CREAM PIE "Unsigned 2.0"

(2013) Independent Release

1. Tiger
2. See Ya Later
3. The Evil Inside
4. Such A Psycho
5. No Love Remains
6. Bad Habits
7. Missing You

Rachel O'Neil--Lead and Backing Vocals

Nikki Dick--Guitars

Phantom--Guitars

Micheal Drake--Bass, Keys

Brian Kent--Drums

Hailing from Italy, Cream Pie come screaming out of the box on this EP with a pissed off form of sleaze that has not been heard in quite some time, only to find time to shift gears, flash some creativity, and then get pissed off again!  Imagine Guns N Roses' swagger and attitude on Appetite For Destruction, but mixed with some of the experimentation of Use Your Illusion (pick which one you want), then combine these with the pure angst and fury that was delivered by Sledgehammer Ledge or Skid Row on Subhuman Race, and you have a decent idea of what these guys bring to the table.  

Now, I'm sure that there are more than a few people who are going to take one look at the name of the band and instantly dismiss them as being nothing but a running sex joke (a la Steel Panther), but those people would be wrong.  This band, and this EP, are all about the music, and it is evident from the moment that lead single, "Tiger" comes roaring from your speakers (pardon the pun).  With a very Axl-esque screech to his voice, Rachel O'Neil proves that he is more than capable on the microphone, and the twin guitar attack of Nikki and Phantom instantly recall the heyday of the underside of the Sunset Strip.  It's pure balls-to-the-wall power here, and a great way to start things off.

"See Ya Later" is not quite as scorching as "Tiger", but it doesn't miss by much, mixing in a bit more rhythm and pulling a little bit of the anger out.  Again, O'Neil uses his voice to good effect, but he spends more time singing here and less time shredding his vocal chords to bloody masses.  The same can be said of "The Evil Inside", which starts off with a little bit of keyboard work from Mr. Drake, but is not some Euro-AOR song by any stretch, especially when O'Neil cuts loose on the chorus and the guitar solo springs to life.  The distortion in the guitars is cleaned up just a bit and a more classic hair-metal solo is utilized here, but it works very well and doesn't detract from the urgency of the song.

The boys show their GnR influence in a big way with "Such A Psycho", which, much like "November Rain", starts off in ballad territory then builds up, backs off, re-builds, launches into a nice guitar solo, introduces some keyboards, and then plunges headlong toward the end.  Carrying an almost "epic" feeling to the way the song is put together, I dare to consider this the band's masterpiece and showcases the band's ability to write powerful and interesting, if not overly original, songs that capture the ear and imagination of the listener.

"No Love Remains" keeps things on the slower side of things again, and O'Neil shifts almost entirely into his singing voice, even exploring a lower range to his vocals.  People are either going to really like...or really hate...this song, as it is the area where the band either takes a misstep or chooses to show their ability to change things up without completely losing their identity.  I tend to think it's the latter, especially since "No Love Remains" was positioned on this EP to follow "Such A Psycho", as this track kind of feeds off the previous tune's "epic" feeling.  Here we even have some layered "whoas" chanted in the background vocals to add some depth to the track.  It took me a few listens, but I really found myself enjoying this track more and more each time, so I encourage people to not stop with one spin through.

"Bad Habits" kicks things back up, coming off like GnR meets Skid Row at a Motley Crue concert.  The buzzing rhythm guitars, the gang backing vocals, and O'Neil's snarling screech all have that 80's feel to them, but using today's production techniques.  Not slick or polished, but not raw, either, this is a decent track, but it's not my favorite by any stretch as it lacks either the brutal anguish of "Tiger" or the experimental-yet-sleazy progression of "...Psycho" or "No Love Remains".

The EP closes with the "bonus track" of "Missing You".  Honestly, I think this may have been thrown in to either generate a few more electronic purchases or to fill a bit more time on the EP, as it really sticks out and is the weakest track here.  It has a kind of bump-and-grind rhythm to it, but it sounds like it was put together in a hurry and all of the pieces don't quite seem to fit correctly.  Maybe with some re-tooling this mid-tempo bouncer could amount to something a bit more, but as it is, if you have the option and really need to save a dollar (or whatever the download cost is), I'd just skip this one.  It's really not that good.

The project is independently released but still has an above average quality to the production.  I have no idea about the packaging, as my copy is an electronic version sent to me directly from the band.  All lyrics are in English, so there is no problem with figuring out what the guys are singing about, and there is also not a major accent of any kind to O'Neil's vocals, so that is also helpful.

The high points here are the guitar work, the anger, and the willingness to experiment.  O'Neil is a more-than-competent vocalist who uses his voice to good effect most of the time and will only get better, I suspect.  The rhythm section is tight, if not spectacular, and the keyboards are a minor supporting instrument.

As far as low points, like I said, "Missing You" is purely a space-filler, and "Bad Habits", while not bad, isn't overly original or interest-piquing.  The mix is a bit muddy in a couple of places, but not overly so and it never becomes so bad it can't be listened to.  I do think a bigger recording budget and a name producer might help...but there is also a chance that these things will smooth down the rough edges that add to this EP's likability, at least for me.

In the end, Unsigned 2.0 is definitely worth picking up, especially for those of you who are having a hard time finding a new, sleazy band to throw into the mix with all of the AOR and glam that has been coming out lately.  Definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel, but willing to gamble here and there, Cream Pie deserves to be listened to...even if you could do without hearing their ridiculous name.

Rating:  Crank it, folks...7.5 for sure.

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SKILLET "Rise"

(c) 2013 Atlantic Records

1. Rise
2. Sick Of It
3. Good To Be Alive
4. Not Gonna Die
5. Circus For A Psycho
6. American Noise
7. Madness In Me
8. Salvation
9. Fire And Fury
10. My Religion
11. Hard To Find
12. What I Believe
13. Battle Cry (Deluxe Edition)
14. Everything Goes Black (Deluxe Edition)
15. Freakshow (Deluxe Edition)

John Cooper--Lead Vocals, Bass, Acoustic Guitar

Korey Cooper--Vocals, Backing Vocals, Rhythm Guitars, Keyboards

Seth Morrison--Guitars

Jen Ledger--Drums, Percussion, Vocals

The latest album from platinum-selling Christian rockers, Skillet, finds the band moving into concept album territory.  While maybe not as strongly tied together as some concept discs, Rise still strings together the story of a teenaged boy who is trying to figure out where he fits in the messed up world around him. 

Musically, the album is going to remind most casual fans of the band of the last handful of albums that Skillet has released, such as Collide, Comatose, and most recently, Awake, as synthesized strings are intermixed in several songs and lead singer/bass player John Cooper trades off vocal lines on several tracks with the band's drummer, Jen Ledger, which are elements which the band has become known for as they have broken away from the rest of the Christian rock pack and have skyrocketed to mainstream fame.  However, upon closer listening (and after reading the liner notes) it should be noted that the band has incorporated such diverse instruments as a harp, dulcimer, mandolin...and get this...an accordion...so the band is not simply rehashing the same old, same old on this new record.   Granted, the heavy, distorted guitars are still the focus here, as they should be, and Ledger's drumming is as solid as it has ever been, so the rock is definitely as prevalent on this new album as it has been in the past.

One positive thing that I picked up on with this album is that Ledger's voice sounds more natural in spots (i.e. not as "auto-tuned"), and she pulls it off well.  Now, I don't know how the band will approach this in concert, but I suspect that they will try to start backing off the auto-tuning for her in the live setting as much as possible, as well.  And since this is rock and not R&B or hip hop...that's a VERY good thing!  To be honest, I never understood why the female vocals, whether from Korey or Jen, always seemed to come off as robotic sounding; maybe the band is working to "humanize" their female singer as well.

Some people are going to find fault with the band for not being overtly Christian with their lyrics, but I don't really have a problem with it, despite being a fan of Christian hard music.  I say this because, 1) it's a concept album and 2) I do think that a band that has broken onto the mainstream scene the way that Skillet has does a lot of good by bringing people to their shows and exposing them to their more Christian-themed lyrical material in the live setting.  While I believe evangelical music definitely has a place, I also think there is such a thing as preaching to the choir and failing to reach people who might not be as open to being "Bible beaten".  That being said, there is certainly nothing anti-Christian or non-Christian-friendly on this record, and if you read Cooper's lyrics as they are presented, his faith is definitely shown in a more real-world setting as he portrays himself as the story's main character trying to survive the fallen world around him.

