RED ROSE "Live The Life You've Imagined"

(c) 2011 Barkerteam/Scarlet Records

1. Turn Back The Time
2. Name On The Stone
3. The Last Drop
4. Gone With The Sunrise
5. Live The Life You've Imagined
6. Dreamer
7. Tough To Love
8. When The Sun Goes Down

Leve Laiter--Vocals

Elnur Aliev--Guitars

Deion Kristen--Keyboards

Eli Reeve--Bass

Hailing from Israel, Red Rose, to my ears, is a bit more progressive, AOR-ish version of Helloween, incorporating big, soaring vocals (that sound more than just a little like Helloween's Michael Kiske), melodic-yet-powerful keyboards, and some excellent guitar work.  In fact, it is the guitars of Elnur Aliev that really keep my interest here, as if it wasn't for the harder edge that his axe brings to many of these songs, I fear the project would have drifted off into a keyboard-burdened progressive/AOR fluff album that reeks of potential but never delivers.  That is NOT the case here, as Aliev saves the day on numerous occasions and helps this young band deliver an album that is reminiscent of the late 1980's fledgling power metal scene combined with an arena rock sensibility.

Admittedly, I was a bit fearful upon hearing the very first track, because if the rest of the album had been this heavily dominated by keyboards, I would have shelved it without hesitation.  "Turn Back The Time" is not a poorly written song by any means, it is just done in a style that holds absolutely zero interest for me as it is just too keyboard-driven and, for some unknown reason, Aliev's guitars are relegated to little more than rhythm playing with no discernable solo to enliven the track.  Yes, folks...I was VERY worried about this album after this song.

"Name On The Stone" went a long way to disspelling those fears, however, as Aliev's chugging guitar work on the song kicks in instantly, giving a completely different sound and life to this song that that of the previous track.  "The Last Drop" is a bit more mid-tempo, but it is another solid song with an excellen guitar solo which I found very reminiscent of the solo on W.A.S.P.'s song, "The Crimson Idol".  It is not a rip-off, but it has a very similar feel...which, trust me, is a very good thing to my ears, as that is one of my favorite guitar solos in all of hard rock and metal.  "Gone With The Sunrise" is another edgier, harder rocking track with some very nice guitar work and some solid bass and drum work in the background, and once again, the Helloween similarities are glaring to me. 

The title track veers almost fully into 80's AOR/arena rock territory, leaving behind the power metal stylings of the first handful of songs, and it works very well.  In fact, this is a style that I think fits the band very well, with the music reminding me a bit of Pretty Maids from that same late 80's/early 90's era.  Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the album was produced by none other than Tommy Hanson, producer of what many consider to be the Pretty Maids' definitive album, Future World, along with producing...you guessed it...Helloween!  Sure, there is still a keyboard flourish here near the end of the track, but overall, this is a much more straight forward rocker that I wish the band would have used throughout this disc.

From here we go back into quasi German power metal mode with "Dreamer", which again reeks of Helloween worship.  "Tough To Love" is a short but gritty number that takes us back to more of a straight ahead classic metal feel, although we now have a bit of Hammond organ-sounding keyboard mixed in along with some great rhythm work from Aliev.  The album closes with an acoustic song, which I honestly felt should have been left off the album as it doesn't fit anything else the band recorded here.  Now, if there were two or three more tracks to follow, I wouldn't have had an issue with the inclusion of "When The Sun Goes Down", but to close an otherwise fairly hard rocking album in such a bland fashion is a considerable let down, especially considering how short the album is.

With just 8 songs here which add up to just a hair over 35 minutes, this album can't afford to have throw away songs.  Unfortunately, I find myself skipping both the first and last tracks when I put this album in, which cuts down on my enjoyment of the album.  Still, I am left with six tracks of solid German-inspired metal that has Tommy Hansen's production skills just dripping from them, which is a good thing for fans of Pretty Maids, Helloween, PC69, Jorn, etc.  If Red Rose can take what they have learned here, come up with a solid ten or eleven songs, and really let Aliev's guitars come rocking through at full-force, this band is on to something, even if that something is not overly original or ground breaking.  A solid debut effort with just a couple of hiccups; unfortunately, those hiccups come at the very beginning and very end of the album, which is a distraction, to say the least.

One note to those seeking out Red Rose:  this is an album which I have only found on import CD sites and it is rather costly, sometimes fetching between $30 and $40.  Keep this in mind when hunting down an album of such short playtime....  Check out their stuff on YouTube or elsewhere on the 'Net before you drop any serious coin on this disc.

Rating:  Rock this at a very promising 6.5 and keep Red Rose on your list of bands to watch out for in coming years. 

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NICKELBACK "Here And Now"

(c) 2011 Roadrunner Records

1. This Means War
2. Bottoms Up
3. When We Stand Together
4. Midnight Queen
5. Gotta Get Me Some
6. Lullaby
7. Kiss It Goodbye
8. Trying Not To Love You
9. Holding On To Heaven
10. Everything I Wanna Do
11. Don't Ever Let It End

Chad Kroeger--Lead Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Ryan Peake--Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mike Kroeger--Bass
Daniel Adair--Drums, Backing Vocals

The Kroeger Brothers and their little band called Nickelback are...umm....back, so let the cat-scratching and hair-pulling begin!  Seriously, there is no doubt this album is going to be slagged on by half of the rock world and absolutely adored by the other half, and the two groups basically can't find middle ground.  I do not know if there is a more polarizing band in hard rock right now, and I really don't get it.  People who think that Nickelback can't rock out with the majority of the modern era of hard rock bands most likely have never heard anything other than the radio singles (of which there are several here), or they have never listened to anything mellower than Slayer, Overkill or old-school Metallica.  The whole "post-grunge" label that is stuck on the band is outdated and irrelevant, as, for the most part, Nickelback left that sound behind several albums ago and have come out the other side as pretty much just a straight-up hard rocking band that releases albums featruing absolute rockers, a couple of ballads, and one or two "party" type songs.  This is especially true of 2008's Dark Horse album and now this new offering, Here And Now. 

This new album starts off on a definite hard-rocking note with "This Means War", a driving, up-tempo number that sounds like a direct continuation of the sound that was used on the hardest numbers on Dark Horse.  Kroeger (Chad that is...) rips through the vocals here in semi-angry fashion, especially on the chorus, and the guitars rip things up nicely here. 

Follow-up track, the rock-radio single "Bottoms Up" slows things down just a bit, but not into ballad territory or anything like that.  The song features pretty much your standard hard rock style with some more snarling guitars, a drinking theme, and even some retro guitar effects being used, which really gives the listener the feeling that Nickelback is going out of their way to completely shed that stupid post-grunge tag, going for a far more straight forward sound, which works very well.

"When We Stand Together" is pretty much the type of pop-radio track that just gives Nickelback bashers fodder for their cannons, but damn if it isn't catchy with it's danceable drumbeat and group "hey-ey-ey-yeah's".  Lyrically, the track features a solid message, much like their previous "If Today Was Your Last Day" effort.  Haters will hate it, lovers will love it...period. 

The album kicks back into overdrive with the smoking "Midnight Queen", and several more hard-rockers that follow such as "Gotta Get Me Some", which reminds me a lot of "Shakin' Hands" from Dark Horse albeit just a tad slower. "Kiss It Goodbye" is another pounding rock number with a huge arena feel to it that will have fans singing along instantly.  "Everything I Wanna Do" is like "Animals" on steroids, although it is done in a sleazier, groove-driven way that is a hard rock sexual soundtrack.  While managing to keep the lyrics PG-13 (suggestive but never filthy), the band leaves no doubts as to what they are hinting at here.     

