Chroniques Albums

BONRUD is a melodic-rock
project headed by producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Bonrud and
fronted by Minneapolis' power-vocalist Rick "Four Octave" Forsgren.
Established in Seattle, BONRUD's debut album was released in Europe and
Japan on Frontiers Records where it received acclaim and climbed the
charts, taking the song "Date With Destiny" to number 11 on the Sapporo
STV Top 20 chart in Japan, staying in the top 20 for 5 weeks. The
anticipated album, "Save Tomorrow" is the result of an impressive
formation of highly experienced musicians known for their collaborative
abilities, as well as the successful pairing of Paul Bonrud and
legendary producer/engineer Keith Olsen.

BONRUD's new album is released under the eminent European label, Escape
Music. It features twelve songs for Europe. Paul Bonrud engineered and
co-produced the album with six-time Grammy winner Keith Olsen (Fleetwood
Mac, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, etc.). The songs were
meticulously mixed by Keith at Pogologo Studio in California. "BONRUD
has been an interesting project - As Paul and Rick have dedicated so
much of their time, energy, and passion to this album, it has always
been about quality of song, performance, and sound. I wish the band much
success with this sophomore release," says Keith Olsen.

Paul Bonrud began working with Rick Forsgren on "Save Tomorrow" after
relocating to Minnesota. The two immediately hit it off with their
infectious energy and chemistry for the songwriting process. Rick's
powerful vocal range paired with Paul's memorable guitar leads, allows
the melodies to organically ascend. Andrew McNeice from MelodicRock.com
says, "Paul Bonrud is one of the true good guys of melodic rock. He
backs up his status with talent in spades and an unwavering devotion to
his craft. He works harder at getting things right than most and when
new BONRUD music is ready you always know it will be well worth it."

BONRUD's new album features drums performed by Washington state's Paul
Higgins and recorded at the famed London Bridge Studio in Seattle (Pearl
Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains). The keyboards were performed by
Richard Baker (Santana, Saga, Gary Wright), Eric Ragno (Graham Bonnet,
Fergie Frederiksen, Jeff Scott Soto), and Dave Gross. The album was
mastered by Steve Hall (Alice in Chains, Madonna, Richard Marx). "My
goal was to make the best album I could with absolutely no compromises
and that is exactly what I did. The songs, production, and performances
are the best of my career and I can't wait for people to hear it," Paul
Bonrud says of the new album.

line-up:

Paul Bonrud: Guitars, Bass
Rick Forsgren: Vocals
Paul Higgins: Drums

Special guests on the Keyboards: Richard Baker (Santana, Saga, Gary
Wright), Eric Ragno (Graham Bonnet, Fergie Frederiksen, Jeff Scott
Soto), and Dave Gross.

Produced by Keith Olsen and Paul Bonrud

Mixed by Keith Olsen for Pogologo Productions
Mastered by Steve Hall, Future Disc, McMinnville, Oregon

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Andyrock-intothenight

Andy Rock started to
play in rock bands in early 2000. The main musical influences of this
Greek artist on his music and guitar play come from some of the greatest
AOR bands such as Bon Jovi, Richard Marx and Michael Bolton.

In 2004, Andy Rock formed the Melodic Rock band WILD ROSE which has
released a studio album entitled "Half Past Midnight" in 2011 and
received very good results in the press for this release.

During the past years, the band has played many live shows in Greece
with as headliner as well as support for Talisman and at festivals such
Rosewood Festival in Thessaloniki in 2011 and 2012 together with Newman
and Work Of Art amongst others.

The guitarist has always been composing more songs besides the ones for
Wild Rose and now his first solo record is ready for release. Besides
the guitar work, Andy Rock here also was in charge for the vocals and
all instruments except for the drums. He wrote all of the songs on this
album and mixed and produced it at Evo Studios Hellas together with DR.
LOVE singer Chris Siloma who also can be heard on backing vocals on all
tracks.

Discography:
solo: Andy Rock � Into The Night (2012)

with Wild Rose:
Edge of your dreams (Demo) - 2005
It's all about love (Single) - 2007
Half Past Midnight (EP) - 2007
Half Past Midnight (Demo) - 2009
Half Past Midnight (Studio Album) - 2011

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Bombayblack-bulletsandbooze

Erik Johnson - Lead Vocals, Guitar

'Devil Jim' Perry - Lead Guitar, Vocals

Ty Sims - Bass, Vocals

Rob McCauley - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

BOMBAY BLACK was formed in the spring of 2003 with singer Erik Johnson
and bassist Ty Sims recording Erik's material. Guitarist Jim Perry and
drummer Rob McCauley were recruited to round out the band about a year
later and began their first tour opening for bands such as L.A. Guns,
Firehouse, and Slaughter. They've since shared stages with Vince Neil,
Bret Michaels Band, Black Stone Cherry, Winger, Mudvayne, KORN, Black
Label Society, Static X, Warrant, Lita Ford and more.

The first 4 albums (Kivel Records) consisted of:

2004 "Mercy" which received rave reviews from the melodic rock community

2006 'Anger Management'� which continued in the Melodic Rock vein but with a hint of Modern Rock
.
2008 "Psycho Magnet" produced by famed Producer Beau Hill drew
in a Modern Rock fan base re introducing them to what harmonies and
incredible riffs sound like.

The next album released on Triage Records:

2010 'Love You To Death'� resonated with both the Melodic and Modern
Rock fan base, is hard hitting and impossible to get out of your head.

BOMBAY BLACK's 5th album 'Bullets And Booze'� is right around the corner with a May 2012 Triage Records release.

Those familiar with BOMBAY BLACK know the previous albums were often
centralized around the core theme of "Get Mad Get Even". BOMBAY BLACK's
new album, "Bullets And Booze", is instead a reflection of the partying
mayhem that happens on their tour bus. The fans and fellow musicians
who have walked on (and crawled off) the "Rock 'N Roll Pain Train" know
well that the band does not mess around when it comes to cranking up the
music and matching you shot for shot. 'Bullets And Booze'� invites
fans to live life to the fullest all wrapped up in one rowdy and raunchy
package

.

This album introduced to the Bombay Black family a new lead guitar
player, Justin Velte! This hot new young gun has just the right mix of
flash and melody to round out the album. The Two singles out now on
iTunes include "Helluva Time" which attempts to answer the age old
question 'What happened last night?'� and "Bad Boy'� for the guy that
the girls love and the boys hate. 'Bullets and Booze'� will be up on
iTunes shortly but you can order the CD NOW at www.bombayblackmusic.com.