There are several rock radio and satellite radio ready tracks here, with the lead single "Sick Of It" being one of the hardest rocking standouts.  "Good To Be Alive" takes the band slightly more in the direction of some of their earlier material, coming off like a U2-inspired 80's song, not rocking quite as hard and focusing more on the musical hook of the song, and it is done to very good effect.  "Circus For A Psycho" and "My Religion" find the band going back into a harder rock territory, and the title track, "Rise", ends up somewhere in between, effectively rocking out while also intermixing some orchestral moments as well as "news clips" talking about school shootings, war, and the crashing economy.  "Madness In Me" is in similar territory as far as style goes.  For those who were more into the Comatose sound, I anticipate you are going to like "Not Gonna Die" in particular, and "What I Believe" will likely tickle your fancy as well.  There are a few throwback electronic elements mixed in throughout the album, and keys are a bit more predominant in a few songs than on Awake, but never do they become the overpowering instrument of a song.

Personally, I would recommend getting the Deluxe Edition, as the three songs included there are worth the extra couple of bucks, with "Freakshow" being one of the two or three best rockers on the disc and a song I could definitely see as their concert opener.  "Everything Goes Black" is actually the ballad from the album that is the strongest, and the more mid-tempo "Battle Cry" has some of the most faith-based lyrics and is better than half of the album as well.  I'm assuming that that these became bonus tracks because they didn't really fit the "concept" theme of the rest of the album, but they are by no means throw away cuts.

There are still a couple of tracks that really don't go anywhere for me, with "American Noise" and "Hard To Find" being at the top of the list.  Album closer "What I Believe" isn't overly amazing, either, but the previous two not only are filler cuts, they also disrupt the flow of the album to a degree, which really set them apart for me.  All three are mid-tempo or slower and rather bland in their musical approach.  This was especially disappointing for "American Noise", at least for me, as I thought with a name like that we might be in for a really powerful rocker, but sadly that is not the case.

For me, there is a lot of good about this album, and I think it is definitely a better, more complete album than Awake, which I felt was fairly mid-tempo and samey outside of the small handful of harder-edged songs.  In essence, Awake was predictable.  I don't feel that way with Rise.  Skillet tries, with varying degrees of success, to keep all the elements of the "Panhead Nation" happy, regardless of the album the individual most readily identifies with.  The concept thread throughout the album is loose enough that all of the songs can stand alone if released as singles, yet comprehensive enough that when taken back-to-back-to-back you can follow along with the story. 

Nothing here is likely to make any fans jump ship, and Rise may actually bring back those harder-edged fans who found themselves struggling to maintain interest in Awake.  I know a lot of reviewers have bagged on Rise as not being overly original or creative, but I am not one of them.  I do, however, feel that the first half of the album is definitely the strongest, although "Fire And Fury" is a great song off the second half that I find myself listening to more and more all the time.

Rating:  Crank this to 7, slotting just behind Collide and Comatose for me, but definitely ahead of Awake and Alien Youth.

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QUEENSRYCHE "Queensryche"

(c) 2013 Century Media

 

1. X2
2. Where Dreams Go To Die
3. Spore
4. In This Light
5. Redemption
6. Vindication
7. Midnight Lullaby
8. A World Without
9. Don't Look Back
10. Fallout
11. Open Road
12. Queen Of The Reich (live) [Deluxe Edition bonus track]
13. En Force (live) [Deluxe Edition bonus track]
14. Prophecy (live) [Deluxe Edition bonus track]

 

Todd La Torre--Lead Vocals

Michael Wilton--Guitars

Parker Lundgren--Guitars

Eddie Jackson--Bass

Scott Rockenfeld--Drums, Percussion, Keys

 

Round 2 of "Ryche vs, Ryche" has been launched, with the Tate-less version releasing their first album since the ugly divorce.  This version of the band features three of the classic line-up members in Wilton, Jackson, and Rockenfeld, along with Parker Lundgren (who oddly enough was married to Geoff Tate's step-daughter and played on Tate's solo album), who performed on the Dedicated To Chaos album, the last by the united Queensryche, and new frontman, Todd La Torre, who formerly fronted Crimson Glory.  Got all that?  Good.

 

The album itself consists of 11 new tracks, along with three live versions of classic Queensryche numbers on the deluxe edition of the album.  As far as style goes, Queensryche combines elements Rage For Order, Operation: Mindcrime, and Promise Land, with some updated elements mixed in as well.  Right from the start, it is clear that this version of the band is going more for retaining the original fanbase and welcoming back those who lost interest in the band somewhere around the Hear In The Now Frontier time frame.  The album's opening track, the atmospheric "X2", gives the listener a bit of that Mindcrime feel, establishing the band before La Torre sings a single note.

 

When La Torre does leap into his contributions, the feeling that this album should slot in somewhere between Mindcrime and Promise Land really kicks in, as La Torre is a dead-ringer for Tate in his prime.  We aren't just talking tone and pitch, we are talking phrasing, presentation...everything.  I know people hate to hear the word used, but "clone" is the perfect word here, because that is exactly what La Torre is here, and throughout the record.  Compare what he sounded like on his Crimson Glory records, and what he sounds like here, and there is definitely a difference.  Now he sings like he's a member of Queensryche, not like he's Todd La Torre.  Does that make sense?  There is no escaping the fact that La Torre is trying to sound like Geoff Tate.  Nowhere is this more obvious than on the second single from the album, the Lundgren-penned, "Where Dreams Go To Die".  Listening to the way La Torre builds up to the chorus, there is simply no way to deny La Torre's intents to replace Tate rather than to leave his own imprint on the band.

One area that this album really bests Tate's album is on the classic cuts.  While this album's classic songs are live renditions, it's obvious that this version of the band has a firmer grasp on what they are trying to accomplish.  Where Tate's band altered the layout of the songs a bit, changing the structure here and there, this version doesn't do anything to mess with the greatness of the past.  This is especially evident for me on "Queen Of The Reich", which sounds almost exactly like I remember hearing it live so many different times throughout the years.  I guess that while is likely sounds like I have bagged on La Torre for ripping off Tate's style I would have to say that in the instances of the classics, his ability to project Tate's style and sound is a benefit rather than a hindrance.

There are a couple of stand out moments on this record, at least for me.  The first would be the lead single, "Redemption", which sounds like a heavy Journey song more than it sounds like a Queensryche song.  There is just such an arena rock quality to this song that I don't know what else to compare it to.  And you know what...I like it!  In fact, I think I would have liked to have heard the entire album take a bit more of this slant, as it would have represented the band moving forward rather than trying to sound like they were reaching back.  I know many will disagree with this, but for me, any attempt to make some sort of change would be welcome.

The other moment that really jumps out is the eerily reminiscent "A World Without" which sounds like it could have been lifted off the Operation: Mindcrime cutting room floor and given new life.  This is a GREAT song, and probably the best thing they have released since the Promise Land record.  Definitely slower in tempo than nearly everything else here, this moody song again showcases La Torre's uncanny ability to perfectly mimic the way Tate would phrase his vocals, but the haunting music is the best part of the track, at least for me.  Kudos to the band for recalling how to put together a truly great song!

So, it seems I'm contradicting myself with my favorite tracks.  On the one hand, I say that I would like to see the band move forward in some fashion, such as they did with "Redemption", while on the other hand I talk about loving how they were able to move backward 25-30 years and recapture the glory years with "A World Without".  So where do I really stand?  It's tough for me to separate the two, really.  And I think it's because this album was SO hyped, SO blown up by people in the Queensryche camp, SO massively built up by the Tate-haters of the world, that I don't think it stood a chance of living up to the hype, regardless of which direction the band went.