There are also a couple of blatant radio stabs, which I think people have to expect from Nickelback.  "
"Trying Not To Love You" and "Holding On To Heaven" both have Top Ten written all over them and will likely be video hits as well if the band chooses to release them.  But is the fact that these songs are mid-tempo or ballad material that teens and women are going to love a good enough reason to hate this band?  I don't think so...not at all.  Remember the power ballad era of the late 80's?  Who do you think those songs were written for?  Why do you think they were released as singles?  To get the women to the shows and to get the bands airplay.  Hey, it's a formula that has proven to work, so if it ain't broke, as they say...

Is this the best Nickelback album ever?  That depends largely on what you like from the band.  If you are after the harder sound of Dark Horse, or even the harder edges of All The Right Reasons then Here And Now may be the best of this style the band has offered thus far.  If you are more inclined toward the "post-grunge" (what does that even mean?!) of Silver Side Up or The State, you are likely to be disappointed.  And, if you are someone who just wants to bag on anything and everything this band does...you will have plenty to work with because this is a 100% Nickelback record.  They don't try to be someone they are not and Chad's vocals are exactly what they have always been...which is good, or bad, depending on your slant.

Rating:  You're gonna hear it here, first....crank this to 8.5 and let the hating begin!

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SLASH featuring Myles Kennedy "Live--Made In Stoke 24/7/11"

(c) 2011 Armoury Records
CD 1

1. Been There Lately
2. Nightrain
3. Ghost
4. Mean Bone
5. Back From Cali
6. Rocket Queen
7. Civil War
8. Nothing To Say
9. Starlight
10. Promise

CD 2

1. Doctor Alibi
2. Speed Parade
3. Watch This
4. Beggars & Hangers On
5. Patience
6. Godfather Solo
7. Sweet Child O' Mine
8. Slither
9. By The Sword
10. Mr. Brownstone
11. Paradise City

I am not really much of a live CD fan, to be honest.  Generally, I think that most of these CD's leave me wanting for one reason or another.  Either the mix is bad, the performances are bad, or it is painfully obvious that the music has been over-dubbed or touched up in the studio to the point that the music no longer sounds live.  Additionally, most live CD's leave out the songs I really want to hear in favor of the "hits", which is, to be fair, the obvious move for artists and labels who are trying to move product.  I am happy to say that, for the most part, Slash's new live CD surpasses my expectations in pretty much every area and that I found myself really enjoying this 2-disc live set which features Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on lead vocals.

With so much material to comb through, I think Slash did a pretty good job of including something from just about every album he has ever done, regardless of the project.  "Ghost", "By The Sword", "Promise", and of course the Kenneydy co-writes "Back To Cali" and "Starlight" are all taken from his recent solo effort, "Slither" comes from the first Velvet Revolver album, "Been There Lately", "Mean Bone", and "Beggars & Hangers On", are all Snakepit songs, and the rest...well, anyone who doesn't recognize the tracks from the GnR catalog probably won't bother picking this live set up anyway.  I do think a couple more Velvet Revolver songs could have been included, especially "Fall To Pieces", which I would have loved to have heard Myles tackle, but there are going to be favorites of everybody's that are left off, right? 

The GnR selections are particularly strong, and it was interesting to hear Kennedy's more traditional, blusier singing style as opposed to Axl's trademarked screeching howl on songs like "Nightrain" and "Rocket Queen".  Not surprising, however, was the way that Kennedy was able to take on a song like "Patience", or even "Mr. Brownstone", as both of these songs lend themselves more to singing, at least in my opinion.  Of course, "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" had to be included, and Kennedy pulled both of these classics off well. 

Much to my surprise, Disc One starts off with a song a lot of fans probably don't even know, as it is a much underrated Snakepit song called "Been There Lately", which I think really showed the strength of the entire band right from the start.  Jumping right into "Nightrain" was probably a good idea as this gave the crowd something extremely familiar following something maybe half of the audience knew well.  From there, Slash and Co. jump back into lesser known material, either with new stuff from his solo album, or with Snakepit songs.  "Civil War" was an interesting choice of Guns songs to include, in my opinion, as I always felt that Axl's attitude and vocal approach were a huge part of this song.  Myles does a very good job of taking a powerful song and adding to it, especially when he uses his lower register vocals.  An unexpected inclusion here turns into quite possibly the best song on Disc One, although the extended "Rocket Queen", "Ghost", and "Starlight" are all done very well, also.  

Disc Two is the stronger of the two, in my opinion, as Slash spends more time on classics and less on the newer stuff.  A huge part of this is the whistle-free "Patience" (Myles tells the crowd to whistle if they want to because he can't...), the only Velvet Revolver track, "Slither", and the two biggest songs in the GnR catalog, "Sweet Child" and "Paradise City".  This disc also features the MONSTROUS guitar clinic Slash puts on for the listener, but more on that in a bit.  I was glad that he found a way to incorporate "Beggars & Hangers On", as I have always felt that this was one of the best Snakepit songs on record and I always wished that Guns N Roses would have had the chance to record it live.  While this is not GnR, it is really cool to hear this track in a live setting and I think Myles nails the vocals.    Now...about that guitar solo....  Guitar enthusiasts will probably really find themselves utterly drooling over the 10:31 long "Godfather Solo" that flows right out of "Patience".  There is very good reason for this slobberfest amongst listeners, as Slash really runs the gamut as far as styles and sounds on this solo. Long bluesy sections, short bursts of frenetic speed, and some flat-out rocking sections (which include the full band at times) really make for an interesting listen here that is leaps and bounds better than so many of the "hey, look at me run the fretboard"-types of solos that we are exposed to on live albums and in concerts.

One thing to note is that just because you have heard most of these tracks, especially the GnR and VR songs, a thousand times does not mean that you can predict 100% accurately how they are going to come off in a live setting, as Slash does not stick to the tried-and-true solo in each of these.  This is particularly evident in "Rocket Queen", for example, where he deviates considerably from the solo that is on the record.  In fact, very few times is the song performed to the exact note the way that it was originally put to tape, so I get the feeling that a lot of this is actual concert material and not studio overdub.  There are a couple of spots where it sounds so clear that I have my doubts as to the "live" nature of the song, but not many, so I am pretty pleased with that much of it.

One thing I don't like is when lead singers "take a break" and let the audience take over the vocals.  Kennedy does this...a LOT...especially on the Guns tracks here.  I do understand why, as the people love these songs and they love to sing along...we all do it at concerts.  However, if a band knows they are recording live, I wish the singer would do the majority of the singing, even on crowd favorites.  This is a relatively small point, however, but when you have a singer of Kennedy's ability, I really want to hear him sing and not Drunk Joe and his 18 buddies that are able to scream louder than anyone else around in the crowd, know what I mean?

The liner notes, while fairly extensive, aren't really all that interesting, but I guess they are a good read one time.  There are a couple of pictures included as well.  There is an import version of this set available that also comes with a DVD, but as someone who is not a fan of watching his music (I've said this many times...), I don't feel compelled to track it down.

All in all, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this package, at least musically, and I think there is a good chance that I will pull this out more frequently than the live Guns N Roses album from several years back.  It's a relatively inexpensive set if you look around (I've found it for under $12.00 in a couple of places), so fans of Slash, Guns, or just live albums in general would do well to pick this up.

Rating:  Crank this to 7, which is pretty high praise for me when rating a live disc.