Live, BOMBAY BLACK is a relentless rock n roll machine, employing every
form of stage production allowable by clubs and locl firecodes.

Y&T

Live At The Mystic

(Self-released)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 7.0

Double live CD from Cali date on their 2011 tour,
available exclusively via the band’s website (Meniketti.com). Apart from
a couple quintessential tunes, little overlap with the One Hot Night
(European set) from five years ago. Two night stint was billed as a 30th
anniversary for the Earthshaker album. As such, much of that disc
appears in the running order as do Americanized hits like ‘Girl Crazy’
and ‘Eyes Of A Stranger’ (thankfully no ‘Summertime Girls’ though),
apparently at the expense of some Yesterday & Today material.
Amongst the 22 offerings, there’s also a half dozen off Facemelter: the
opening prelude/’On With The Show’, ‘Shine On’, ‘Blind Patriot’, a
rather pedestrian paced ‘I’m Coming Home’, the comical/juvenile
(depending upon your taste) ‘Gonna Go Blind’ and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’,
which contains odes to The Who. ‘Squeeze’ is introduced as “long haired,
hippy music” and during it, Dave Meniketti asks the crowd to scream so
loudly that “Phil Kennemore will hear you all the way up in heaven.”
Seen the band at least three times in the last five years and every time
they smoked, more sweaty and dirtier/grittier than conveyed here, but
then they weren’t simultaneously co-promoting Earthshaker and Facemelter
on any of those dates. Still, the three decades’ old charm of
Meniketti’s voice, hot guitar licks (and occasional heartfelt ballad, ‘I
Believe In You’ brilliantly combines both!) atop bluesy hard rock and
wry smile at the often tongue-in-cheek lyrics never goes out of style.
If you get the chance, see them live!

JUDAS PRIEST

Screaming For Vengeance 30th Anniversary

(Columbia Legacy)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 9.0

Guess I know how the hippies must have felt, upon the
release of Woodstock and Altamont films, having now lived long enough to
(finally) see Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s sponsored US Festival
footage, nearly 30 years after the fact. Priest’s performance that day
(May 29, 1983) is now a bonus DVD with the 30th anniversary edition of
Screaming For Vengeance, the album which launched them into the
stratosphere, Stateside. Overseas, metalheads had latched onto Stained
Class, British Steel and Unleashed In The East, but (in conjunction with
MTV exposure), JP became household words (ultimately, to their
detriment, given the nuisance suicide trial) thanks to this album. Fresh
faced kids (by today’s standards), all guitars tethered to amps,
Halford had hair, mine was a lot longer and KK Downing had a
doppelganger in the Road Warrior movie, a year earlier. ’81 had also
seen ‘Living After Midnight’ and Heading Out To The Highway’ on Exposed,
a double vinyl compilation/introduction to CBS artists, alongside the
likes of LOVERBOY, BOOMTOWN RATS, ROSANNE CASH and ADAM ANT!
The 63 minute DVD features a dozen tunes, almost all still staples of
the live set and four off Screaming. There’s an innocence (naivety?)
about the whole thing: crew members occasionally pop into frame/obscure
stars, at random, while primitive live camera experience frequently
photographs the wrong guitarist during solos and the minimal cameras,
given the enormity of the metal concert (at least 350 thousand), limit
the perspectives. However, this is how Priest is remembered by
generations: Halford with handcuffs and whip on his studded utility
belt, Tipton in red pants, Downing in all black against his blonde mane
and bearded Ian Hill just rocking back and forth with his bass (OK, some
things never change). Metal Gods indeed! Textbook metal 101. Great
crowd shots, from behind Halford, as he thrusts his fist to begin
‘Victim Of Changes’, which features a snippet of lead vocals from
Tipton! After 55 minutes, they leave the stage, only to return, Halford
using his Harley as a couch, for a quick ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. Funny
to see fans up front with their instamatic and 8mm cameras. Wonder where
those photos or live film is these days.

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 JudasPriestScreamingforVengeance

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 JudasPriestScreamingforVengeance

So what can one say about a record that was literally millions of
people’s entry into metaldom? Like a clarion call, ‘The Hellion’
signifies what’s to come. It’s been used as the live intro almost
constantly ever since. ‘Electric Eye’ dovetails nicely (although on the
US fest video, it’s played without accompanying intro!), a lively opener
on an album that rarely sags. ‘Riding On The Wind’ is airy, keeping up
the momentum. Only on the fourth track, ‘Bloodstone’ does Priest
downshift, into that groove established via ‘Desert Plains’, ‘Metal
Gods’ and ‘Grinder’. ‘Take These Chains’ is a power ballad (before it
was popular), with hint of synthesizer. Keeping on the quieter end,
there’s the rarely hear ‘Pain And Pleasure’, rivaling the subtle ‘Fever’
as the runt of this litter. Always felt the latter was a cover tune,
given the numerous other, similarly titled (and better known) tracks
with a similar name. The title cut is quintessential Priest, Halford’s
banshee wail on full display. Hit single ‘You’ve Got Another Thing
Coming’ has never been a favorite (underground nose upturned by success
syndrome?), but the royalty checks are undoubtedly still rolling in on
that one. ‘Devil’s Child’ closes things out, an easy sing-along, falling
back into that aforementioned groove. Listening back, after many years
away, surprising how short the original vinyl is/was. Now augmented with
a half dozen bonus tracks, the album still clocks in just a hair over
70 minutes.

The five live versions included are all from oft aired ’82 King Biscuit
radio shows (San Antonio TX Civic Center on Sept 10th or Mid-South
Coliseum, Memphis, TN on Dec 12th) and, for some reason (continuity with
the 2001 reissue?) there’s ‘Prisoner Of Your Eyes’, a Turbo era
non-album synth ballad.

Regardless of your opinion, can’t deny the historical significance of
this platter and on its 30th birthday, still holding up well. Celebrate
with the bonus DVD.

Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance (30th Anniversary Edition)

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Prideoflions-immortallogo

Pride of Lions - Delusional (Official video)

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Prideoflions-jimtoby640

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Prideoflions-immortal800

� Immortal
� Delusional
� Tie Down The Wind
� Shine On
� Everything That Money Can't Buy
� Coin Of The Realm
� Sending My Love
� Vital Signs
� If It Doesn't Kill Me
� Are You The Same Girl
� Ask Me Yesterday

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Prideoflions-jimtoby640b

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 Prideoflions-jimtoby640b

� Produced By: Jim Peterik & Larry Millas
� Release Date: September 21
� Released: WORLD
� Genre: Melodic Rock
� LabelLink: Frontiers

TARJA

Act 1

(Armoury)

Reviewed by : Martin Popoff

Rating : 7.0

Exiled NIGHTWISH warbler TARJA TURUNEN returns with a
double CD, double DVD an’ Blu-Ray package, the extreme soprano and her
band captured live in Argentina, utilizing a ten camera shoot. Although
there’s the obligatory Nightwish nod (well, ‘Nemo’, and covers of their
covers), this is emphatically no Nightwish, due to an engaging
raggedness to the thing. Yes, renditions are arranged to insane proggy
extremes, but there’s a groovy grind to the end result, not least of
which is Tarja herself and her barely contained howlin’. For all her
training, she knows how to take this seemingly incongruous voice of hers
into rock ‘n’ roll terrain, evidenced right out the gates with
‘Anteroom Of Death’ from ‘09’s What Lies Beneath, and indeed most bits
where she is in healthy competition from the band at full tilt. Her
accent is charming as well, but it’s really the unleashing of a vocal
right on the edge, like Meat Loaf, that makes this a more human
experience than the efficiency of Nightwish. Granted, even Tarja sounds
much more digital on the studio albums, but yeah, this is a much warmer
way to consume symphonic metal. Visually, there are a number of dramatic
ideas, particularly at the start, but the quick edits can be a bit
irritating. Putting aside how I can’t bear to watch music DVDs unless
they are documentaries, man, you listen to ‘Little Lies’ for example and
the crushing, bassy audio of it... this just isn’t attempted in the
studio in this genre, making, improbably, a live album more useful than a
stacking of studio tricks. Fully amusing is Tarja’s cover of
Whitesnake’s ‘Still Of The Night’ where her voice comes off more comical
than anything, again, much because of the accent, although interest is
maintained by the band’s deconstruction of the riffery an’ rhythm of
this classic. The Celtic-tinged Gary Moore cover, ‘Over The Hills And
Far Away’ obviously fits the concept better, but all told, it’s the
dynamic, groovy presentation of Tarja’s own material that makes this a
valuable addition to the catalogue, and not some rote package of mere,
inferior (in)versions.

YOUNGBLOOD

No Retreat

(Eönian Records)

Reviewed by : Kelley Simms

Rating : 7.5

A hair metal band named after one of my favorite ’80s cult
hockey movies is OK in my book. Plus, playing music in a genre that is
equally praised as much as it is ridiculed, is also commendable. Bands
like DOKKEN, RATT, POISON and MOTLEY CRUE have never been more popular
as they are today, while still pumping out new and relevant music. Not
to mention the popularity of STEEL PANTHER and movies like Rock Of Ages
solidifies that hair metal does have its place in the music world even
30 years after its incarnation. Take Indiana’s YOUNGBLOOD, led by
veteran of the music scene guitarist/producer Jeff Diehl. The band has
been compared to some of the biggest hair rockers of the ’80s such as
WARRANT, SLAUGHTER, SKID ROW and FIREHOUSE. Singer Bobby Sisk has an
excellent set of pipes, often sounding like a fusion of Mark Slaughter,
Sebastian Bach and Michael Sweet. On its debut full-length album, No
Retreat, Youngblood successfully pulls off ’80s-style rock without
shame, and they’re damn good at it, too. Originally recorded in 1989,
the 16 re-mixed and re-mastered fist-pumping anthems that makes up No
Retreat are loaded with blistering guitar solos, memorable hooks,
soaring vocal harmonies and catchy as hell choruses. As good as No
Retreat is, there’s just too many tracks. Maybe one or two less power
ballads would do the trick. However, songs such as 'Pump It Up,' 'Feel
Thang,' 'Taste Of Your Lovin’ and 'Get Down To It' bring plenty of
sleazy, sexed-up rhythms and crazed debauchery. The Sunset Strip has
never been so alive.

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 P1798jqq4a1i1i17io10h81grsn1h4

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 P1798jqq4a1i1i17io10h81grsn1h4

To purchase your copy of Youngblood's No Retreat visit EonianRecords.com.

HEART

Fanatic

Legacy/Sony

Reviewed by : Martin Popoff

Rating : 9.0

A work of genius and commercial suicide. But wait, not
that it matters. HEART is a superlative live act, and the career side of
it is playing the hits, in hugely inspirational fashion. Even if
Fanatic was full of power ballads, it’s 250,000 pancakes, tops. But
listen to something like ’59 Crunch’ and you quickly realize Heart in
2012 is about trying to compress decades of rock ‘n’ roll learnedness
into the smartest, coolest, most impressive mature classic rock that can
be imagined. Fanatic (and to a lesser extent, but still, the band’s
last two surprisingly valid studio albums) vaults Heart into my l’il
PURPLE, HEEP, MOTÖRHEAD, CHEAP TRICK, and now KISS, club, of heritage
bands making their best records NOW. But Fanatic... man, Heart is far
and above the most reckless of all of these, pursing pure art above all.
Very hard to describe this album, and at the risk of getting it wrong,
first thing I’ll say is there’s the idea of a hair band exploded by
alternative in 1995, when yer DOKKENs, KISSes, DEF LEPPARDs and even
WARRANTs just let it fly, making quite a bit of cool, under-rated and
actually ridiculed music. But those bozos... that’s like 17% as far as
Heart has fearlessly gone. Fanatic is actually more like ROBERT PLANT on
a creative tear, somewhere between the godly Principle Of Moments and
the absurdist Shaken ‘N Stirred, with a little Walking Into Clarksdale
(the lost ZEPPELIN classic) thrown in for sheer... genius. The heavy
songs offer multi-instrumental textures—but more impressively guitar
textures—that are high-minded and exotic, the production is crystal
clear and perfect, the drum patterns inventive... anything “hard rock”
on Fanatic can be enjoyed as production/engineering/mixing marvel,
alone, like in a classroom. There are strings, flutes, middle eastern
TEA PARTY tones (‘Dear Old America’ alone is a clinic in arranged
madness, as is ‘Million Miles’). And the softer ones, the few that there
are, like ‘Walkin’ Good’, are contemplative, folky, again full-up with
thinking, surprises, non-conventional structure, as if the influence is
no longer Zeppelin, but Zeppelin’s most obscure acoustic faves, like say
a NICK DRAKE or Incredible String Band (and actually, they also sound
like many-tracked BRUCE COCKBURN as well). You wonder if all this purity
of artful purpose comes partially from the band’s Seattle clime and
state of mind, Fanatic sounding like Dog & Butterfly twisted,
rusted, re-welded, holes poked in it, re-bolted, by SOUNDGARDEN (OK, or
FISH, or PORCUPINE TREE—especially ‘Million Miles’ and ‘Pennsylvania’).
Again, at the risk of sending the wrong message (but making sense with
the Seattle side of ‘er), I suppose QUEENSRŸCHE has been attempting this
for years, but, leaving any ridicule of that aside, Heart seems built
and blessed for this very specific proposal, and that is a complete
re-tooling of timeless rock or classic rock, or, I dunno, in fact using
the same tools perennially, through-out, including those gorgeous
voices, and about 30 more TOM WAITS-weird sounds but pleasant ones, but
composing music and lyrics with a massive pile of rock wisdom. Really,
the only parallels would be Morse-era Purple and Cheap Trick since the
second self-titled. And again, to reiterate, neither of those bands has
been this surprising and valiant and fresh about it.