 

In the end, this is a very good record, with some excellent performances both musically and vocally, with outstanding production and above-average songwriting.  It is not amazing or life-changing, it does not make anyone forget the greatest moments of the original, unified band, and it does not make anyone want to burn their Tatesryche album that they picked up earlier in the year.  La Torre is a great Tate clone and I have no doubt that he can pull any song from the band's catalog and sing it note-for-note perfectly.  However, there is just something missing here.  Some of the magic is gone.  And while a lot of people will say that the magic disappeared quite some time ago, these are also the same people who claimed that La Torre was going to bring back what was lost.  He doesn't.  He tries but you can't replace greatness by mimicking it.  Again, the record is very good and I listen to it frequently, but my bet is that with the passage of time, Empire, Operation: Mindcrime, Rage For Order, and Promise Land will supersede this album as far as plays go.

So, I guess the final question is going to come down to this:  is it better than Frequency Unknown?  It is, but just barely.  Neither is horrible, and neither is a world-beater.  For me, the real difference is that La Torre sounds more like Tate than Tate does on the classic cuts that each version of the band chose to include at the end of their respective albums. 
 

Rating:  Crankable, but just barely.  Give it a 7.

 

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LIBERTY N JUSTICE "4 All: The Best of LnJ Volume 2"

(c) 2013 FNA Records

 

1. No Honor Among Thieves **
2. Grace And Gravity **
3. Memphis **
4. Lost And Found **
5. Show Me The Way (Oni Logan)
6. Fade (Jamie Rowe)
7. Do What You Believe (CJ Snare, Bill Leverty)
8. Man vs. Mother Nature (Ted Poley, Vic Rivera)
9. Wrestling With God (Pete Loran, Steve Brown, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal)
10. Best Time We Never Had (Chris Jericho, Phil Collen)
11. Throwing Stones (Donnie Vie and JK Northrup)
12. Chasing A Cure (Benny Mardones, John Pine, Bill Leverty)
13. Stretch Armstrong (Louie St. August, JK Northrup, Keri Kelli)
14. Stayin' Alive (Kip Winger)
15. The Greatest (David Cagle, Mark Allen Lanoue, Brad Stetler)
16. Cupid's Gonna Bleed (Gunnar Nelson, Steve Brown)
17. Under Construction (Eric Dover, Mark Kendall, Ian Keith Hafner, Eric Rango)
18. Cut Me Mick (Ron Keel, Michael Philips)
19. Sin (Jani Lane, Bill Leverty, Keri Kelli)

**New recordings featuring Liberty N Justice band members Justin Murr, David Cagle, and JK Northrup, with Eric Ragno on Tracks 2 and 3

 

Considering they have never had a "hit", it's interesting that Liberty N Justice has put together their second "Best Of..." package.  However, don't let the fact that current radio stations are ignorant of quality melodic hard rock make you think there is no reason to pick up this excellent collection because that would be a big mistake, especially for people just now getting into the band.

 

As most people know, LnJ has long been known as an "all-star project" more than as a band.  This has been both a blessing and a curse, as it has allowed Justin Murr to get his message and his music out to people, but it has also led some people to question the validity of the project.  Foolish, I know, but those are the facts.  However, people who pick up this latest package will find themselves treated to the first four tracks to feature Liberty N Justice, The Band, as the four new songs here all feature founding member Justin Murr on bass, David Cagle on vocals, JK Northrup on guitars and drum programming, and Eric Ragno on keyboards on tracks 2 and 3.  (LnJ drummer Michael Feighan will appear on the band's first full-length project next year). 

For people already familiar with the "all-star" releases, the real treat of this collection is the first four tracks on the disc.  Things kick off with the mid-tempo, acoustic-based "No Honor Among Thieves", which really showcases the slightly smoky vocals of Cagle and a scorching, if short, guitar solo from the massively underrated musical talent, JK Northrup.  Its a bit of an oddity to start off an album in acoustic fashion like this, but as an introduction to the band, this is a nice start as no one member is overpowered by the others. 

My favorite of the new tracks, "Grace and Gravity" follows up and features the quirky, humorous lyrical style that Murr often throws into his songs.  Need an example?  Check out the opening line"
               
   "Subway dancing to a hip-hop beat, Spitting rhymes, couldn't move my feet...
   Harlem girls sayin' 'boy can't dance'...so I went out and bought me some baggy pants!

Don't let that little chuckle of a line throw you, however, as the spiritual base behind Murr's lyrics remains fully intact on this, and all the songs here. 

"Memphis" comes up next and has a slightly more modern rock feel to the music, especially with the guitar tone, but the vocal delivery and the songwriting style are pure melodic rock.  Once again, Cagle's moderately gritty vocals really add depth to this track, and Ragno's keys add to, rather than distract from, the song by remaining a contributing instrument instead of the dominant piece of musical equipment on the song.  Northrup again erupts with a blistering solo run that is just too teasingly short for me...oh, and Murr plays bass nicely!

"Lost And Found" was the hardest of the new tracks for me to get into musically, but lyrically it may be my favorite of the new material.  This ballad reminds me of the material found on the Chasing A Cure EP, a bit more laid back and "adult contemporary" in approach than the other new material. After repeated listens, the track really has grown on me, although it was never "skip material" to begin with. 
 

As far as the older material, this collection is every bit as strong as the previous "Best Of...Volume 1" was, especially with the inclusion of "The Greatest", "Cut Me Mick", "Cupid's Gonna Bleed" and "Sin", four of the best tracks the band has ever recorded, in my opinion.  Only one cover song from Cigar Chronicles Volume 1 made it onto this collection, but it is the very nicely done acoustic version of "Stayin' Alive" that Kip Winger performed.  I was also very happy to see the inclusion of "Show Me The Way", featuring Oni Logan on vocals, and the underrated "Fade", which has Jamie Rowe of Guardian/AdrianGale on vocals.  With songs gathered from previous LnJ albums Soundtrack Of A Soul, Independence Day, Light It Up, Chasing A Cure, Hell Is Coming To Breakfast, and both volumes of The Cigar Chronicles, this collection packages together an excellent grouping of vocalists and musicians that, along with the first "Best Of..." package serve as the perfect introduction to this band.  No remixes or demos find their way onto this package, which is actually a benefit for new listeners who may be using 4 All...Volume 2 as a sampler for future LnJ purchases.

 

For anyone wanting to get a taste of what Liberty N Justice is all about, adding 4 All...Volume 2 to their purchase of 4 All...Volume 1 is the best way to go, as it gives the new fan a broad scope of older material along with exclusive new tracks that are not found on the other records.  For those of us who have been along for the ride the entire time, 4 All...Volume 2 provides an introduction to Liberty N Justice...THE BAND...whetting the appetite for fans who think that next year is simply too far away to wait for new music!

 

Rating:  Every bit the match of the first collection, and maybe a tad bit better because of the "band" songs, crank this one to 7.5!

 

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MADLIFE "21st Century Megalomaniac"

(c) 2013 Madlife

 

1. Just One Gun
2. To Live And Die in Hollywood
3. I Know the Feeling
4. Pain of Pleasure
5. Still Alive

Angry Phil--Vocals

Isaiah Stuart--Guitars

Carlos Pagan--Bass

Kyle Cunningham--Drums

 

Hard rock of all sorts shows up in my mailbox, with everything from the "Glitter" of glam to the "Gutter" of sleaze, and pretty much everything in between.  With 21st Century Megalomaniac, Madlife delivers the first industrial metal album to find its way onto the review stack in quite some time.  Most of the previous efforts have missed the mark pretty badly and were not really worth taking the time to review, as everyone seems to try to sound like Rob Zombie these days.  Madlife is a bit different, however, and managed to catch my ear in a way the others had not.

Apparently this is the fourth release by this band, although I had never heard of them previously and the line-up of the band has changed at least once, with Angry Phil and Isaiah being the original, founding members of the unit.  Again, as I had never heard the band previously, I have no idea how they sounded before but I can tell you that Pagan and Cunningham are absolutely locked-in as a rhythm section, providing some throbbing bottom end to the aggression poured forth in Angry Phil's lyrics, and giving a crushing underbelly to Isaiah's excellent guitar work. 