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VAIN "Enough Rope"

(c) 2011 Music By Mail

1. Greener
2. Triple X
3. Hot Stage Lights
4. Stray Kitten Burns
5. Cindy
6. Treasure Girl
7. Enough Rope
8. Solid Gold
9. Distance Of Love
10. vain
11. Worship You

Davy Vain--Vocals, Guitar

Danny West--Guitar

Jamie Scott--Guitar

Ashley Mitchell--Bass

Tommy Rickard--Drums

Additional Musicians:

Fraser Lunney--Bass

Louie Senor--Drums

At first it was just the name acts from the 1980's that were making, or at least attempting, comebacks.  I'm not talking the Great Whites, Dokkens, Scorpions, or any other band that never truly went away.  I'm talking about those who were several years or multiple line-up changes between albums....you know, top-notch bands like Ratt, Winger, Night Ranger, Warrant, etc.  Then, second tier bands like Keel, King Kobra, Nelson, and recently Bang Tango, got into the mix, which was actually really cool because so many of these bands were seriously underrated.  But now, it seems like ANYONE who put out ANYTHING in the hair era is trying to jump on the reunion bandwagon or at least get in on the nostalgia shows.  I mean, Little Caesar?  And now Vain?  Is there no stop here?  Or, is the question "should there be a stop?"  Is it really such a bad thing that smaller bands are trying for one last stab at glory...even if they never really had any glory to begin with?   Well, if you read this blog with any regularity, you already know what I think of the atrocious Little Caesar return, but what about Vain's latest effort?  I mean, Davy and Co. put out several albums, although Vain was never exactly a household name and the only truly notable album the band ever released was No Respect, and that album came out 22 years ago!  What can we really expect from a band like Vain if they release something new?

The answer is...apparently quite a bit!  In many ways, Enough Rope is the follow-up that No Respect should have had in the first place.  This is a very solid, very entertaining piece of music which is saying quite a bit because, honestly, I have not liked much of anything Vain has done since 1989.  Sure, there were songs here and there, but as a whole, there is not a single Vain album I have liked in its entirety since No Respect until this new album.

The first thing that stands out is that it is amazing to me that Davy sounds almost exactly the same here as he did 20-some years ago.  Not a lot of singers can say that.  I'm not saying that lead singers sound bad after all that time, but very few sound the same...know what I mean?  Davy sounds almost identical to how he sounded on No Respect, and that's a very good thing.  His voice remains powerful, snide in spots, and still drips with the attitude that his vocals have always carried.  This is especially evident on the album opener, "Greener", which slips perfectly into that sleazy mid-tempo groove that Vain used so well all those years ago. 

Another really cool thing to hear on this album is the guitar work of West and Scott (and, yes, Davy plays guitar also...).  Whether these guys are ripping through the high-speed raunch-and-roll of "Triple X", the groove-heavy "Stray Kitten Burns", or the sludgy-yet-sassy "Cindy", the guitars are extremely strong and right out front in the mix to be easily heard.  Want something bit more radio-friendly and a bit less sleazy?  Check out the classic rock feel of "Vain", the hard rock of "Solid Gold", or even the bottom heavy, mid-tempo groove of the distinctly 80's sounding "Distance Of Love". 

There are a couple of tracks that are not quite up to the level of the best stuff here, but they aren't terrible at all.  "Treasure Girl" doesn't really do it for me, and the album's closer, "Worship You", while definitely a full-throttle rocker, is a bit too punkish and simplistic for the rest of the album, at least to my ears.  Again, not a terrible song by any means, but it doesn't have the same feel as the rest of the album and kind of sticks out a bit.  The production on this song also seems a tad bit muddy and maybe even over-modulated on the vocals, which gives it kind of a buzzing sound in spots.  Perhaps this was intentional given the punkish feel I alluded to before, but again it just makes the song seem to stick out that much more.

I don't know that Vain's latest effort is going to cause any rumblings in the hard rock world, but I am sure that if the younger generation of sleaze fans give it a chance to bend their ears they are going to definitely be impressed.  Perhaps it will give some people, both new fans and old, a reason to dig around and find No Respect and breathe some new life into that sleaze classic as well.  If this ends up being the last thing that Vain releases, it will be a perfect bookend on a career that was so promising in 1989 but seemed to lose steam and fizzled in the early 90's.  Start with greatness and finish with greatness and a lot of the mediocrity of the middle will be forgotten...or at least forgiven...right?

Rating:  Definitely crank this to 7.5, folks....

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BANG TANGO "Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt"

(c) 2011 78 Productions

1. Dick In The System
2. Suck It Up
3. Our Way
4. Bring On The World
5. Have You Seen Her
6. Live Life
7. I Like It
8. Boom Box Seance
9. Drivin
10. Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt

Joe Leste--Vocals
Scott LaFlame--Guitars
Lance Eric--Bass, Guitars, Backing Vocals
Trent Anderson--Drums

Additional Musicians:
Alex Grossi--Guitars
Drew Fortier--Guitars, Backing Vocals
Darryl Coutts--Keyboard, Piano, Hammond B3 Organ
Lisa Beery--Backing Vocals
Nick Beery--Backing Vocals
Kevin Rodgers--Backing Vocals
Max Lewis--Backing Vocals

Bang Tango, at least Joe Leste and the band he calls Bang Tango, is back with their latest studio effort, Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt.  Not gonna lie...my expectations were fairly low for this album as I thought the last two BT efforts, especially From The Hip, were barely average at best, near-torturous to listen to at the worst.  To put it bluntly, they were not Bang Tango at all and fell well short of the mark established by Beautiful Creatures. Leste's (and bassist Lance Eric's) other band.  So, with the band strapping themselves in for another go, I found myself asking, "Why bother?" 

Well, I'm glad I bothered, at least to a degree, because it gives me some hope that Bang Tango can return to their previous level of performance on the next album they attempt.  Pistol Whipped didn't quite get there, but it got a lot closer than the last couple of albums.  Tracks like "Dick In The System", "Suck It Up" and "Our Way" really had me hoping that the band had fully come all the way back, as they seemed to find a bit of the sleaze magic they had once infused into their sound.  Bang Tango was a very original sounding band in the late 80's/early 90's, and these first few tracks really seemed to be headed in the right direction.  However, the fact that there is still very little in the way of the funkiness that Bang Tango once employed to such great effect keeps this from being a top-notched Bang Tango effort.  Sure, a song like the weird, trippy "Boom Box Seance" is cool and kind of teases you with what Bang Tango used to be about, but other songs, like "Drivin", for example, sound more like they belong on a classic rock radio station than on a Bang Tango disc.  Another track, "Have You Seen Her", sounds like a second-rate Guns N' Roses cover that was inspired by the GnR cover version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (got all that?  If you hear the song you will understand, trust me...).

Leste's voice is still there, and the playing isn't bad, it just isn't Bang Tango.  I think the fact that Grossi is no longer a full-fledged member of the band is a real detriment to the overall sound of this effort.  Grossi does make an appearance on my favorite track here, a song he co-wrote called "Suck It Up", which contains the best solo on the album, as well.  The other guitar players here are competent, but competent isn't creative or amazing or awe-inspiring.  I'm betting they pull off classics like "Wrap My Wings" or "Dancing On Coals" very well live, but these players just don't inject anything overly special in this new batch of songs.  As a result, other than the first three songs, "Boom Box Seance", and the title track, nothing really jumps out at me as being potential Bang Tango classic material.  As a matter of fact, I would be somewhat surprised if more than a couple of these songs even find their way into a current set-list.