BULLET

Full Pull

(Nuclear Blast)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 8.5

If you feel AC/DC has lost vibrancy and enthusiasm since
Flick Of The Switch (if not before), then give BULLET a spin. Glad to
see these gravel throated, Young brothers worshipping Swedes get a
worldwide release, on a label people can actually find, easily. Lord
knows I’ve been triumphing the band since their full-length debut (‘06’s
Heading For The Top) and have seen them live as well. Simple,
repetitive chorus heavy metal anthems about cars, motorbikes and booze
with a nod to the aforementioned Aussies (and a bit of classic ACCEPT,
especially onstage), sure there’s a familiarity to it all, but that’s
what makes it instantly lovable. Well maybe not to progressives or genre
busting snobs, those only interested in moving the music forward
(further away from its goals?), regardless of how underground (ie. few
real fans) it might be. No sweat, with Bullet. Eleven meat &
potatoes rockers (38 minutes), with a little embellishment (the label’s
influence?) here and there. ‘Running Away’, with its shakers/maracas,
has an infectious 70s hit undercurrent, ala ‘Fox On The Run’ (SWEEET),
without ditching Hell Hofer’s vocal mix of Bon Scott & Brian
Johnson. A mid-tempo ‘Rolling Home’ fades out, aided by prominent piano
and both ‘Rush Hour’ and ‘High On The Hog’ featured electronic
syncopated background filler. Crack open a beer, push “play,” then watch
your head bobble and toes start tapping. Highly recommended!

PAGAN ALTAR

The Time Lord

(Shadow Kingdom)

Reviewed by : Greg Pratt

Rating : 7.5

Old-school NWOBHM band PAGAN ALTAR here get the reissue
treatment from the very cool Shadow Kingdom records, The Time Lord EP
containing demo material going back to 1978, remastered and reoffered to
a listening public that isn’t exactly causing riots trying to form
midnight lineups outside record stores to get this one, which is a
shame: the title track combines a classic ’70’s rock sound with some
more lush THIN LIZZY guitar lines; ‘Judgement Of The Dead’ is pure
Sabbatherian proto-doom, all seven plodding minutes of it. I love the
old-school production (you just don’t hear drums like this anymore) and
the pure love and passion in the tunes. The band probably alienated most
of their listeners by being completely unwilling to write songs that
weren’t too long (opener ‘Highway Cavalier’ is not only the best titled
tune here, it’s the best tune period at 2:37; the rest hover over five
and can get up to eight minutes). But man, this is some enjoyable stuff,
definitely firmly rooted on the second tier somewhere but with that
clueless passion for early metal (doomy, rocky, trad-y, you name it)
that only could have come out of a certain era. Wildly fun, satisfying,
and comforting to listen to, metal academic types and NWOBHM historians
will eat this up.

THE LAST VEGAS

Bad Decisions

100% Womon

Reviewed by : Kelley Simms

Rating : 7.5

Sex really does sell; and it’s the theme of most of
Chicago’s THE LAST VEGAS' sleaze-rock dittties on its fifth full-length
release, Bad Decisions. TLV has a familiar style which sounds like many
other bands, but they don’t simply copy their influences. Their raunchy
swagger combines rock, glam, garage and punk, often sounding like a
cross between early AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK, BUCKCHERRY and GUNS ’N
ROSES. Three songs from The Other Side EP, released Nov. 2011, show up
here as well. The 14 tracks (including two bonus songs) bop and bounce
along nicely while carrying a retro rock vibe with adrenaline-charged
riffs and catchy melodies and sweetly-layered vocal harmonies. On “Other
Side,” which was the first single/video from the EP featuring B-movie
scream queen icon Sybil Danning, combines heavy, bottom end licks,
chugging guitar riffs and the charismatic vocals of Chad Cherry. The
sinister riff and dark vibe of “Evil Eyes” has an Aerosmith meets Guns
N’ Roses sound and the catchy chorus of “Devil in You” is mixed with a
high-charged AC/DC riff. On Bad Decisions, TLV create a rocking,
feel-good time with groovy beats that make

U.D.O.

Live In Sofia

(AFM)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 7.0

As he hopscotched from Nuclear Blast to XYZ and now AFM,
the last eleven years has seen a trio of live releases (Live In Russia,
’01, Mastercutor Alive ’08 and this latest double CD/DVD collection)
from former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirckschneider, not to mention the
pointless Best Of & Live cash-in by XYZ and a pair of compilations
(‘Metallized – 20 Years Of Metal and the rarities Celebrator, from
earlier this year). While he kept the name “Accept” alive for decades,
now that Misters Hoffmann and Baltes are up to their old tricks, their
camouflaged comrade is sort of a man without a country, living off past
glories. And now, with the defection of drummer-turned-U.D.O. guitarist
Stefan Kaufmann, do you really need to hear the little general sing
those classics with a backing band? Shame really! From the Bulgarian
capital, we get 21 songs (plus guitar and drum solos), nine of which
harken to Herr Dirkschneider’s old band (no ‘Fast As A Shark’ nor
‘Restless & Wild’ though), predominately found on the latter disc.
Hey, I understand it was the Rev Raptor tour and he wanted to get some
of those tracks in there, but given the plethora of solo material to
choose from, not the most stellar running order. Yeah, U.D.O. tried not
to repeat themselves, the earlier live discs containing many of the best
tunes (and the studio output since 2000 has been sketchy, at best) but
how about dusting off some moldy oldies, like anything from the
criminally underrated Timebomb! While not quintessential, ‘Independence
Day’ and ‘Two Faced Woman’ are steps in the right direction (both off
Solid, which has been reissued by AFM, with bonus tracks, as have No
Limits, Holy plus Man And Machine). Always liked ‘I Give As Good As I
Get’ and ‘Living On The Frontline’ is something unexpected, especially
the LED ZEP riffs. The second disc, thanks to the Accept catalog (minus
glaring omissions), is basically beyond reproach. Perhaps down to the
language barrier (a German speaking English in Bulgaria), but there’s
little interaction/banter between the stage and crowd. Let the music do
the talking, as Joe Perry (AEROSMITH) said decades ago. Available in
Blu-Ray and standard DVD, the visual bonuses include a pair of
promotional videos (‘Leatherhead’ and ‘I Give As Good As I Get’) as well
as montage of other shows and touring hijinx, including making of the
Sofia show.