Now, as I stated, Madlife caught my ear as attempting to separate themselves from the Rob Zombies/White Zombies and Nine Inch Nails of the world, but it isn't because the music is something altogether different.  Indeed, there are going to be some musical comparisons, but there is a progressive element here that is not found in a lot of what is now referred to as industrial rock, and the songwriting is much deeper than the horror movie schlock that Zombie has churned out over the past few records. 

Take for example the album's opening cut, "Just One Gun".  What is unique about this track is the fact that it sounds like it is written from the standpoint of the gun, not the person using it.  The gun explains that it is simply a tool in the hands of a man and that the gun has no agenda of its own, positive or negative. Pretty much a perfect, "guns don't kill people, people kill people" statement if I have ever heard one, all set to a pummeling-yet-slam danceable rhythm and interlaced with electronic sounds and some chugging rhythm guitar work provided by Isaiah.  Angry Phil's vocals are...well...angry, but every word is understandable and delivered in a snarl that is perfect for the urgency of the music.  The song lacks a guitar solo of any kind, but there is something akin to a metalcore breakdown, albeit more of an electronica-influenced breakdown.

"To Live And Die In Hollywood" is another angry bone-crusher that finds Angry Phil sounding a lot like Alice Cooper at times, focusing on loneliness in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.  This song reminds me of something Stabbing Westward would have done about ten years ago, but with thicker, heavier production and a collection of shouted "heys" in the background, incorporating a sense of arena rock to the industrial bullying this track puts forth.

I'm not a fan of how "I Know The Feeling" starts off, with an echoing keyboard effect kicking things into gear, but once the drums and guitar kick in, things are back on track.  Again channeling a bit of Alice Cooper, Angry Phil uses a bit of a cleaner vocal approach in spots on this track, although the aggression isn't lost.  Again, Stabbing Westward would be my point of reference for this song, not Rob Zombie, in this track about depression and battling one's own inner demons.

"Pain Of Pleasure" sounds to me like something that might be heard to come blaring from an industrial dance club, as a very catchy rhythm is incorporated throughout the track, pushing this one more into the NIN territory that some people will want to lump
Madlife into.  Phil's vocals are tainted a bit with some effects which took me a few listens to get past, but they aren't unlistenable, either.  There's also a weird, almost empty spot where a lot of rock songs would incorporate a guitar solo of some sorts, that I am not a fan of.   Definitely not my favorite of these five tracks, but not a skipper for most I would suspect.

The stand-out cut, especially from a writing standpoint, would be "Still Alive" which is a very dark, moody track that continues with the EP's common thread of pain, emptiness, and inner demons.  This is one of the two slower numbers on the album, but by no means is this to be considered a ballad, as power chords are present throughout the track.  I'm not sure what the chanting vocals say at the end of each chorus (there are no lyrics included here), but they add an ominous feeling to the music that throbs over the electronic drumbeats and sampled electronic sounds.  Angry Phil once again finds himself in Brutal Planet-Alice Cooper mode vocally, which he pulls off effortlessly and with great effect.

The album is short, clocking in at just under 20 minutes, but it leaves the interested listener wanting to hear more rather than feeling like they have been drug through a bloated soundscape that seemingly has no end.  Would I have liked to have heard more here?  To be sure, but only if the additional tracks fit the style, theme, and most importantly, the QUALITY of the five tracks assembled here.  Yes, I would love to have some ripping guitar solos, or at least a crushing breakdown, instead of the electronic sampling that riddles most of these songs, but you have to take the album for the style that it is presented in, not the style you wish it was.  With that in mind, this independently produced project is a stand-out among the others I have received of this style, and I would take this over anything Zombie-related since  Astro-Creep.  Again, I find these guys to have more in common with Stabbing Westward than anyone else, but perhaps I am the only one who remembers that band well enough to use them as a point of reference.

Packaging is of a bare minimum here, as the EP comes in a digi pack with no interior pictures, liner notes, or even band contributions (I had to track down who played what on-line).  The mix is very clean with nice separation of the instruments, and the production is powerful and without distortion.

Rating:  Not my typical listen at all, but definitely of higher quality than most albums of this type.  If industrial is your thing, crank this to a 7.5.

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HESSLER "Comes With The Territory"

(c) 2012 Hessler

 

1. Waste Away
2. Rising Sign
3. Who Will You Run To
4. Confessions
5. Gone Away
6. All You've Done (Is Nothing New)
7. Wicked World
8. Taste The Lips
9. Million Lights Above
10. Hate Me, Leave Me

 

Lariyah Daniels--Vocals

Frankie Snakes--Guitars, Backing Vocals

Igz Kincaid--Guitars, Backing Vocals

Erik Michael--Bass, Backing Vocals

Marcus Lee--Drums, Backing Vocals

 

 

First, I have to say this...WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING ON THE COVER?!  Okay...now, on with the review...

 

Hessler is an up-and-coming hard rock act hailing from the Windy City of Chicago.  Combining the sounds of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a bit of the hair/glam scene of Hollywood, and some modern elements, Hessler doesn't really come off sounding like anyone in particular, largely because NO ONE plays this type of metal any longer.  Unless you still worship at the alter of early 80's, female-fronted acts like Bitch, Hellion, Lee Aaron, early, pre-radio hit Lita Ford, Warlock, or Leather Leone-fronted Chastain, you aren't likely to have a grasp on what Hessler appears to be trying to do, which is to recreate the old Metal Blade/Shrapnel Records sound (or so it would seem) and convince everyone that this is 1983 and not 2013, at least musically.   

 

One thing that I would think the band might find frustrating is the fact that every review that is written about the bands seems to focus first-and-foremost on Lariyah Daniels's looks, much the same way Doro Pesch (Doro/Warlock), Lizzy Hale (Halestorm), Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), and Angela Gossard (Arch Enemy) are all viewed more as sex-symbol leading ladies than they are powerhouse vocalists.  This is unfortunate because, like all the others mentioned here, Daniels brings a lot more to the band than just a pretty face.  Combining a powerful scream with a definite vocal sneer, Daniels delivers a commanding performance right from the first track...when the song allows.  For example, powerful guitars drive the album's opener, "Waste Away" , which has a definite NWOBHM feel to it, but it's Daniels' voice that slams the track home, accompanied by some big, shouted gang vocals from the boys in the band.  "Rising Sign" is much the same: pure NOWBHM worship musically with Halestorm-styled modern female vocals layered over the dual guitars, although Lariyah is all alone on this one, with the gentlemen remaining vocally silent (at least not thrusting their voices and their fists in your face on this number). 

 

This same formula is used throughout most of the disc...big, hook-laden songs with some killer twin guitar work, pummeling rhythms, and screaming vocals....and it works pretty well.  Case in point, take the multi-tempo track "All You've Done (Nothing Is New)".  On this song, things kick off with a chugging NWOBHM guitar rhythm before adjusting to a more bouncy style for the lyrics, then bursting into an arena rock-styled anthem complete with gang-shouted vocals backing Lariyah's, who sounds very similar to Lizzy Hale on this track, especially on the bridge section coming out of the lead guitar solo.  "Taste The Lips" is more direct in its tempo choice, but still has that big raise-your-fist-and-scream anthem feel that just reeks of 1982's metal scene, along with more gang vocals and some nice, if simple, guitar work.  The album ends on a crushing number, "Hate Me, Leave Me", leaving fans with a definite metallic taste in their mouths that will likely leave people banging their heads, pounding their fists, and begging for more.  I think closing in this manner is a very good move because it allows the listener to forget some of the less-than-inspired material that is scattered throughout the album.

 

"Million Lights Above" sticks out a bit from the rest of the album, at least for me, as it is the biggest departure from the early 80's sound, relying more on the later 80's power ballad approach.  On this track, Lariyah shows off a softer, more feminine vocal approach over a guitar line that reminds me a lot of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at times.  It gets a bit long (over five minutes), and we don't even get any drums or bass of any note until after the 3:20 mark of the song, so you can tell there's not a lot of "power" behind this "power ballad", but it's a solid effort that sounds a lot like what I would imagine Metallica and Lita Ford in a blender might sound like.  While not spectacular, it is definitely the better of the two ballads on Comes With The Territory (I'll get to the second ballad in a moment). 