All in all, this is a much better effort than the last couple of discs as far as the quality of the songwriting goes.  I just wish the execution of these songs was a bit more energetic and the guitar work, in particular, left me a bit flat with a couple of exceptions.  On the plus side, the production is surprisingly good for a small indie label that I have never heard of.  The artwork is...interesting...to say the least.  And, as I said, fans of Leste's vocals and delivery style won't be overly disappointed as he still sounds to be in pretty good shape.  Not a home run, by any means, but also not a strike out.

Rating:  Perhaps if the Beautiful Creatures' discs hadn't been so solid this would have come off as being even better for me, but as it stands, I wouldn't rock Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt at more than a 6. 

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SHIT RAVE "Shit Rave"

2011 Independent Release

1. Right Line
2. When You're Livin' Alone
3. Suicide Superstars

Paul--Vocals
David--Guitars
Michael--Guitars
Romich--Bass
Dima--Drums

Hmmmm....well, when a band calls themselves Shit Rave, you kinda have to wonder what exactly you are getting into when you decide to give their album a spin.  I mean....Shit Rave?  Well, I think this may be one of those cases where a name sounds cooler if you are from a non-English-speaking country, as is the case with this five piece sleaze outfit from Kaliningrad, Russia (never even heard of the place, so I Googled it...it's a Russian seaport city, so there's your geography lesson for the day!).  Shit Rave (man, I feel stupid typing that name...) lists bands such as Skid Row, Guns N Roses, Hardcore Superstar, Pantera, Sex Pistols, and Mars Volta as influences.  While I can tell you there are DEFINITE Skis, GnR, Pistols, and Hardcore Superstar sounds here, I'm not so sure about the Pantera or Mars Volta stuff...but it's their band, so they can be influenced by whomever they choose, right?

With only three songs on this newly released EP, the band doesn't waste any time with intros or ballads or anything like that.  These guys simply kick the door in, plug in, and immediately start tearing things up with their punked-up sleaze assault!  This is some seriously aggressive music here and it is played with a surprising level of skill.  Considering they have only been a band since 2010, it would seem these guys have spent a lot of time playing and gigging together as they are a very tight unit with a great sound.  The twin guitars of David and Michael are a perfect tag team, and the backline of Romich and Dima rumble and pound their way through each of these high-octane tracks.  Paul's voice has a certain snarl to it that I can't quite put my finger on...he reminds me of someone, but I can't tell you exactly who.  He sticks to an upper-tenor register for the majority of the material and, as he does on a couple of occasions on "Right Line" he is perfectly capable of ripping into a sleaze-infused falsetto screech which serves to accentuate the sound.

I am not sure who plays lead and who is the rhythm guitarist here, but there are KILLER solos in each of these tracks, with the lead in "Right Line" being one of the better solos I have heard in 2011...seriously.  There is a lot of nimble string-bending going on with this track.  While all of the tracks here are up-tempo rockers, "When You're Livin' Alone" takes things a notch higher, kicking things into more of a punk pace, especially at the outset.  Don't let that fool you, however, into thinking that this is a sloppy song, because it is not.  There are numerous places where the guitars drop in and rip off mini leads, and there is a really cool break-down in the song's tempo at about the 1:45 mark where the entire band slides into a really cool groove and Paul let's his vocals stretch and skate over the top of the funky track.  This is a seriously cool song that has immediately found its way onto my personal mp3 player already...I LOVE this track!  "Suicide Superstars" is another cool track but I think there is some difficulty in lyrical translation on this one as some of the words don't really seem to make sense, at least what I can make out.  I would love to see a lyrics sheet on these songs because, for the most part, the band seems to have a pretty good grasp on English but something sounds off here.  Lyrical problems aside, this is another great, sleazy track that features a simpler, understated solo and some excellent drum work.

Three songs...two solid efforts and one contender for song of the year for me (I just love "Whe You're Livin' Alone"!).  This is a great start for an extremely promising young band.  Much like the release by John Galt, you would have a very hard time convincing me that this is not a Swedish sleaze band...or even an American Sunset Strip band from back in the day.  Once again, the production on this independent release is excellent with a nearly perfect mix, not allowing any instrument to dominate and not drowning anyone out.  Outside of the possible lyrical misinterpretation, and the really bizarre band name, I have nothing negative to say about this release other than the fact that it is not even 10 minutes long.  If these guys can come up with four or five more tracks of this quality, and maybe work up a seriously kickin', attitude-infused ballad to throw in for the ladies, I think you could be looking at one of the hottest bands of the recent sleaze infusion from Europe!

Rating:  No reason not to crank this to 9, even if it for only a few minutes!

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JOHN GALT "First Run"

(c) 2011 Independent Release

1. Intro
2. Riot Radio
3. White Widow
4. Bad Brotherhood

Ostap--Vocals, Guitars
Ryba--Guitar
Sid--Bass
Tilip--Drums

I have to admit, one of the greatest things about doing a blog like this is the chance to get to hear music I might not otherwise hear.  Sometimes it isn't great...other times it is very, very good.  The music on this little EP from the Kharkiv, Ukranian band, John Galt, falls in the latter category.  Taking their name from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (they all claim to have read the book), Joh Galt set out to, in their own words, "to be loud, drink till we drop and get the best chicks around!"  While I cannot guarantee those things happening, I am going to guarantee that anyone who gets the chance to hear this little slab of music is going to be impressed. 

When the band contacted me and asked me to review their EP, I will admit I was not overly keen to do so, as it was released independently and was from the Ukraine.  Now, I'm not being some sort of elitist snob who shuns bands from outside the normal hotbeds of hard rock and all of its sub-genres, but quick...show of hands...who can name three huge name bands from the Ukraine?  TIME'S UP!  That's right...none of you could.  I couldn't either.  So, once again, I wasn't expecting a whole lot.  As such, I was pleasantly taken aback by just how good this indy project is!

For starters, there is virtually no way that even a semi-serious fan of the New Wave of Swedish Sleaze and Hard Rock (I should copyright that name...) could tell me that John Galt was not from Sweden, Italy, or England based on their style and sound.  These guys are that good and have the sound down that perfectly.  In fact, were it not for some slight differences in the vocals, I would have guessed that these were some unreleased tracks from the first Crashdiet album. 

Skipping the intro, which is just 45 seconds of sound effects and sirens, the band rips right into things with "Riot Radio".  A simple, yet pounding drum intro and some rumbling bass chords get things going before the guitars and Ostap's vocals kick in.  I am not kidding when I say that Ostap sounds a LOT like Crashdiet on this track, not only in tone and sound quality, but also in the way he delivers a line.  It's also nice to hear a foreign band that has at least a grasp of the English language, and there are no glaring mis-steps from a lyrical standpoint.  Some great gang-shouted "hey's" lead up to a nice guitar solo about 3/4 of the way through the track.  Good stuff to be sure!  

"White Widow" delivers more of the same, with guitars that ooze with the kind of sleazy attitude that makes you believe that the strings have to be de-greased after every performance! Here Ostap's vocals take on just a hint of Ratt's Stephen Pearcy in tone, and the lyrics become a bit "f*bomb heavy", which seems to often be the case with foreign bands for some reason.  Once again, however, there are no glaring lyrical mishaps as far as understanding the language goes, at least that I can pick up on.  The rhythm section is again tight and throbbing, giving this song a solid backbone to work around.

The EP's closer, "Bad Brotherhood" is more of the same:  Swedish-inspired sleaze with Ostap again channeling Pearcey and his ilk, and the band incorporates probably the strongest guitar solo of the mini-album.  Really good stuff here that makes me very anxious to hear what these Ukranians come up with next! 