LED ZEPPELIN

Celebration Day

(Atlantic)

Reviewed by : Martin Popoff

Rating : 9.0

Celebration Day is, of course, the name given to the
multi-format issue of LED ZEPPELIN’s December 10, 2007 reunion concert
at London’s O2 Arena, mounted in tribute to the life of Ahmet Ertegun,
Atlantic Records honcho and steadfast believer in Zep, passed on
December 14, 2006.
Amusingly, it’s out five years later, in Zeppelin time, as approximately
quipped at the press concert. But for timeless and magic music moments
like this, what’s a few years between golden gods?

So many thoughts race through my head in a crazy jumble of emotions in
motion so I’m gonna break review stride here and talk within the context
of a track by track, beginning with opener ‘Good Times Bad Times’. And
by the way, it’s just too much for my head to blab about pictures at the
the same time, so this is a CD review, got it?

OK, instantly, one notices the genius of this set’s production, which
is, fortunately, heavy on drums, given that Jason Bonham—every bit the
drummer that dad was and more—really carries the show, providing a
sturdy as oak bed for the oldsters, even when he’s being elliptical.
Cymbals and hi-hats sizzle; he’s ubiquitous. Second up in the mix is a
cutting and kerranging Pagey. Bass is of the frequency with little
articulation. Robert is exactly as loud as appropriate, which is quite.
Now, great first choice, being first track of first album, plus a
rambunctious and succinct rocker, complicated enough to loosen up with,
and not exactly obscure but not Top Ten.

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 LedZepCelebration

Chroniques Albums - Page 2 LedZepCelebration

‘Ramble On’ is next and it’s another next tenner, plus psychedelic, with
light and shade. Again, it’s Bonham who is a joy to behold, but the
band in total is on fire and Robert is singing clearly and accurately,
not with that eccentricity from Walking Into Clarksdale. He does a bit
of that weird Paul Rodgers alterno-phrasing stuff, but not too bad.
‘Black Dog’ is metallic, with some nice staccato styling from Page, but
alas, the vocal is too bare, so we are squirming for Robert, who does
some ducking but not to much dumb stuff. Not a favourite here.

‘In My Time Of Dying’... possibly fave Zep song ever on fave album of
all time by anybody. Great, brave choice given its epic length, and
again, the blobulousness and the heat, both usually mutually
exclusive... make this a behemoth of a metal steamroller. Man, the
production of this whole thing... I just love it. It’s a little Death
Magnetic in fact, but like a fixed version, i.e. the red-lined
distortion removed.

Next up is what might possibly be the set list’s greatest love letter to
the deep Zeppelin fan, a trio of lesser expecteds, in ‘For Your Life’,
‘Trampled Under Foot’ and ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’. Sending two of
three of them past awesome choice into performance ecstasy, ‘Trampled’
features the show’s greatest push-pull rhythmic tour de force, and
‘Nobody’s Fault’ has the band playing with pregnant pauses, an example
of why and when Zep was lauded for magic shows—among many duds: they
were really assholes when it came to caring about being in good health
in front of a paying audience. And this would be when they’d take a
tricky bit and flaunt their comfort with it by making it trickier. This
indeed is less surprising when the band was working regularly in the old
days, but it’s pretty cool that they had worked this out with Jason for
a one-off (one suspects it was Jason, and perhaps John Paul, who really
pushed raising the game, although, then again, it sounds like Jason
didn’t want to push anything with these delicate egos).

‘No Quarter’ and ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ would normally be
snoozers, the second barely a written song, but again, Jason makes it
music worth listening to, just for the good playing.

Couldn’t give a flying frig about ‘Dazed And Confused’ and ‘Stairway To
Heaven’. Hot dog break. In fact, now I’m in a bad mood. I still want to
be reimbursed for those hours spent trying in vain to get through the
Song Remains The Same album.

Speaking of... sprightly nightly choice in ‘The Song Remains The Same’,
half-loved half-length prog epic from the half-loved Houses Of The Holy
album. But you know, here’s the spot to complain that there’s nothing
from In Through The Out Door, and the fact that the set list is only a
little bit adventurous. You’d think for all of Robert’s vaunted
restlessness and constant name-dropping of bands he likes, the
blood-changing, he’d sorta go all snobby and give us the deep fan set.
Nuh-uh.

Still, very cool getting ‘Misty Mountain Hop’, brisk, keys perfectly
mixed, again, bloody Jason... his fills, just like dad, are just perfect
short grace note-type things, groove for miles—dude’s the best part of
Led Zeppelin in ’07.

‘Kashmir’... man, don’t know why, but I really didn’t wanna hear this,
and I really, really don’t wanna hear ‘Whole Lotta Love’. The latter is
just too burned into my brain, and ‘Kashmir’, great as it is, you just
know you are in for a long trip.

And so we get to the end of this seemingly effortlessly skilled set,
‘Rock And Roll’ closing the show in reclined stadium rock fashion, Page
using the freedom with respect to the guitar parts to wander, slash and
burn. And bloody ‘ell, Robert puts a punctuation point on it that he can
belt out these songs boldly, going for it, dispelling the notion that
he, as aging lead singer, has to necessarily be the weak link. There are
no weak links. I’m too lazy to go get and then disseminate for you the
info on what fixes were made, but I almost don’t want to know, ‘cos it
all sounds plushly and flushly live to me, which is also how I want to
perceive it, remember it.