 

So, what are these problem spots?  "Wicked World" is just boring to my ears, as Lariyah shares lead vocal duties on the verses, sounding like a lot of modern hard rock bands, and when she does step into the spotlight she shifts into a lower vocal range as she enters the chorus section.  With a weak, repetitive chorus, and bland male lead vocals, the Iron Maiden-inspired guitar riffing on the solo is really the only thing that sets this song apart from a lot of what passes for hard rock on radio now, but it can't salvage the track.  "Confessions" starts off with a weird intro that leads into a kind of tired-sounding mid-tempo chugging rhythm that leaves Lariyah's vocals sounding flat and lifeless.  I think the potential for a powerful song is there on this one, but it fails to deliver. 

 

As I mentioned, there are two ballads on this album, with one being far superior to the other.  This is the other one.  "Gone Away" just seems to drone on and on and on, chewing up over five minutes and going nowhere musically.  This is one of the very few tracks here that are devoid of masculine backing vocals, as Lariyah is used as her own backing vocalist here, with multiple layers employed in what I imagine was an effort to add more emotion to the track.  It fails for me on all levels, however, and I skip this track every single time I get to it now.

 

The packaging is pretty typical of independent band releases, as it comes in a digipack with a band picture on the back and individual band member pictures on the interior.  There are no lyrics included, although there is a thank-you and credit section.  And, of course, there is that FREAKY thing on the album's cover that I still have no idea what it is!

 

All in all, not a horrible effort by any means, and I think Hessler will grow from here.  I have read that this is the first time the band has had a stable line-up, so perhaps as the band has more time to write as a group they will find their preferred groove, work to perfect it, and come out swinging on their next effort.  As to this one, there are a lot worse things out there to listen to (or to avoid listening to, I should say!), but there are quite a few more complete efforts, also.

 

Rating:  Rock this at a 6, with the best stuff slightly overshadowing the filler. 

 

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STACEY BLADES "Snake Eyes: Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar" (Book Review)

(c) 2009 BookSurge Publishing

Stacey Blades, the ex-guitar player for L.A. Guns and Roxx Gang took the time to put pen to paper and released this book, Snake Eyes: Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar as an independent author, regaling readers with stories documenting his rise from the Canadian rock-bar scene to making the jump to the (perceived) big time by joining Roxx Gang.  After slogging away in a band that had huge potential...but no apparent direction or follow-through...Blades made a career-defining leap when he took the opportunity to replace founding guitar player, Tracii Guns, in LA Guns.   

Most of the stories here are new, at least to me they were, as not a lot has been written about L.A. Guns AFTER Tracii left because, let's face it, the Hollywood scene had pretty much been shoved to the back burner by the time Stacey came on board.  That being said, Stacey has several cool tales to tell about time spent overseas with the Guns, working on the albums, and his personal relationships with Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, and other members of the band, and what it's like living in...and trying to get out of...Tracii's shadow.  And, speaking of relationships, Blades also offers up humorous advice for dating (or more specifically NOT dating) psychos, his dealings with his Roxx Gang band mates, and the handful of life-long friendships that help define who Stacey Blades is as a man and a musician.

Scattered throughout the book are several black and white photos, which are nice to check out, and show Stacey at various points throughout his career.  Also included are quotes and outtakes from various friends, road crew members, family members, and band mates, which add even more color and reality to the stories spun by Blades here.

A couple of negatives do pop up in my mind.  First, I can't believe how large the print is in this book (it's also double spaced, I believe).  Now, while it makes it an extremely easy read, it also makes the book's length a bit deceptive as there would probably be 20 or 30 pages knocked off the book's length if the font size was even an 11 or 12 point font.  Second, the book could have benefited from a bit more editing, as there are still several spelling and grammatical errors throughout the book.

These minor complaints don't detract from the enjoyment people can take away from this book, and they do not stop me from recommending this book.  Hey, Stacey did this on his own, after all; I'll cut him some slack. It is a pretty short, quick read that I got through in just under two days.  I look forward to the updated version that Stacey mentioned working on when I got the chance to interview him a while back (read the interview here).  As the book ends, Stacey is still in the band and there is no inkling of his upcoming resignation, so I'm assuming there will be more tales to tell regarding this chapter in Stacey's life, as well as projects he may be currently working on.  And, who knows...maybe a couple of psycho stalker fans will pop up again in the extended version of the book.

Is it the best rock bio I have read?  Not at all.  Is it the worst?  Not even close.  Definitely worth checking out and a relatively cheap pick-up at under $15 from Amazon.

Self-published
Paperback
232 Pages

STARDOG CHAMPION "Exhale"

(c) 2013 Stardog Champion

1. Aphrodite
2. Nothing To Lose
3. When We Fall
4. House Of Cards
5. The Switch

Nick Coyle--Vocals, Guitars

Aaron Fink--Guitars, Backing Vocals

Mark James--Bass

Josh Karis--Drums, Percussion

Okay, so what we have here is a band, named after the song of a defunct band (Temple of the Dog), made up of members of other bands (Breaking Benjamin, Lifer, and The Drama Club).  Now, I've heard Breaking Benjamin before, but can't say as I know anything of Lifer or The Drama Club, so as far as what I was expecting, all I had for reference was Breaking Benjamin.

This is not Breaking Benjamin.

Things get rolling with the rumbling bottom end of James' bass before Karis' drums kick in on the mid-tempo modern rocker "Aphrodite".  For some reason, this song seems very familiar to me yet I'm not quite sure why.  It reminds me a lot more of the style of songs that were being played in the post-grunge late-90's than anything that is associated with Breaking Benjamin or similar modern rockers filling the airwaves today.  The vocals of Coyle  have a lot to do with this as he uses a wider spectrum of his vocal range than most of today's "I'm pissed at the world" snarlers that are only kidding themselves into thinking we buy into their faux attitude.  In other words, I dig what he has going on here, as his voice is used as an instrument on this track, adding to the melody of the song.

"Nothing To Lose" is another slightly uptempo rocker, again featuring that post-grunge Stone Temple Pilots vibe to the music, but once again, Coyle's vocals set themselves apart from pretty much anything this band will be played alongside on terrestrial or satellite radio, which I think is a good thing.  The guitar solo here is not overblown by any means, and falls into the vein of the stuff that Audioslave utilized on their first couple of records.  It's kind of interesting to hear a band actually use hand-clapping in a song, which Stardog Champion does on the chorus here.  A pretty cool track overall.

"When We Fall" is one of my two faves here ("Aphrodite" being the other...although I also really like "The Switch").  The bouncy rhythm of the song is catchy enough to draw the listener into thinking they are hearing one type of song, only to have the more urgent/less-poppy chorus change the mood and feel of things before becoming a mixture of both styles following the second chorus.  A very polished track that I would probably use as the radio single if I was doing promotions for this band, this song is head-and-shoulders above the majority of what Sirius-XM's Octane station spins today.  If these guys decide to go for a full-length song in the near future, I would love to hear an entire album done in the style of this and "Aphrodite".

"House Of Cards" is my least favorite song here, as it comes off as very cookie-cutter to me.  This is an example of a song that I think would get totally lost in the shuffle of modern radio today, as nothing really stands out about it.  There's nothing overtly horrible about it, but it sounds tired and even dated, honestly, with the band sounding like they are just going through the motions.  The exception would be another solid, if not flashy, guitar solo.  I have to say that I think Fink is a pretty talented guitar player and I think it would serve the band well to let him stretch things out just a bit here and there.  But who am I, right?

This EP closes with "The Switch", the only ballad of the album.  The guitar tone here reminds me a LOT of "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, but I far prefer Coyle's vocals.  I'm betting this song came out of a session of the band sitting around listening to "Hunger Strike" by Temple Of The Dog, all going, "see...THAT'S what we should go for!"  Another very strong song on an EP that really only misfires once.

I don't know if the completely independent nature of this EP will hinder its chances at getting airplay, but if not, I am sure people  will be able to pick out a Stardog Champion song once they know what they are listening for.  As I stated at the outset, you get the feeling you have heard these guys before, but it's not because of the bands they came from; it's because of the bands they listen to.  After hearing this album even a handful of times, it's pretty obvious that Pearl Jam's first album, Soundgarden, maybe STP, and, obviously, Temple Of The Dog, are high on the list of influences for these guys.  That being said, don't expect clones, because you will be left disappointed if that is what you are after.  Knowing what you like and COPYING what you like are two very different things, and Stardog Champion is not a clone of anyone.