While not always the case with indpendent releases, the production here is very crisp and clean, but not overly polished, allowing the band to keep their attitude and edge intact.  I have no idea about the packaging or anything like that as this is, as far as I can tell, a strictly for download album.  This also means I don't have the lyrics to the song, which I really like having, but this is a minor point.  First Run is free to the public and can be found at http://johngaltrocks.com/ .  Do yourself a favor and check this out and see if you don't get the same great vibe from this little tease of an album that I got!  While short on playtime (just over 15 and a half minutes), this band has the chance to go places with their high energy, full-throttle, Swedish-inspired brand of sleaze!!! 

Rating:  While short on length, this EP is definitely a cranker!  Crank it at 8!

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STEEL PANTHER "Balls Out"

(c) 2011 Universal Records

1. In The Future (featuring Dane Cook)
2. Supersonic Sex Machine
3. Just Like Tiger Woods
4. 17 Girls In A Row
5. If You Really, Really Love Me
6. It Won't Suck Itself (featuring Nuno Bettancourt and Chad Kroeger)
7. Tomorrow Night
8. Why Can't You Trust Me
9. That's What Girls Are For
10. Gold Digging Whore
11. I Like Drugs
12. Critter
13. Let Me Cum In
14. Weenie Ride

Japanese Bonus Tracks
  15.  Do Ya Wanna Do Me
  16.  Handicapped Slut

Michael Starr  (Ralph Saenz)--Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Satchel (Russ Parrish)--Rhythm, Lead, Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals
Lexxi Foxxx (Travis Haley)--Bass, Background Vocals
Stix Zadinia (Darren Leader)--Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals

Well, ready or not, Steel Panther is back with more KILLER hair metal songs and HORRIBLE lyrics.  You loved Feel The Steel?  You're likely to love this one also.  Embarrassed to admit you listened to Feel The Steel all the way through before turning it off?  You're not even going to want to open the wrapper on this one! 

I'm not going to waste the time going through each and every one of these songs, as you either love the porno-set-to-hair metal lyrics and humor of this band or you don't, so there is no sense in breaking each of these juvenile tracks down on an individual basis.  The titles are pretty much self-explanatory, anyway.  As such, I can review this entire album in just a couple of paragraphs.  This is easily one of the best hair metal albums to come out in decades...no, seriously...as far as the music goes.  Musically, there is not a single weak song here (minus the non-song intro), with huge solos (including one from Mr. Nuno Bettancourt), thunderous drums, throbbing bass (oops...now I sound like the band's lyrics!), and excellent backing vocals.  The production is top-notch, the mix is perfect...everything about this album is phenomonal...except the lyrics.

I am NOT a prude by any stretch of the imagination.  I loved W.A.S.P. back in the day and I've sung along to the worst that Motley Crue, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, or anyone else ever put out on vinyl, tape, or CD.  But NOTHING, not even W.A.S.P.'s "Animal" comes close to the utter trash and filth these guys have recorded here.  And yes, I get it, it's a joke.  It's just that it's the same joke done fourteen times to different tunes and slightly different tempos and rhythms with different (albeit GREAT) guitar solos wrapped around it.  It gets old...fast.  If Steel Panther wanted to keep three or four of these songs and also mix in six or seven REAL songs, I could even manage to consider the album something other than a XXX comedy album.  Sadly they don't, and I can't.

Folks, I want to LOVE this record.  As good as Feel The Steel was musically, this one is even better.  But as bad as the last one was lyrically, this one may actually be even worse.  So...as I stated in the opening paragraph, if you liked the first album, you will most likely love this one.  However, if you want to be able to listen to an album at full volume without worrying about the police being called and you being charged with public indecency, this album is one best left unopened...or unpurchased!

Rating:  Once again, musically, I would LOVE to crank this album to 9 but lyrically, I have to recommend just turning it off.

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HEARTLESS "Five Bullets In Your Heart"

(c) 2011 Independent   

1. Baby Maybe Someday'
2. Heartless
3. Stolen By Summer
4. The End Of Summer
5. Rock N Roll Dirty Dream   

Alpha--Bass

Rob--Vocals

Simo--Guitars

Ste--Drums

Hailing from Italy, the four guys in Heartless claim a rather odd mixture of musical influences, especially when the sound they come up with is considered.  While they claim such artists as Bryan Adams, Motley Crue, Kiss, Chuck Berry, Poison and The Beatles as some of their influences, virtually NONE of these can be heard in the music they have created on their debut EP, Five Bullets In Your Heart.  What the listener is given is a pop-punk/sleaze amalgamation that while energetic and up-beat, does not do a whole lot as far as forging new ground musically.  It's not a bad effort, just not overly memorable, in my opinion.

The EP starts off with the frantically rocking "Baby Maybe Someday", which is the band's first single which, according to their MySpace page, was first released in January of 2010.  The mix on this song, and on the entire album, is very bass heavy and rather muddy.  I don't know if this is intentional or not, but it is somewhat distracting to have the bass buzzing so loudly that I actually turned off the sub-woofer on my computer's sound system so I could more clearly hear the guitar solos.  This was a good move on my part as the guitar player, Simo, is one of the true highlights of this band.  His solo on "Baby Maybe Someday" is the best part about the song but it is absolutely buried with the full bass included.  

The follow-up track, "Heartless", is another pop-punk anthem that really sounds like it would have been at home in the punk clubs of the early 80's, complete with mohawked-and-safety-pin-pierced punks slam dancing in a pit in front of the stage.  This is a truly bizarre song, as musical pace of this song has to be described as breakneck early on before taking an odd down-tempo turn at about 2:40 into the song that, quite frankly reminds me of a 1970's kind of jam-band going off on some weird musical tangent.  Once again, Simo's guitar solo on this piece is strong and his instrument carries a really nice tone, but yet again it is buried by the bass which is the driving force on this track.  The track kicks back into gear at about 4:30 with the previously mentioned solo by Simo, but by this point, honestly, I have lost interest in the song and had to go back for a couple of extra listens to get a feel for the song.  I'm really beginning to get the feeling that Alpha is not only the bass player but perhaps the founding member of this band, which would explain why his instrument is so out front in all of these songs (and why his name is listed first in the credits, which is a bit odd....).      

Back-to-back "summer" songs follow, with "Stolen By Summer" and "The End Of Summer", which made me think this might be some kind of concept thing (it's not, at least as far as I can tell).  "Stolen..." starts off with an acoustic guitar intro and a quieter vocal moment which shows Rob actually singing rather than using the punkish "Geddy Lee meets Sid Vicious" nasal vocals and screams he employs throughout the rest of the album.  The track is a rather airy-70's feeling track with an odd guitar solo that has an almost flamenco feel to it and sounds eerily similar to the Eagles' "Hotel California" at times.  In fact, that song is a good idea of what I think Heartless was aiming for with "Stolen By Summer", and they may have been able to pull it off (or at least come a bit closer) had the bass not destroyed the emotion of the track.  "The End Of Summer", it turns out, is a nearly five minute long instrumental that starts off with a guitar intro that appears to be an exercise in showing Simo's talent and actually reminds me of something Tesla might use.  At the 1:10 mark, however, the band kicks into a punkish-pace once again but keeps a 70's influenced guitar tone throughout.  Simo gets the chance to really shine on this track, and it is actually the high point of this effort for me, which is really saying something as I usually consider instrumental tracks on an otherwise vocal album to be filler.  Not the case here.

The closer is another up-tempo rocker, this time giving the drummer, Ste, a chance to put his talent on display for a considerably long solo stretch.  Once again, the guy has talent, there is no doubt, but this constant changing of tempos and employment of multiple solos and musical styles inserted into otherwise punkish songs is distracting at best and generally is just annoying.