In closing, special, ain’t it? That it’s a one-off concert, that there
was no tour. Think about it. They went through all this remembering and
work and nervousness for one show. Granted, it’s also a CD and DVD, but
it gets you thinking about the nature of time and living for the moment
and all that. Personally, I’m much less bummed that they didn’t tour,
than I am that they can’t get it together to do a studio album, or at
least another Page Plant album, because Walking Into Clarksdale is a
friggin’ lost classic.

SEVEN KINGDOMS

The Fire Is Mine

(Nightmare Records)

Reviewed by : Kelley Simms

Rating : 7.0

For a US band, Floridian female-fronted SEVEN KINGDOMS
exude a distinct Euro-power metal flavor on its third full-length
release, The Fire Is Mine. Music wise, being compared to ICED EARTH,
HELLOWEEN and BLIND GUARDIAN is not far off-base. The powerful and
crystalline vocals of Sabrina Valentine, plus the twin axe attack of
Camden Cruz and Kevin Byrd is the band’s specialty. Originally, Seven
Kingdoms began with a male vocalist complete with growling vocals, but
the band’s sound slowly started to define itself after Valentine joined.
Produced by the legendary Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios, the album
has a punchy sound with the guitars up front, but not overpowering. The
power/thrash riffs, epic choirs, soaring melodies and dual guitar
harmonies all blend well with Valentine’s vocals and the fantasy-themed
songs are well-composed. Fans who tend to shun away from female-fronted
metal acts will probably not be swayed into thinking otherwise from
listening to The Fire is Mine. As good as Valentine’s voice fits the
band’s overall sound, it is an acquired taste and sounds a bit nasally.
The music is mostly standard Euro power metal fare and becomes a little
bit too predictable. Unless you’re already a fan of this style, then
Seven Kingdoms probably won’t lure any new recruits.

MACHINE HEAD

Machine Fucking Head

(Roadrunner)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 8.0

Sly timing, getting this in the “stores” as the band
embarks on a North American tour! All the DETHKLOK kiddies who enjoy the
Head’s performance can pick up a copy at the merch booth! The audio was
recorded during the Oakland, CA outfit’s last UK trek
(founder/vocalist/guitarist Rob Flynn offers shoutouts to Manchester,
Glasgow, etc), in support of Unto The Locust. In fact, all but one
(‘Pearls Before The Swine’) of that album’s seven tracks are included
amongst the 15 which constitute their second live outing. As with 2003’s
Hellalive, classics like ‘Bulldozer’ (Although Flynn sounds a bit
rough), ‘The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears’, ‘Ten Ton Hammer’ and ‘Old’
(paradoxically, the opening chronology from that previous onstage
anthology) are included as is ‘Davidian’ (“Let freedom ring with a
shotgun blast”) the tune they’ve been labeled with, since their ’94 Burn
My Eyes debut. With basically one third from the newest studio effort,
one third live retreads, that doesn’t leave much room for anything else,
but managed to pack in a trio off The Blackening, their glorious ’07
return to form that garnered massive praise overseas, yet really failed
to ignite, here at home. While there’s (criminally) no ‘Farewell To
Arms’, ‘Halo’, ‘Beautiful Mourning’ and ‘Aesthetics of Hate’ are
onboard. Virtually crucified for adopting more modern/ nu-metal
tendencies, following the stellar debut, until righting the ship with
The Blackening, a like-minded return to form, if you don’t own a copy,
pick up that vicious thrash attack! A rather vocal crowd (audibly) sings
along to every song and in between, they chant the band’s name,
utilizing the moniker that created this album’s title. Flynn drops
plenty of f-bombs during his banter with the crowd (repeated references
to circle pits), leading to a comical bit in ‘Old’, where the crowd
offers the “Jesus wept” chorus, to which the frontman responds, “Fucking
A he did!” Never quite heard Christianity’s central figure described
that way. Another unbelievable moment (given its surroundings) is the
acoustic, nearly a cappella start to ‘Darkness Within’, which also
references the Lord. Classical strings fade out as the band leaves the
stage, following ‘Who We Are’, only to return for the 1-2 pummeling of a
twin guitar lead ‘Halo’ and ‘Davidian’ encore. Certainly replicated the
sonic barrage of a Machine Head gig!

GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT

Bow Down Before The Blood Court

(Century Media)

Reviewed by : Greg Pratt

Rating : 8.5

Heh, love that band name, just throwing together some
words, seeing what happens. You know what else I love? Bands that
feature Martin van Drunen on vocals. Here, the legendary death metal
vocalist (ASPHYX, HAIL OF BULLETS, PESTILENCE) is joined by other
capable dudes (confusingly comprised of ex- and current Asphyx members,
and a Hail of Bullets guy) to create a pretty standard, classic take on
death metal. But it's just never dull when this guy is behind the mic,
his tortured howl without peer in metal (OBITUARY's oppressive vibe
coming close). The tunes are killer too, though, an upbeat, GRAVE-ish
romp through death metal sounds both fast and slow (okay, some mids in
there too), all familiar, all killer. You know, with that name I thought
this was going to be some campy doom metal fun-fest or something, so
this little death metal attack is a pleasant surprise. I mean, this is
as good as any of the legends, right here, on album number one. Hails.

NEUROSIS

Honor Found In Decay

(Neurot)

Reviewed by : Greg Pratt

Rating : 9.5

Here on their tenth full-length, Oakland apocalyptic
metallers NEUROSIS sound like they have nothing left to prove. In a good
way: this is music so honest, so real, that it's almost uncomfortable
to listen to. 'At The Well' sounds like the song this band has been
striving to make for the past 15 years; the album as a whole sounds
like, if it were to be their last (and I pray it's not), it would be the
ultimate, perfect album to send a career off on. There are no huge
divergences from the band's sound here: long, epic doom tunes that build
and build and build are here in abundance, with toms pounding and
spiritual epiphanies flying around left right and centre during the many
quieter parts. 'My Heart For Deliverance' has melodies that most bands
would kill for: they don't pander, they aren't coy, they're just
obvious, right there, and Neurosis just grab them and make them theirs
in the most real of ways. 'Casting Of The Ways' and 'All Is Found... In
Time' are just straight-up two of the best songs this band has ever
written. Okay, look: when I'm on my deathbed and someone inevitably (and
inexplicably, I am dying, for Christ's sake) says to me, “quick, what
band made the most powerful music of your time?” I would have no logical
reason to not mutter out this band's name before closing my eyes one
final time. And that would be a decision I'd be fine with, considering
that when I was 16 I first discovered the power of Neurosis, and now as a
35-year-old man I still get that same indescribable feeling when I
listen to them. Yes, that would be a decision I'd be fine with.