Rating:  Not your typical Glitter2Gutter material by any stretch, but a very solid listen.  Rock this at 6.5, with the album's length (just 19 minutes) being an issue, especially with 20% of the record (one track in this case) missing the mark.  

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JOHN GALT "Served Hot"

(c) 2013 Street Symphonies/Andromeda Dischi

1. JGS
2. Riot Radio
3. (One More) Punk Rock Anthem
4. Undeniable
5. White Widow
6. LZ Is Hot
7. When Nature Calls
8. Burn (Nothing In The End)
9. Bad Brotherhood
10. On The Loose

Ostap Molyavko--Vocals, Guitars

Alexandr Sedov--Bass, Backing Vocals

Sergei Telipko--Drums

Ivan Rybnikov--Guitars

The hard-rocking boys from the Ukraine return with a full-length follow-up to the First Run EP, one of the surprise efforts of 2011.  Are they able to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time, or should they have been happy with their 15 minutes of fame?

Things start off with a short intro that really adds nothing to the rest of the album, so we will just slide past "JGS".  From there, a familiar friend returns, as the anthem rock of "Riot Radio" from First Run is given a second shot at life, and the band offers up a nearly identical version of this track (in fact, it may be the EXACT same track).  The vocal accent is still there, but so is the smoking lead guitar, the big, fist-pumping "heys", and some pretty catchy songwriting from a band that does not list English as its first language!  While mentioning the fact that "Riot Radio" is taken from the First Run EP, it should also be noted that all three actual songs from that release, including "White Widow" and "Bad Brotherhood" are included here, so if you missed the EP, you get a chance to find out what the rest of the us who caught on early were already tuned into.  These guys can flat out rock!

So what about the new material?  Does it stack up?  I'm very happy to say that, for the most part, yes.  "(One More) Punk Rock Anthem" has all the urgency of Too Fast For Love era Motley Crue as it blazes along at full-tilt, with Ostap's scratchy snarl slightly indecipherable at times, but always packed with sass and attitude.  "Undeniable" slows things down about half a step (at most), and yet another powerful hard rocker is unleashed.  I will state again what I did in my original review of the EP; these guys have that New Wave of  Swedish Sleaze and Hard Rock sound down pat, combining just enough of the Sunset Strip sound with some modern production elements, picking up where Lepard-era Crashdiet left off blasting forward.  In fact, John Galt sounds more like that first Crashdiet album does than Crashdiet does now (not bagging on the latest Crashdiet effort, either, as I love that record).

One thing I was curious about was whether or not John Galt could handle a ballad, as they didn't attempt on on their EP.  I thought they were going to answer that question for me with "Burn (Nothing In The End)", as it started off with that haunting guitar sound that Skid Row used so well on "18 And Life", but after that little tease of an intro, we get back to the chugging, pounding hard rock that has driven every song so far...and I can't say I'm disappointed, as these guys know what they do and they do it well.  Even with a simplistic chorus like the one found on "Burn...", the band and their production team layer the vocals just right, building up the sound and keeping things interesting.  And, as always, there is the excellent guitar work of Ostap and Ivan Rybnikov that are the key elements on each of these tracks.

The album closes with another new track, "On The Loose", which finds the band enlisting the aid of a vox-box guitar and using it to pretty cool, if not overly original, effect.  Another high energy rocker, this number brings a superb effort to a close and instantly has me waiting for the chance to hear new material!  In fact, it's very difficult for me to find anything negative to write about this new release, as even the one "iffy" song, "LZ Is Hot", has some far above average guitar work in it and a catchy rhythm that saves the day, although the band's limitations with the English language are particularly evident on this number.  But in all honesty, that's it; that's all the negative I can find.  One semi-off song and a less-than-spectacular grasp on American English are all that keep this from being nearly flawless.

In all fairness, mine is a promo release, so I have no idea what the final packaging will look like, but Street Symphonies generally does a very good job with their releases, so I have to guess that they will continue in this vein and that people who pick up the John Galt CD will have all the thank yous, pictures, and perhaps lyrics, that one would desire to find.

If John Galt continues in this vein, they are going to make a LOT of Scandinavian rockers...and many Americans, as well...very happy, as they get down to the business of guitar-driven hard rock, mashing their foot down on the pedal and never letting up.  No ballads may be a let down for some, but not for me when the album is done well and varies things up just enough to keep from sounding like the same song over and over and over.  This is a great way to introduce the band to the world...now I just hope the world is listening!  John Galt is for real and has vaulted themselves to the top of the mid-year pile of contenders for album of the year!

Rating:  відмінно (That's what Google Translate tells me is "excellent" in Ukranian!)  Extremely crankable, we have our first 9 of the year!

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WARRANT "Cherry Pie"

(c) 1990 CBS Records

1. Cherry Pie 
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin
3. I Saw Red
4. Bed Of Roses
5. Sure Feels Good To Me
6. Love In Stereo
7. Blind Faith
8. Song And Dance Man
9. You're The Only Hell Your Mamma Ever Raised
10. Mr. Rainmaker
11. Train, Train
12. Game Of War (Demo)--Reissue bonus track
13. The Power (Demo)--Reissue bonus track
14. Ode To Tipper Gore (can be found on original releases or as a reissue bonus track)

Jani Lane--Lead Vocals

Joey Allen--Guitars (credited as "G-String" in the album)

Erik Kramer--Guitars (credited as "Bong Riffs" in the album)

Jerry Dixon--Bass

Steven Sweet--Drums

Additional Musicians
Mike Slamer--Guitars
C.C. DeVille--Guitars
Scott Warren--Keyboards
Beau Hill--Organ, Banjo, Keyboards
Juke Logan--Harmonica
Bruno Ravel, Steve West, Fiona--Backing Vocals


Depending upon your point of view, Warrant, and specifically the Cherry Pie album was everything that was right...or wrong...about the hair metal scene and the Sunset Strip.  Huge hooks (and huge hair), hot girls, gang choruses, catchy pop-metal melodies, sexual innuendo, and sing along lyrics were all over the place on this record and it sold massively because of it.  Despite spawning four Top 40 hits and selling millions of copies, the album also received it's fair (and perhaps unfair) share of criticism from numerous places, including internally; it is not a big secret that Jani Lane hated the title track and rues the day he wrote it.

Originally intended to be titled Uncle Tom's Cabin (with the same song being the original lead single), Cherry Pie was a microcosm of everything that was going wrong with the industry and the Sunset Strip scene at the time.  Integrity as a musician wasn't important...videos were.  Musical talent didn't matter as much as sales.  So, famously, record executives and corporate suits told the band (or specifically, main songwriter, Lane) to record a "hit" with a chorus that people could sing along to, rather than lead with the much more serious (and far more musical) "Uncle Tom's Cabin".  Lane has gone on record stating that he wrote the song "Cherry Pie" in under an hour, basically slopping together a couple of hooks and ridiculous lyrical phrases, thinking the suits would hate it and let the album proceed with its scheduled release (the rest of the album was said to have already been finished).  Obviously, that didn't happen.  Catchy as all get-out, the song sounds almost like a blatant rip-off of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock And Roll", especially in the chorus.  Further adding insult to injury is the fact that the lead guitar solo is not even performed by a member of Warrant, but rather by C.C. DeVille of Poison.  In fact, it is widely speculated that the two guitar players in Warrant, Turner and Allen, didn't even play on the album AT ALL! (Album producer, Beau Hill, has gone on record stating that the guitars were played by Mike Slamer, not by Warrant's axe tandem).  Understandably, there is a lot to NOT like about the song and the album if all you look at are the controversies and the complaints.