I wish I could find something to say about the band as a unit that is more positive, but it is difficult to do with the way this project is put together.  Like I mentioned, this has the feeling of a jam band kind of setting, like the band went into the studio with no real idea of how the songs were going to turn out until they heard the final recorded output.  The bass is just overpowering throughout this EP and the lack of any kind of structure to the songs really damages what I think could be some interesting, if not amazing songs.  I hope the fact that this band is getting some exposure with Atomic Stuff Promotions will give them the opportunity to better record their next effort, with an actual producer giving some direction to the music these guys make.


Rating:  Turn this down to a 4.5, with the instrumental track really being the defining cut here.


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ETERNAL RYTE "Anthology"

(c)2007 Roxx ProductionsDisc 1

1. Tightrope Dancer
2. Requiem
3. Someone To Love
4. Say Hello
5. The Killer
6. Surrender
7. On The Line
8. You And Me
9. The King
10. No More Lies
11. Forever Free *
12. He's A Killer (Version 2) *
13. No More Lies *
14. No Place To Hide *
15. Stand Up *
16. King Of Kings *

(* 1987 Anthem demo)

Disc 2

1. Intro **
2. Armed For Action **
3. Fight For The Light **
4. He's A Killer (Version 1) **
5. Quiet Times **
6. Run For Your Life **
7. Winners Take All **
8. On The Line (live) ***
9. Fight For The Light (live) ***
10. Someone (live) ****
11. Requiem (live) ****
12. No More Lies (live) +
13. King Of Kings (live) +
14. Tightrope Dancer (live) +

(** 1986 unreleased demo, *** Live Metal Mardi Gras, **** Live 10/28/89, +Live Metal Meltdown)

Limited Edition DVD (only 100 copies made)

1. Fight For the Light (live)
2. King Of Kings (live)
3. No More Lies (live)
4. On The Line (live)
5. World Requiem (live)
6. Someone (live)
7. Tight Rope Dancer (live)

Phil St. Vincent--Vocals
Bobby Smith--Guitars
Fred Gustavson--Bass
Scott Ernest--Drums

Wow.... If there is ANYTHING out there from this band that is not included on this extremely comprehensive collection, I have no idea what it could be, as here we are treated to the band's 1988 full-length album, World Requiem (remastered, no less!), two different demos, and three sets of live material. Oh...and if you pre-ordered the set, you also got a limited edition DVD called A Long Time Comin'... that was limited to just the first 100 pre-orders! That is a lot of material to sort through, but it is a treasure trove for fans of this gone-too-soon Heavenly hair metal band from Southern California!

Musically, disc one is by far the superior disc of the two, which is understandable since it contains the band's only fully produced release in 1988's World Requiem. However, people who have the original Pure Metal release would likely tell you the production on that effort is very bad, even borderline terrible in places, as it is extremely thin sounding with virtually no bottom end. That problem has been rectified here, as this version has been remastered, giving the songs a much fuller, more complete sound. As a result, songs like "Tightrope Dancer", "The Killer", and "On The Line" are really given a chance to shine like they should have originally, and they rival the quality of much of what was coming out of the Sunset Strip scene at the time. "Surrender" is another top-notch rocker, and "You And Me" sounds somewhat Stryper-esque, especially in their Yellow And Black Attack era style. One of my favorite songs by the band, "Someone To Love", comes off even more powerfully now that the mix has been beefed up, and the gang vocals have even more punch to them. Of course, the fact that Bobby Smith is a top-notch guitar hero stands out even more now that the production and mastering has been cleaned up, and I dare say he was every bit as good as his secular contemporaries on the Strip at this time. St. Vincent's lower-tenor register is strong, but I do wish he had a bit more upper range at times, as some of the songs would have benefitted from some upper range vocals. Do not mistake this for me saying that St. Vincent couldn't scream, however, as that is definitely not the case.

As far as the demo material goes, both demos are of above-average quality for demos. I already owned the Anthem demo, but the source tape for this one was of somewhat better quality than my played-to-death copy, and it is nice to have these songs in a cleaner sounding form. There is not a ton of difference between the demo version of these songs and those that made it onto the World Requiem album, but there are subtle differences. One of the most noticable things is that St. Vincent has a grittier, harsher vocal approach, which I think really works well. "He's A Killer", which of course morphed into "The Killer", is a prime example of where St. Vincent's vocals are actually superior in demo form. There is a bit of a tape problem on "No More Lies" on the demo, but this is the only real demo issue here. On the unreleased demo, the songs are again fairly similar, if a bit crunchier. I had a bootleg version of this demo and it was not in very good shape, but I listened to it because it contained a couple of songs not found elsewhere. "Armed For Action" is my favorite of these, but "Quiet Times" and "Fight For The Light" are pretty good, as is "Run For Your Life", although all are a bit predictable in lyrical content.

The live material is a bit hit-or-miss, basically due to the quality of the source tapes. All show the skill and tightness of the band, but I'll let you sort out your favorites from the seven live cuts here.

As you can see from the picture, my copy is autographed as I had pre-ordered this album from Roxx when it was first being discussed. Additionally, I also received the limited edition DVD (#65/100), which features seven songs taken from a show the band did. The production on the DVD is excellent and the video quality is actually very good considering its age. While I generally am not a huge fan of "watching my music", this was a nice touch, especially for the collectors.

The only thing missing from this collection is the lyrics to the songs, which would have been a nice touch but would have also increased the size of the already-6-page insert considerably. As it stands now, numerous promo photos and poster pictures are included here, as are band thank-you's, a band history, and a write-up from Heaven's Metal writer, Jonathan Swank.

Roxx Productions really outdid themselves here and, in my opinion, set the standard for what a career retrospective should look like. Hopefully other labels that attempt to release smaller bands' material will take note and follow suit, as this is just an awesome collection to have.

Rating: I think it's unfair to rate an entire collection like this based just on sound quality, production, etc., as the history is a huge part of this package. As such, this collector's set is definitely a crankable 10, even if the music contained ranges from a 6 to an 8.5...

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DUFF McKAGAN "It's So Easy (And Other Lies)"--BOOK REVIEW

(c) 2011 Touchstone Books
McKagan is the third Guns member to publish his memoirs, along with Slash and Steven Adler, and it is by far the best read of the three.  McKagan and his co-writer Tim Mohr, have put together a comprehensive, very reader-friendly history of the Guns N' Roses bass player's life from before, during, and after the GnR experience.  His life as a drug addict, and as a recovering addict, is well chronicled, as are his exploits with what many consider to have been the most dangerous band in the world during the height of the Gunner's run.  Duff's views on the rise, the peak, and the collapse of the band is entertaining and informative without an overly inordinate amount of finger pointing, although his frustration and anger with Axl's behavior at the time is not hidden.  The Velvet Revolver years are also given the autobiographical treatment, but not nearly to the extent the GnR years are covered, although the on-again/off-again struggles with Scott Weiland are given a good dose of coverage here.  Additionally, McKagan talks about his Seattle punk roots (such fabulously named bands such as The Fartz and the Fastbacks), his new band, Loaded, and even his stint with the re-formed Alice In Chains is also touched upon briefly.  He also discusses his solo record, his unreleased solo record (some bitterness there!), and his one-off project called the Neurotic Outsiders with Steve Jones, Matt Sorum, and Johnathan Taylor. 