CRYPTOPSY

The Best Of Us Bleed

(Century Media)

Reviewed by : David Perri

Rating : 8.5

With CRYPTOPSY's return to form self-titled album gaining
universal praise and sure to be a contender for album of the year among
the extremely strong class of 2012, Century Media has picked the right
time to release a Cryptopsy career retrospective, one that over two
discs does this legendary Montreal band the justice that it deserves,
despite the couple of very obvious missteps Cryptopsy has engaged in
over the years. Beginning with three new tracks ('Boden' is the
highlight), The Best Of Us Bleed then traces the group's history in
reverse chronological order, featuring the band's cover of STRAPPING
YOUNG LAD classic 'Oh My Fucking God' and then three selections each
from The Unspoken King (2008), Once Was Not (2005), And Then You'll Beg
(2000), Whisper Supremacy (1998), None So Vile (1996) and Blasphemy Made
Flesh (1994). The rest of the package is rounded out by live tracks
from the brilliantly titled None So Live (2003), various Japanese live
tracks from 1999 and 2004, and rehearsal tapes circa the Whisper
Supremacy sessions. The rehearsal material is, as usual, immensely
interesting and provides the kind of archival purpose that is so
important in our circles: I always, while listening to rehearsal tapes
or demos, cringe at the thought that these recordings could have rotted
away in someone's basement if not for these kinds of compilations, and
I'm always thankful that this type of material has, literally, seen the
light of day. What strikes most while listening to The Best Of Us Bleed
in its entirety is the massive influence Cryptopsy has had on the death
metal scene since the early '90s, Flo Mounier and the various
manifestations of this band ravaging preconceived notions of what is
extreme and then ravaging again, for maximum impact. Not surprisingly,
the Blasphemy Made Flesh, None So Vile and Whisper Supremacy material
remains the band's strongest, with Whisper Supremacy the clear peak of
Cryptopsy's unique career trajectory, that record a feat of strength in
terms songwriting, even if None So Vile and the self-titled capture
lightning in bottles in similar ways to Whisper Supremacy. It's always
hard to give a numerical rating to best ofs because, by definition, they
are the literal separation of wheat from chaff. No matter what the
rating, The Best Of Us Bleed is an apt and useful summation of where
Cryptopsy has been and where it's heading. 20 years into a career, let's
all hail the new flesh

PASTORE

The End Of Our Flames

(Inner Wound Recordings)

Reviewed by : Kelley Simms

Rating : 7.0

Brazilian heavy metal band PASTORE is the brainchild and
namesake of vocalist Mario Pastore. On its sophomore release, The End of
Our Flames, the band plays straight forward metal with thrash
tendencies which also verges on U.S. power metal from bands such as
QUEENSRŸCHE, METAL CHURCH, AGENT STEEL and ICED EARTH. The multi-ranged
vocalist can morph into many different pitches and tones at a moments
notice. Throughout the album he pulls off powerful falsettos á la
Painkiller-era Rob Halford, high-pitched wails of Bruce Dickinson,
crooning Matt Barlow growls and the mid-range bellows of Ronny Munroe.
There’s some nice chugging riffs and melodic guitar harmonies, but not
enough memorable songs. The 11 tracks just seem to come and go without
any lasting impression. That’s not to say there’s nothing good about The
End of Our Flames, but perhaps Pastore needs to go back to the drawing
board and tighten up his song structures and songwriting skills for the
next album. Along with the new SOULSPELL release and the ANGRA double
compilation CD, Pastore and his Brazilian counterparts are slowly
staking their claim within the power metal heap.

GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT

Bow Down Before The Blood Court

(Century Media)

Reviewed by : Greg Pratt

Rating : 8.5

Heh, love that band name, just throwing together some
words, seeing what happens. You know what else I love? Bands that
feature Martin van Drunen on vocals. Here, the legendary death metal
vocalist (ASPHYX, HAIL OF BULLETS, PESTILENCE) is joined by other
capable dudes (confusingly comprised of ex- and current Asphyx members,
and a Hail of Bullets guy) to create a pretty standard, classic take on
death metal. But it's just never dull when this guy is behind the mic,
his tortured howl without peer in metal (OBITUARY's oppressive vibe
coming close). The tunes are killer too, though, an upbeat, GRAVE-ish
romp through death metal sounds both fast and slow (okay, some mids in
there too), all familiar, all killer. You know, with that name I thought
this was going to be some campy doom metal fun-fest or something, so
this little death metal attack is a pleasant surprise. I mean, this is
as good as any of the legends, right here, on album number one. Hails.

ADLER

Back From The Dead

(New Ocean Media)

Reviewed by : Aaron Small

Rating : 8.5

Original GUNS N’ ROSES drummer Steven Adler has overcome
unbelievable obstacles and returned with an appropriately titled, and
surprisingly good, debut album from his new outfit, ADLER. After being
fired from GN’R in 1990 over his heroin addiction, Steven disappeared
from the public eye, only to suffer a stroke in ’96 resulting in a
speech impediment. This was followed by five months in prison in ’98.
2003 saw Steven return to music with ADLER’S APPETITE. Then came reality
TV and disturbing appearances on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew in 2008
and 2011. In 2010, Steven published his autobiography, revealing he had
survived “28 ODs, three botched suicides, and two heart attacks.” Back
From The Dead indeed!

Now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Steven Adler is
refocused and rocking hard. Teaming up with vocalist Jacob Bunton
(LYNAM, MARS ELECTRIC), bassist Johnny Martin (CHELSEA SMILES) and his
old Adler’s Appetite guitarist Lonny Paul, Steven has released a solid
11-song CD produced by former DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson. Chock full of
catchy tunes reviving the mid to late ‘80s Los Angeles Sunset Strip
scene, and sprinkled with a touch of New York punk attitude, this
constitutes an impressive comeback. It must be noted however that Steven
does not have any writing credits on Back From The Dead. That being
said, he enlisted the help of two high-profile guitarists, namely former
GN’R bandmate SLASH who plays on ‘Just Don’t Ask’, and ROB ZOMBIE
axe-man JOHN 5 guesting on ‘Good To Be Bad’. First single and video ‘The
One That You Hated’ is no nonsense rock ‘n roll. Highly combustible,
yet slightly dated raw energy pervades ‘Another Version Of The Truth’
and ‘Own Worst Enemy’, whereas ‘Blown Away’ is the most modern sounding
of the bunch. Throughout the album, the lyrics reference Steven’s
troubled past: “It started with the liquor, but pills were quicker and
so I took enough to die,” “Maybe my mistakes have outshone the sun, but I
know I’m not the only one,” and “A few years later this old boy became a
cliché, a washed up junkie with a label next to his name,” are but a
small sample. Fully recognizing his reckless life, and combining that
with new found ambition, results in a bountiful bunch of edgy yet
melodic songs with sing along choruses and just the right amount of
grit. Welcome back Steven, we missed you.