What I encourage people who are just now delving into the back catalog of 80's bands to do is to look deeper into the album.  In fact, if someone were to come across this album for the first time, I would encourage them to SKIP ENTIRELY the title track, and jump into the much more musically diverse or lyrically deep tracks such as " Mr. Rainmaker", "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "Blind Faith", or even the power ballad, "I Saw Red", which was written by Lane as an autobiographical account of him walking in on his girlfriend and his best friend in bed together.  (Reportedly, Lane had a nervous breakdown as a result of the incident, further adding to the depth and folklore of this track.)  Even "Train, Train", a cover song originally performed by the band Blackfoot, which is rather simplistic lyrically, has a lot more to offer musically than the title track. "Bed Of Roses" is a more mid-tempo number that is a rather cliche collection of lyrics about love, but it is still not a bad song and I'm somewhat surprised it was never released as a single.

To be sure, there are some cheesy moments on this record outside of the title track.  "Sure Feels Good To Me" isn't exactly Shakespeare set to a Mozart soundtrack, but it's not terrible, either.  The same can be said of the other raucous numbers here, especially "Only Hell Your Mamma Ever Raised" and "Love In Stereo".  "Ode To Tipper Gore" was meant to be a humorous swipe at Mrs. Gore and her P.M.R.C. group, as it is nothing more than a string of outtakes from live shows in which Lane is heard to be spewing profanity.  It's a total waste of 54 seconds and was at one time removed from the album, only to be re-added on the reissue as a bonus track.

Speaking of bonus tracks, "Game Of War" and "The Power" were both added on to the re-release of this album, and both are solid additions.  Despite the fact that both are listed as being in demo form, the sound quality is still excellent and are, again, examples of the strength of Jani Lane's songwriting as opposed to the weaker, more forced moments (yes, I mean "Cherry Pie").  In my opinion, both of these songs should have made the original cut of the album in place of the the title track and "Ode To Tipper Gore".

It really is too bad that the title track and video are what people remember most from this album because if it had never been recorded, this still would have been a very good-to-great album for a band that would actually get even better on its next release, Dog Eat Dog.  As it stands, however, how you feel about Warrant as a band has a lot to do with how you view "Cherry Pie" as a song, which leaves a lot of people missing out on a pretty good album.

Rating:  Crankable, without a doubt.  Give the original a twist up to 7.5, with the reissue getting an 8 because of the excellent bonus tracks.

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SKID ROW "United World Rebellion Chapter 1"

(c) 2013 Megaforce Records

1. Kings Of Demolition
2. Let's Go
3. This Is Killing Me
4. Get Up
5. Stitches

Johnny Solinger--Vocals
Snake Sabo--Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Scotti Hill--Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Rachel Bolan--Bass, Backing Vocals
Rob Hammersmith--Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals


Let's face it.  Skid Row has been in a slump.  No, that's not a fair or accurate statement.  Skid Row has been in a NOSE DIVE since they parted ways with Sebastian Bach.  I'm not interested in rehashing whose fault it was or if Bach quit or was fired.  The plain and simple fact is that of the two factions, Bach has clearly had the better of things and still draws a pretty big crowd wherever he decides to play.  Meanwhile, Rachel Bolan, Snake Sabo, and Scotti Hill have been plugging away with drummer Rob Hammersmith and Johnny Solinger on vocals, releasing one bad and one atrocious album and playing to crowds about 20% the size they used to.  Bach and his band still rip through the classics with ease, sounding all the world like it's still the 80's or early 90's, while Skid Row, to be honest, struggles with a lot of the classic material and then mixes in songs that no one really knows from the last couple of releases.  So, to a degree, United World Rebellion Chapter 1 is an EP that could either breathe a bit of life back into the Skids machine, or that could drive a nail into the coffin of one of the truly dynamic bands of the hair era. 

It COULD do either of those things...but it really doesn't do either one. 

Musically, the band is tight; as tight as they have ever been, in fact.  Things come storming right out of the gate with the thunderous "Kings Of Demolition", which sounds to me like it could have been written in the Subhuman Race sessions.  Rumbling bass, pounding drums, and some scorching lead guitar work explode from the speakers from note one and Solinger really establishes himself with an angry edge to his vocals, not attempting to sound like Bach in the slightest bit yet still managing to display a bit of that cocky swagger that Bach always delivered whenever he stepped up to the mic.  "Let's Go" is a revved up, punkish rocker that again finds the band hitting on all cylinders, charging through this high speed number, and once again, the smoking lead guitar work leads the way.  I've got to admit, I'm pretty pumped up by this point, really ready for the remaining three tracks to reestablish Skid Row as a band of significance in my CD player.

But then the ballad hits.

Now, Skid Row ALWAYS had the big, lighter-in-the-air ballad to fall back on and to suck the ladies closer to their guys at the concerts, but on the last couple of records, I really got the feeling that Skid Row was trying to move away from being "that" band.  But then here, on this EP, Snake and Bolan seem to be taking a direct stab at their past, almost feeling like they are trying to rewrite "I Remember You".  In fact, I would almost swear this was written as a sequel as the musical similarities in places are eerie.  The problems here are 1)  Solinger's voice does not have the charisma that Bach's did in handling a track like this (or one of the band's classics when performing live, for that matter), 2) the lyrics are just not good and simply repeating the title over and over and calling that the chorus is either the height of laziness or an example of a band that has run out of creative juice, and 3) as I said, the song feels like a rewrite, which again seems to indicate the band's well may have run dry.

"Get Up" starts of strong with a nice mid-tempo groove, some excellent bass work from Mr. Bolan, and a nice angry snarl in Solinger's voice, but, once again, the ridiculously simple chorus kicks in at a tempo that doesn't match the rest of the song, the weakest guitar solo section on the EP is added in, and the song essentially dies.  The band really seemed to be reaching for more of a modern sound here and end up killing off what had the potential to be one of the best two songs here. 

Things finally (mercifully?) end with "Stitches" which has a bit of the same vibe as the self-titled album did, but without much of the soul of those songs.  Bolan again really powers the band through this track, with some thunderous bass work setting a nice, tight groove for the rest of the guys to follow along in his wake.  Hammersmith is steady here, as he is throughout the record, but the leads here don't equal the strong moments of those opening two tracks, and again the lyrics are definitely not the strong point of this track.  Solinger sounds fine, but he doesn't have a lot to work withhere, which is too bad.

The production is top notch, although Solinger's voice seems mixed a bit too hot in spots and so it sounds to me like he's over-modulating at times.  The musical performances are good-to-great for about 3/5 of the record...just not always on the same songs.  The packaging is another danged digi-pack, but what's the point in complaining now as this is obviously the direction things are going to end up going for everyone.  Lyrics are included as are individual member pictures and a band picture, so that's all good and well.  So everything seems to be headed in the right direction, at least for the most part.  Are they all the way back?  No, and they have a good ways to go.  However, this is Solinger's finest hour vocally, and some of the songwriting seems to be coming back, even though the lyric writing leaves a LOT to be desired for the majority of this 5 song effort.  The thing that scares me most, however, is the fact that this is just an EP and you have to ask yourself if these were the BEST of the songs that they had come up with so far.  Were there worse songs that were left behind?  Did they leave the best songs for U.W.R. Chapter 2...or Chapter 3 (the band says there will be "several" EP's like this one coming up)?  One can only hope there are better tracks remaining because if this is truly the best that Snake and Rachel have left, then I'm afraid the band has run its course unless someone by the name of Sebastian decides to take the boys out on a reunion tour.

Rating:  Rock this on to 6; it's not excellent, but it is easily the best thing this band has done since the departure of Bach.

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TOM KEIFER "The Way Life Goes"

(c) 2013 Merovee Records

1. Solid Ground
2. A Different Light
3. It's Not Enough
4. Cold Day In Hell
5. Thick And Thin
6. Ask Me Yesterday
7. Fool's Paradise
8. The Flower Song
9. Mood Elevator
10. Welcome To My Mind
11. You Showed Me
12. Ain't That A Bitch
13. The Way Life Goes
14. Babylon

Tom Keifer--Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

Michael Rhodes--Bass

Tony Harrell--Piano, B3, Wurlitzer, Clavinet

Greg Morrow--Drums, Percussion

Additional Musicians

Jeff LaBar--Guitar (Track 9)
Pat Buchanan--Guitar, Harmonica (Tracks 4, 6, 8, 11, 13)
Gary Burnette--Guitar (Track 11)
Ron Wallace--Acoustic Guitar (Track 6)
Jim Horne--Saxaphone (Track 4)
Crystal Taliaferro, Etta Britt, Savannah Keifer, Vichy Carraco, Chuch Turner--Various Backing Vocals


Cinderella fans are suckers for abuse.  Seriously.  How many years have we been teased, taunted, and tormented about a new Cinderella record, and we keep hanging around with bated breath, waiting and waiting and waiting?  Give up?  Consider this...Still Climbing came out in 1994!!!  That's nearly 20 years, folks!  Sure, we've been given umpteen best of's, live albums, rehashed live albums, extended cuts, blah blah blah, but never new music.  And, yes, we know about the contract fight between the band and their label, but COME ON...20 years?

