi Sangre" where she just goes full-throttle for the majority of the song.  Incidentally, Red Jane shows off her bass chops on a little mini-solo in this track as well, and she takes the lead on the intro the previously mentioned "Tortura" and on disc-closer "Diluvio".

The choice to include the violin as an instrument in this style of metal is interesting.  This is not the gothic-styled hard rock or metal that one normally associates with the use of strings.  I am not completely sold on the use of the violin here, as in a couple of places it doesn't seem to be playing in the same key as the rest of the music and the tone is, well, a bit annoying.  The mournful tone that is used in "Diluvio" is fine and adds to the somewhat haunting feeling of the track, but on "Mi Sangre" in particular, the instrument takes on a kind of "yowling cat" sound.  Perhaps I am just not accustomed to the use of the violin in metal and maybe this will grow on me with repeated listens. 

The same can be said of Sofia's vocals.  I am generally not a fan of female vocals and Sofia doesn't do a lot to change that opinion, although she does have some power to her pipes.  What bugs me the most is that she employs a vibrato that just grates on me in a couple of places and, while she seems to be really emphasizing emotion in her vocals, I have no clue what she is saying, as four of the six songs are sung in Spanish and I don't understand a single word that is being said!  Sadly, to me, that is something of a deal breaker as I really like to know what is being said the majority of the time, as I think it adds a lot to the songs. 

All in all, this is not a bad effort at all, and I think my friends who are more into power/thrash metal and straight-up classic metal would likely enjoy it if they can get past the female vocals and the Spanish language barrier.  I have no idea how many albums this band has released, but Metal Rose is a decent little effort that is worth picking up if it is not too expensive as an import.

Rating:  Rock this at a 6 overall, with some definite 9 or 10 moments on individual instruments.  These ladies can flat out rock!

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PAISTY JENNY "Head In A Haze"

(c) 2011 Direct Hit Records

1. Anything
2. Back of Your Hand
3. Hypocrisy
4. Head in a Haze
5. Sad Songs
6. My Way Home

2011 may be the year of the EP, at least for me, as it seems I have reviewed more new EP's than full-length discs.  Of course, that isn't completely accurate, but it sure seems that way.  This might not necessarily be a bad thing because just about every EP I have reviewed so far has been a very solid effort and well worth picking up, in my opinion.  Does the new EP from Paisty Jenny continue that trend?

Absolutely...

Hailing from Lincoln, NE...and proving there is more to Nebraska than corn and college football...Paisty Jenny has been around for a few years now, having released a total of four albums now.  As their website (www.paistyjenny.com) states, their style and sound has been described as "arena rock with a modern edge of influences that put them in with bands like Shinedown, Hinder, and Puddle of Mudd".  I don't know about the first or last names on that list, as there is a definite sleaze factor incorporated into the sound of Paisty Jenny that simply is not found in Shinedown or Puddle of Mudd.  However, there is a DEFINITE connection with a band such as Hinder which takes a good chunk of the 80's and incorporates modern production and guitar tones to come up with what I like to simply call modern American hard rock.  

This mini-album starts off rocking and really doesn't let up for the next 21 minutes or so.  It is, however, an effort of two halves, with the first half being more of the modern sound, while the second half goes a bit more "retro", if you will.  There is not a pure ballad to be found on this disc, and there is only one even remotely slower song on the disc, with the majority of the music bouncing between mid-tempo and full-speed ahead.  Album opener "Anything" is one of the more uptempo numbers here, and is also one of the most modern feeling songs on the disc, definitely employing a kinship with Hinder, Underride, The Last Vegas, and their ilk.   "Back Of Your Hand", while still employing a modern feel, is a bit more mid-tempo in feel and sports a very good guitar solo from Mr. Liberty.  "Hypocrisy" is the hardest rocker on the album, complete with gang-shouted "hey's" leading into the chorus, and also sporting a mean guitar solo once again. 

The second half of the disc is the more retro-feeling half of the album, and this is where Paisty Jenny really shines, in my opinion.  "Head In A Haze" is another full-steam-ahead rocker extolling the life of a hard-rocking band trying to remember "what the hell she did backstage".  Sure, it's a bit cliched, but it is on a song like this that Paisty Jenny really flashes their throwback badges and drops the sludge into their sound, coming off a lot like an updated version of Bach-fronted Skid Row.  Yet again, Liberty smokes his way through a very strong solo on this track and the band comes across as being very well acquainted with each other's strengths.  "Sad Songs" is another uptempo rocker that, while solid, is not my favorite moment on the EP.  The album's closer, "My Way Home", is the most melodic effort on the release and the slowest momet as well, although it is still not a ballad by any stretch.  This is an excellent closer to a really solid effort and leaves the listener wishing that there were another three or four tracks to follow.  This is both a good and bad thing, as while it closes things out nicely, it also really makes me wish the band had come up with another song or two to put out a full length disc.    

One major step the band has taken to really help their sound is the recruitment of Michael Beck as the producer and Brad Vance to do the mastering work here.  Beck has worked with a wide range of talent from Badlands and Marilyn Manson to Ke$ha and Soilwork, and Vance has twisted knobs and adjusted sliders for such well-known acts as Plain White T's and All That Remains. 

The packaging is relatively simple and is, yes, a digipack, but to make things worse, it's a SLIPSLEEVE digipack, which I hate more than just about anything!  There are no lyrics included, nor are there any solo breakdown listings, so I am not 100% sure of who is playing each of the solos on these songs, so I have to assume Liberty is behind most of them, although  I can tell you that Lee did a good deal of the guitar work in a live setting.  I hope that these guys get the opportunity to hook up with a bigger label at some point, as I think Paisty Jenny could really benefit from more exposure to a wider audience.  There is no reason that these guys shouldn't be getting airplay alongside of bands like Saving Abel and Breaking Benjamin (both of whom they have opened for), or even the Hinders and Shinedowns of the modern hard rock world.

I happened to be at the release party of Head In A Haze a couple of weeks ago and was able to hear most of these songs live, which was pretty cool; I already had a good idea of where this review was headed before I actually took the wrapper off my disc.  The songs live stay pretty true to their recorded performances, so if you pick this latest effort up and enjoy it, be sure to try to catch a live show if you get the chance.  Odds are you will enjoy "getting paisted" with Paisty Jenny. 

Rating:  Rock this at .5...and seek out their older material as well.

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