SINISTER

The Carnage Ending

(Massacre)

Reviewed by : Greg Pratt

Rating : 9.0

Man, I love Netherlands death metallers SINISTER. Not just
for their quirks (the dude who sings now used to be their drummer! They
once had a female vocalist, and they're a brutal death metal band!),
but because of their relentless adherence to straight-ahead death metal.
They've released, at last count, 600 full-lengths, every one sounds
identical, and every one is a completely great listening experience.
It's all about the mids, it's all about the galloping riffs and beats,
it's all about death metal, '91 style. Here, 'Oath Of Rebirth' gets slow
and sludgey and dirty with some excellent, unique guitar work; it
totally rules. Then the rest of the album does the '91 stomp; it totally
rules. Sure, there are some death metal bands that are just generic and
boring, but somehow Sinister always manage to stay a feather away from
that category and, improbably, launch themselves directly into the upper
tier of death with every single album. Victory.

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Chroniques Albums - Page 2 %3Ciframe%20src=

GAMMA RAY

Skeletons & Majesties Live

(Armoury)

Reviewed by : Mark Gromen

Rating : 8.0

A double CD collection and accompanying DVD from last
year’s performance in Switzerland, unearthing lost GAMMA RAY gems and a
few alternate (acoustic) renditions of more well known material. If
nothing else, it serves as a reminder of how great Kai Hansen’s catalog
is, discounting the glorious Land Of The Free or without the HELLOWEEN
connection (although a ten-minute ‘Future World’ brings the concert to a
close). Strangely enough, former Weenie bandmate, singer Michael Kiske
was aboard for this show, a collaboration that ultimately spawned their
Unisonic collaboration, although this material is infinitely stronger
than that disappointing eponymous debut. He can be heard on the finale,
‘Time To Break Free’ and ‘A While In Dreamland’. Following the band
introductions which open the show(?), the one-two punch of ‘Anywhere In
The Galaxy’ and ‘Men, Martians & Machines’ (both from the somewhat
overlooked, late Nineties, post-Land era) are the rousing anthems that
cause audiences to go power metal mental. There’s only a trio of studio
cuts from the new millenium (‘Rise’, ‘Insurrection and ‘Dethrone
Tyranny’ off 2001’s No World Order). Love the speedy, twin leads in
‘Wings Of Destiny’. Piano and Hansen’s voice introduce a slower, epic
production ‘Farewell’. Prefer the original. Speaking of which, nice to
see/hear long-forgotten moldy oldies included, from the Ralf Scheepers
(now singing for PRIMAL FEAR) era, namely the debut’s ‘Money’, ‘Hold
Your Ground’ and ‘The Spirit’ from Sigh No More. The first disc
concludes with acoustic versions of two of their bigger songs,
‘Rebellion In Dreamland’ and ‘Send Me A Sign’. Like ‘Farewell’, they add
piano (and orchestral) accompaniment. Nice to hear, once (as the full
metal version of ‘Rebellion’ has always been a killer live tune), since
you can’t just record the same songs repeatedly, but hopefully that’s
out of Kai’s system now and he’s ready to rock once more.
Although there are ten songs on the first platter, just eight appear on
disc #2, which begins with a VAN CANTO styled, multi-sexed choir leading
into the aforementioned ‘Dethrone Tyranny’. Also loved Hansen’s
attitude, tongue-in-cheek, as when he announces (during) ‘Hold Your
Ground’, a two decade’s old, rarely played number, “I can’t fucking
remember the lyrics!” Honest. Later, he and Kiske stumble a bit through
the ‘A While In Dreamland’ ballad/duet. Kiske’s good-naturedly laughing,
humming and whistling when he doesn’t recall the words. A poppy, piano
heavy ‘Brothers’ features the requisite audience sing-along. ‘Rise’ and
‘Insurrection’ get things back on course, or as PAT BOONE once “said”,
in a metal mood, before ‘Future World’, which Kiske (thankfully) has no
trouble handling. He and Kiske joke with the crowd, who also add their
voices. Not the definitive versions for some of these tunes, but
certainly a well played and heartfelt show. Diehards (like myself) will
notice enough variation to warrant exploration, but newbies might want
to seek out Alive ’95 or even Skeletons In The Closet (as it contains
quite a few Gamma Ray standards) instead.

AMERICAN DOG

Merry Christmas Asshole!!!

(Colonial Canine)

Reviewed by : Aaron Small

Rating : 8.0

Michael Hannon in a Santa suit with “fat kids on my knee;”
if you appreciated TWISTED SISTER’s A Twisted Christmas, then Merry
Christmas Asshole!!! is right up your alley. However there’s only one
festive melody on this disc as the reindeer – oops, remainder – consists
of 13 songs recorded in front of “a few friends” at Sonic Lounge in
Grove City, Ohio. The time is right for a new live set from road
warriors AMERICAN DOG as it’s been seven years since Foamin’ At The
Mouth, and 2008’s Hard On The Road seems but a distant memory. This time
around, vocalist / bassist Hannon, guitarist Steve Theado, and drummer
Michael “Hazard” Harris focus predominantly on their newer material with
half of the set being pulled from this year’s studio effort, Poison
Smile. Truth be told, ‘Devil Dog’, ‘Old Dog, New Tricks’; in fact all
of the Poison Smile songs sound better live as they’ve got more grit,
bite, and swagger than the original versions. ‘Cat Has Got You By The
Tongue’ (from Mean) is a real treat as an extra three minutes are added
to the song in the form of breakdowns and extended solos; ‘Beaten,
Broken, Etc.’ (from Hard) receives similar treatment with a lengthened
bluesy intro. There is one throwback to the early days in the form of
‘TV Disease’, but the hankering for ‘Drank Too Much’ and ‘Shitkicker’
still lingers, which novelty song ‘Just Like Charlie Sheen’ does little
to satisfy. Closing out the affair is a radio friendly edit of ‘Merry
Christmas A**’ – designed specifically for Grandma’s iPod.

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