People not familiar with McKagan's story are likely to find themselves intrigued about Duff's forays into mountain biking, the martial arts, mountain climbing, marathon running, a return to college, and ventures in the business and writing worlds...all of which he found himself successful at to one degree or another.  Marriage, however, was something McKagan required multiple tries at before finding success and, as is made obvious in the book, he has finally found his soul-mate and his missing half and has become a happy, successful family man.

All three of the Gunner's books so far share similar stories and really don't diverge too much on the rise and fall of GnR, which is nice because it adds a lot of credibility to everyone's story that they remember things pretty much the same way.  (Obviously Adler doesn't have the information about the Illusions years that Slash and Duff have...).   It is obvious that McKagan is far more able to reconcile his feelings about Axl and the way things went down, and McKagan still considers the moody lead singer a friend to this day. 

There are a few pages of color photos from various points in McKagan's life, which I think are always a good inclusion.  These range from band photos to family photos and really help to shine a light on the man in the various worlds he has been a part of in his life.

I devoured the 350+ page book in less than 3 days and consider it an excellent read that any fan of Guns N Roses, or likely even Velvet Revolver, will want to have in their collection.

Rating:  A page turner, for sure....

JEFF JONES "Spaced"

2010 XXX Records

1. Queen Of Hollywood
2. No Satisfaction Blues
3. Hell To Pay
4. Addiction
5. Resurrecting
6. Control
7. Not Your Love
8. Hate Me
9. Miss Tragedy
10. Bad Motor Girl
11. Bad Love
12. Underground

Jeff Jones--Everything

To the uninitiated, Jeff Jones was the driving force behind the late 1970's through mind-1980's hard rock group St. Elmo's Fire, and also part of the excellent underground sleaze act, Vamp LeSatat.  While neither one was exactly what would be referred to as a household name, both were top-notch bands as far as talent goes, and Jones' guitar playing was definitely head-and-shoulders above that of most players in the Hollywood scene, especially as far as playing the more melodic, often blues-influenced style that so many glam and hair bands abandoned in the early-to-mid 80's. 

Stylistically, Jones' the songs here run the range from Page or Blackmore-styled riffing to AC/DC or even early Priest-styled metal.  While this may seem a bit of an odd combination of styles and sounds, it is not entirely unexpected from a compilation album or older material, and it actually serves to keep the listener's interest piqued for what may come up next. 

My copy is an odd combination of a slip-sleeve/digipack thing, so there are no credits here and I have no idea who is playing on the rest of these songs if it is not Jeff all on his own.  This is a bit of a shame, to be honest, because the rhythm section on many of these songs deserves mention as they are a tight unit, especially on songs like "No Satisfaction Blues", where the driving rhythm is a huge part of the song for me.  If Jones is truly doing everything, as I am guessing he is, then it adds all the more to the talent level the guy obviously possesses and makes this stuff all the more impressive.  The vocals are generally performed in a gritty style, typically in a mid-to-lower register with a bluesy, sometimes sleazy feel to them, such as on "Queen Of Hollywood" or my personal favorites, the short, buzzing rocker "Bad Motor Girl" and the classic-Def Leppard sounding (musically, anyway) "Miss Tragedy".  "Hell To Pay" has a definite Bon Scott-era AC/DC feel from the guitar tones to the production style, while "Resurrection" again reminds me of High And Dry-era Leppard.


Nothing here is likely to blow you away as overly original, as most of this older material is very reminiscent of the sounds of the time.  However, fans of the late 1970's and early 1980's more melodic classic rock sound are likely to find a LOT to like on this disc.  As with all of the material Jones' XXX Records has been reissuing and releasing, the production is very solid and cleans up very well, making even these older songs an enjoyable listen.  I do wish the backing vocals were a bit higher in the mix on some songs, but I think this issue may be a result of some limitations in transferring this older material to CD from the original source tapes. This is a minor issue, however, and does not ruin any of the songs by any means.  I'm anxious for the next batch of songs from the Jones' vault to be released for me to get to take a trip back down musical memory lane with...

Rating:  Rock this at a solid 6.5

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EXIT STATE "Black Veins"

(c) 2011 King Prawn Records/Rock Sector Records

1. Enough Already
2. In That Place
3. Tonight Be Free
4. Check Out The Crazy
5. Circles
6. Ten Years Later
7. Stay
8. Black Veins
9. Wasted
10. Out In The Rain
11. All For You
12. This Life

Roy Bright--Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Phil Ireland--Bass, Backing Vocals

"Texas" Peat Hicks--Drums

Adam Stephenson--Lead Guitars

Exit State is a band that I knew virtually nothing about upon receiving this disc in the mail.  After doing a bit of research, it appears this is the band's second release and that they achieved at least moderate popularity with their debut album, Death Of A Rockstar.  While this is not normally the type of band that I would seek out on my own, Exit State is not a bad band by any means, nor is this a terrible album.  It has some very strong moments, to be honest, but it suffers from a couple of things, which I will touch on shortly.

First the good.  Exit State plays a catchy brand of alternative-influenced hard rock with some punkish overtones.  Sounds like an odd mix, I know, but it works for the most part, especially on the up-tempo numbers where the band's energy really comes through.  The guitar tandem on this album of Bright and Stephenson is particularly adept at playing this style of music and seem to feed off of each other.  Unfortunately, according to the band's bio page on the Rock Sector website, Stephenson has left the band for personal reasons and a permanent replacement has not yet been found.  Hopefully a new member won't disrupt the creative balance of this band because when they are on, they are definitely a solid band.  Ireland's bass is also strong, especially evidenced on songs like "Stay" where his lines are right out in front, driving the tempo of the track, which I think is one of the strongest on the disc.  "Out In The Rain" is another song where the bass can really be felt.

"Raw" is a good term to describe the sound of much of this album, but not in a negative way at all.  There is no feeling of overproduction here, yet all of the instruments are easily heard in the mix most of the time.  There are a couple of songs that come across as a bit muddy, such as the album closer, "This Life", but this is the exception rather than the rule.  Most of the songs are not overly complex, but I think that also adds to the emotion and grit of the disc in general, and it makes for some catchy moments. 

As far as stand out cuts go, the ballad, "All For You" is easily the best track here and is one of those emotional moments where, despite the fact that Bright's vocals are not overly polished, the power of the lyrics and his delivery comes through very well.  The solo on this song, which is one of the real highlights of the album, is provided by guest axe-slinger Gizz Butt from Prodigy.  Not being a fan of Prodigy in even the smallest way, I was surprised to hear something like this solo coming from his guitar, and I would have loved to have heard more songs like this.  Other good songs include the title track, "Enough Already", and the really catchy "Check Out The Crazy".

At 12 songs, I feel the album is about three tracks too long.  There is definitely a small handful of lesser songs here (dare I say "filler"), and I think that if the album was pared back to 9, or maybe 10, songs it would stay fresher.  As it is, there are a couple of tunes, that kind of get lost in the wash and sound too samey with the rest of the album.  In fact, it took me four or five spins through before I could even really recall hearing a couple of the songs, which is not really a good sign.  Still, this is a worthwhile effort and the high points, such as "All For You" do a good job of making up for some of the lesser moments.