The wait is over.  Sort of.

Cinderella lead yowler, Tom Keifer, has finally unleashed his solo record on the Cinderella faithful (I say finally because he reportedly started writing for this record in 1997!), and at 14 tracks there is a lot to consider here.  Not surprisingly there are a number of tracks that sound a lot like where I think Cinderella would be now had they continued down the path of Long Cold Winter and Heartbreak Station.  Keifer's raspy, bluesy moan is right at home on these types of tracks, which include album opener, "Solid Ground", "Babylon", "Mood Elevator" (which features fellow Cinderella alum Jeff LaBar on guitar), which is the album's heaviest track, and the Aerosmith-esque "The Way Life Goes".  (Speaking of the Boston band, "You Showed Me", which is actually a quasi-ballad, also has a certain Get A Grip era quality to it and is the best slower moment of the record.)  The best track on the disc for my money, is "Cold Day In Hell", which sounds like it was likely written in the Still Climbing sessions and is a prime example of the power of Keifer's writing with a killer chorus and a strong hook.  "It's Not Enough" has a bit of that Heartbreak Station feel to it as well, and "Fool's Paradise", which doesn't rock nearly as hard as most of the previously mentioned tracks, still finds Keifer mining more mid-tempo, blues-based Cinderella territory to great effect.  "Welcome To My Mind" is as close to straight up electric blues as the project comes and the effects used on Keifer's voice give  the track a bit of an eerie feel during the verse portions of the track, and not surprisingly, Keifer pulls off this particular song with seemingly little effort, although I suspect he put a LOT of effort into the tasty little guitar solo that pops up at about the 2:18 mark of the song.

But then there are the non-Cinderella moments to consider.

At times, this record sounds like the songs could have been written for Bryan Adams, such as with the piano-driven "Thick And Thin" which echoes "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" in places.  At others, specifically on "Ain't That A Bitch", you expect to hear Tom Petty's voice leap off the record rather than Tom Keifer.  Rod Stewart seems to be the intended target of a track like "The Flower Song", while in other places, such as "Ask Me Yesterday", the influence of Keifer's adopted hometown of Nashville seems to seep into the songwriting.  While none of these are horrible songs, they don't really serve to advance the music forward, either.  With all of these various styles mixed in, the record comes across as a bit unbalanced at times.  I applaud Keifer's exploration of various tempos and styles, but at 14 tracks, perhaps the album is a bit bloated and may have been better served if a couple of tracks ("Flower..." and "Yesterday..." come instantly to mind) had been left on the cutting room floor.    

Keifer's voice is strong throughout and doesn't show any remnants of the vocal problems he has struggled with over the past several years.  His guitar playing is also top-notch, which I found to be interesting, as I never considered him to be more than a contributor to the Cinderella song, at best, as LaBar more than capably handled lead duties for the band.  Now I find myself wondering just how much Keifer played on some of those albums.  The rest of the "band" is tight and competent, if unspectacular.  I wonder how much Cinderella material the band tackles live, and how well these guys pull it off.

Generally solid, and at times excellent, The Way Life Goes is ALMOST worth the 20 year wait for new Cinderella-related material.  As it stands, it will likely make our year-end Best Of... list, but probably won't sit at the top.

Rating:  Crankable, but bloated.  Turn the knob up to 7.5 here, but if you make your own mix, judiciously lopping off a couple of tracks, you could probably squeeze an 8 out of it.

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STEPHEN PEARCY "Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock" (Book Review)

(C) 2013 Gallery Books

Sometimes it's frustrating to read the memoirs and autobiographies of famous rock stars. Quite often, the shine is taken off of the star, if you know what I mean.  While I have never had any illusions as to the sleaze factor of Mr. Pearcy and his Ratt brothers, that doesn't diminish the fact that when I had turned the final page on this book I felt a little dirty.  A lot of memoirs toss in some lewd and lurid details for shock value, but it was almost surprising to me that the pages to this tome weren't pre-stuck together at the printing press!  Seriously, there are more sex stories in this book...and in more detail...than in several of the other books I have read combined!  Now, I'm not a prude or anything, but, seriously...do we have to hear about what was done with a condom and a passed out groupie?  Do we need to be given graphic detail of what the bath house girls in Japan would do for a rock star and his entourage?  Maybe some people do, but I really don't...

What the reader is given here is a blow-by-blow (and there are various meanings to the term "blow" here...) of Pearcy's rise from his Mickey Ratt days to the height of fame during the 80's MTV Headbangers Ball years, to the band's collapse.  Pearcy's struggles when his original band left to form Rough Cutt are discussed, as are his deep friendship with Robbin Crosby, Crosby's plummet into drug addiction and HIV infection, and Pearcy's own struggles with addictions, multiple children by various women (two of which are "bought and paid for"), his failed marriage, stints in rehab, and his one true love...drag racing.  

To his credit, while the stories are cringe-worthy in many places, Pearcy doesn't make excuses for his behavior or try to gloss it over or sugar-coat it.  He admits that he could be an "asshole" when he was under the influence, that he had personal relationship problems with women, his bandmates, and other people who crossed the Ratt path.  Pearcy gives his own interpretation of stories involving Ozzy, Nikki Sixx (and the rest of Motley Crue), Vanity, the porn star Savanna, and several others, some of which have been heard before but from another person's perspective.  He discusses the band getting their big break as openers for Ozzy and then helping to break then-unheard-of bands Poison and Bon Jovi into the big time.  Pearcy also spends a bit of time talking about his post-Ratt bands, although only Arcade is given any real attention, with Vertex and Vicious Delite garnering only passing mentions (and rightfully so).    

Interspersed throughout the book are thoughts from various friends, bandmates (including Fred Coury from Arcade/Cinderella), and Ratt crew members who expand upon Pearcy's stories, share their insights, and sometimes even appear to pity Pearcy.  Much like Pearcy, these people don't gloss over much in the way of bad behavior, which adds a realness to this book that others don't always have.  Could these people be lying for Pearcy?  It's possible, I suppose, although the stories that are retold or enhanced certainly aren't the type of thing that I think I would want to put out their for the world to hear if I was simply making them up.  This also leads me to wonder how Pearcy's daughter, Jewel, reacted the first time she read a copy of this memoir (assuming she has).    

I didn't end up coming away with a better opinion of Pearcy once I was finished reading, but perhaps I have a better understanding of some things.  The rise and fall stories of the band as told by Pearcy are not far from the same stories told in Bobby Blotzer's memoir, which lends some believability to these particular Ratt tales, especially considering the strained relationship Pearcy and Blotzer both admit to having with one another.  The pain the band, and particulary Pearcy, felt when Crosby died also sheds a bit more light on the demise of one of the hardest working...and hardest partying...bands of the 80's hair metal scene.  So while I will never nominate Pearcy for "outstanding individual in the rock world", I do applaud the guts it likely took to retell some of these stories, as even the author seems to wince a bit when he looks back on some of the debauchery of his younger years and then looks forward at what may lie in front of him and his band.

Recommended reading for fans of the band, but I suggest keeping a large bottle of hand sanitizer nearby, as you may feel just a bit smudged and stained as you turn through the pages.  Perhaps the book should come pre-packaged with a pair of latex gloves for those who choose to read it...and a biohazard bag for storing the book in once it has been finished.  If there is a sleazy story Pearcy has left out of this book, I don't think I would want to hear it, as he covers plenty in this effort.

Co-Written with Sam Benjamin
309 pages
Hardback

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