Rating:  Rock this at 6

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CINDERELLA "Caught In The Act"

(c) 2011 Mausoleum Records

1. The More Things Change
2. Push, Push
3. Hot And Bothered
4. Shelter Me
5. Night Songs
6. Somebody Save Me
7. Heartbreak Station
8. Last Mile
9. Coming Home
10. Fallin' Apart At The Seams
11. Don't Know What You've Got
12. Nobody's Fool
13. Gypsy Road
14. Shake Me

DVD Tracklisting

1. More Things Change
2. Push Push
3. Sick For The Cure
4. Make Your Own Way
5. Night Songs
6. Back Home Again
7. Somebody Save Me
8. Heartbreak Station
9. Coming Home
10. Fallin' Apart At The Seams
11. Love's Got Me Doin' Time
12. Drum Solo
13. Love Gone Bad
14. Don't Know What You've Got
15. Nobody's Fool
16. Gypsy Road
17. Shake Me
18. Shelter Me

Tom Keifer--Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Jeff Labar--Guitars
Eric Brittingham--Bass, Vocals
Fred Coury--Drums, Violin


Perhaps one of the cruelest stories of the 1980's hard rock/hair metal era is the sad situation Cinderella finds themself in today. As the story goes, Cinderella was pretty much roped into a brutal contract when they first signed and, more than 25 years later, the band finds themselves still trying to find a way out of it without having to give the label what could end up being the band's last chance for new material.  As a result, we are constantly fed (and in this case, re-fed) a steady stream of greatest hits and live compilations from one of the VERY few bands who has not changed line-ups, still tours on a regular basis, and still maintains a solid fanbase.  Despite Tom Keifer's on-again/off-again vocal problems and the occasional side-project from the members, Cinderella is still Cinderella and they are still one of the best (in my opinion) bands of the genre or that generation. 

While Cinderella is unable to record for anyone else, apparently other labels do not have the same problem releasing Cinderella's stuff, as it seems a different label pops up with a new Cinderella release every year or two.  Now it is Mausoleum's turn.  The sad thing is that Caught In The Act is simply a repackaging of Live At The Key Club that was released on Dead Line Records back in 1999.  That's right...it's the same show, recorded originally in 1998, so if you already own the Dead Line version, the only possible reason to pick up Caught In The Act is the bonus DVD.

Now, the DVD itself is really nothing all that special as far as the quality of the performance, unless you have not been fortunate enough to see Cinderella live.  The DVD is well-enough recorded, I guess, but it is pretty much what you would expect...Cinderella performing live at the Key Club.  What makes this DVD special is the tracklisting, as the band performs some very obscure songs that I have not found on any other live recordings anywhere else.  "Sick For The Cure", "Make Your Own Way", "Love's Got Me Doing Time", "Love Gone Bad", and one of my all-time Cinderella faves, "Back Home Again" all find their way onto the DVD of this set.  These songs are the ONLY reason I would buy this package, and even then it stinks that I have to WATCH them, rather than listening to them.  Had the label transferred the audio from the DVD and made a full two-disc live album, I would have been ecstatic, as we would at least be getting some new audio material that hasn't been packaged and re-packaged a thousand and one times.  Sadly, it was not to be....

The sound quality is pretty good overall, and Tom's voice was still fairly strong at this time...not yet having gone through the problems the early 2000's would bring...so it is a pretty good live CD, just not anything that you probably don't already own.  If you don't have either version, go ahead and snap this one up for the DVD if for no other reason.  However, as I stated earlier, if you already have Live At The Key Club, unless you are a person who likes to watch their music instead of listening to it, I wouldn't bother to replace it.

Rating:  Rock the CD at 5.5 simply because it is a rehash. The DVD gets a crank-worthy 7 due to the rare songs contained.

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SEBASTIAN BACH "Kicking And Screaming"

(c) 2011 Frontiers Records

1. Kicking And Screaming
2. My Own Worst Enemy
3. Tunnelvision
4. Dance On Your Grave
5. Caught In A Dream
6. As Long As I've Got The Music
7. I'm Alive
8. Dirty Power
9. Live The Life
10. Dream Forever
11. One Good Reason
12. Lost In The Night
13. Wishin'

Sebastian Bach--Lead Vocals
Nick Sterling--Lead Guitars, Bass, Backing Vocals
Bobby Jerzombek--Drums, Backing Vocals
John 5--Guitars on "Tunnelvision"

Many people hailed 2007's Angel Down as the return of Bas, although I don't know that he ever really left, to be honest.  Sure, his previous solo effort had been a live album of him covering himself as the lead vocalist of Skid Row, but he also did the very solid Frameshift album Absence Of Empathy, the somewhat under-the-radar DVD Forever Wild, and found himself on numerous tribute albums.  Oh, and there was also that stint starring in "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and several appearances on VH1 shows as a host of various hard rock and heavy metal countdowns.  Not exactly laying low....

If there was one knock on the Angel Down project, it would be that a lot of people felt Bas had abandoned singing in favor of a more screamed vocal style, and that is a fair assessment.  I think that this partly Bach feeling like he had something to prove and partly the fact that he still had a lot of anger and bitterness stored up inside of him, but I also think a lot of people forget that this was something he had been progressing toward as far back as the last Skid Row album.  He appears to be largely over whatever it was that motivated him to sing/scream in that manner, however, as Kicking And Screaming is far more in line with Slave To The Grind-era Sebastian Bach vocals...and it works incredibly well!  In fact, I dare say this is the album that both Bach and Skid Row have each been trying to record since the two camps went their separate ways, as neither has come even close to this performance level since that split.

What makes this album so special, aside from Bas's return to singing, is the introduction of the totally unknown Nick Sterling as guitarist and bassist for this album.  Folks, I don't know here this kid was hiding (and I do mean kid...he's not even half of Bach's 44 years old...), but I can tell you there are a LOT of bands that wish they had found him.  This kid is a whiz on both stringed instruments, with some killer leads and solos scattered throughout the disc, as well as solid rhythm and bass playing to really cement the songs together.  Bach would do well to keep this kid under some kind of contract for future recording efforts because Sterling is a truly gifted player that would seem to still have many years of musical growth and maturation that will supplement his already incredible talents.

As far as the songs go, several have a very Slave-ish feel to them, although with a more modern production sound.  "As Long As I Got The Music" is a prime example of this, and is one particular track where Sterling shines as well.  Other songs, such as the title track and "Tunnelvision" lean more in the modern rock direction while still retaining a strong sense of melody.  Wanting a power ballad or two?  "I'm Alive" fits that bill nicely, and while not a full-fledged lighter-hoister, "Dream Forever" is another slower number that allows Bach to showcase his talents.  "Wishin'" is another slower track that rounds out the disc really well.  For my money, however, Bach is at his best on the faster numbers here, with "One Good Reason", "Dance On Your Grave", and "Dirty Power" all being nice and aggressive while still retaining the types of hooks that sink into your skin and refuse to let go.

A couple of tracks miss ever-so-slightly, at least to me.  "Caught In A Dream" is one that comes to mind.  It isn't that it is a terrible song, and musically, it is actually one of my favorites, but something about Bas' delivery, especially on the chorus, bugs me.  This is the only song that the "whiney" side of Bach's vocals really rears its ugly head.  This has occasionally been a problem in his live performances, even going back to the Skid Row days, but rarely did it find its way onto an album.  This is one of those few times.  "Lost In The Night" is a song that I absolutely love...until the chorus.  This song is smoking, really chugging along...and then the chorus just seems to bog it down somehow.  Maybe more time with this track will change my mind, and by no means does it warrant skipping...I don't know...something about it just seems a bit off, at least for me right now.

There is no doubt this album will crack numerous people's top ten of 2011 lists, mine likely included; a top twenty slot is absolutely guaranteed.  It will be interesting to see if Skid Row attempts to pick up the gauntlet that Bach has thrown down here and step up with a comeback album of their own, but I highly doubt they will be able to come close to this album, as Kicking And Screaming is extremely solid, very entertaining, and full of attitude...something both acts have been missing since saying a not-so-nice goodbye to each other.

Rating:  Crank this baby to 9.

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