Guns N' Roses

Post #17
In my first post I mentioned Guns N' Roses as the primary reason I became a fan of hard-rock music. Now I'm finally reviewing the career of this legendary rock band...

It all started in 1987 with the release of Appetite for Destruction. GN'R's debut took the rock world by storm. I was in Jr. High at the time, and got swept up in the frenzy with everyone else. The song that did the trick for me was Paradise City. I couldn't get enough of that song! My buddies & I listened to Appetite practically non-stop throughout 7th grade.

One of the fondest memories from this stage of my life is a story involving my classic "Guns N' Roses Was Here" T-Shirt (which I still have, although you can practically see through it!). My group of friends went out to a mall to catch a movie & shop (it was one ours' Birthday). Two of us were wearing GN'R tees already (one of the Appetite album cover, the other w/ the GN'R Was Here design), in the course of our shopping, the other 3 of us in the group also picked up the "GN'R Was Here" tee-shirt. So for the final hour or so of our mall-crawl we looked like a walking fan club and drew quite a few looks. But that's not the end of this story...

Now, back in Jr. High, we were all growing boys, and our wardrobes were a bit limited. I was always eager for my mom to wash my GN'R tee shirt so I could wear it again. I usually got to wear it at least once a week. Coincidentally, one of my friends from the mall-birthday party happened to be on the same schedule as me in terms of our laundry- and we unintentionally wore our "GN'R was here" tee-shirt on the same day so often we became know as "The Guns N' Roses Brothers". At first it was kinda cool, but after a while we both got annoyed about it, and tried to guess which day one of us would wear the shirt and wear our own on a different day, and we still coincided plenty of times! At least it makes for a memorable time from my childhood.

Now for Guns N' Roses' music, here are my thoughts: Appetite was such a huge hit, and the band themselves were a phenomenon, it seemed impossible to ever top that success. GN'R Lies was a kind of filler album- a handful of new predominantly acoustic numbers, an acoustic re-recording of "You're Crazy", put together with a re-release of their EP-Live Like a Suicide. It took forever (it seemed) for the band to record an official follow-up album, and when it was finished it became a double-album: Use Your Illusion I & II. The quality and effort that went into these albums was apparent, and everyone who followed GN'R knew they were trying to top the success of Appetite. The band itself was volatile-none more so than Axl Rose, the band's front-man. A final somewhat united effort resulted in The Spaghetti Incident?, a collection of cover songs-mostly of punk-rock favorites of the band members. Shortly after, Axl began firing band members, until he was the only original member left. That was in '93-'94, and the world is still waiting for Axl to come up with another studio album. The rumored "Chinese Democracy" album has had so many anticipated release dates I've given up anticipating it. If it happens to come out, then I'll check it out, but Axl's had me waiting so long I've lost interest.

The music that Guns N' Roses has recorded has left a monumental legacy in the world of hard-rock music. I'll try to avoid some of the frequently played singles that most of you probably know by heart, and recommend some personal favorites based on nothing more than my opinion as a long-time fan who once had a nick-name of "a Guns N' Roses Brother"...

From Appetite For Destruction:
-Welcome to the Jungle (okay, how could I not recommend it?)
-It's So Easy
-Out Ta Get Me
-Paradise City (I guess you can say this is my all-time favorite)
-You're Crazy
-Rocket Queen (this one's a unique gem, just when it seems to become another cliche rock song with too much innuendo, it changes pace and transforms into a sincere ballad)

From Lies:
-Reckless Life
-Mama Kin (a cover of the classic Aerosmith rocker!)
-You're Crazy (I don't mean to be redundant, but this acoustic version is every bit as good as the fast heavy one on Appetite, and it deserves its own listening)
(I'm torn about whether or not to recommend One In A Million. It created so much controversy in its time due to Axl's choice of lyrics, but I think its interpretation should be left to the listener.)

From Use Your Illusion I:
-Dust N' Bones
-You Ain't The First
-Bad Obsession
-The Garden
-Garden of Eden
-Coma

From Use Your Illusion II:

-Civil War

-14 Years (gotta love Izzy Stradlin on lead vocals on this one)

-Breakdown

-Locomotive

-You Could Be Mine (Paired with the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day, this song was a monumental experience for me!)

From The Spaghetti Incident?:

-New Rose

-Human Being

-Ain't it Fun

-Attitude

-(untitled hidden track)

Jimi Hendrix

Post #16 (Poll Winner: Favorite Guitarist)
In the case of legends of the magnitude of Hendrix, words will never be enough. Therefore you must listen to his music in order to get the full "Experience". However, I will offer my thoughts on the late, great Jimi...

As I was growing up, I heard occasional songs by Jimi Hendrix on the oldies radio stations my folks often listened to, most notably "Purple Haze" & "Foxy Lady". It would be many years before I would actually add some of his music to my CD collection in college. However it is never too late to get into Hendrix! His music, songs and innovative guitar techniques are timeless, and will always sound fresh & cutting-edge no matter how many times you hear them.

The only disappointing thing about Jimi is the fact that he left us way too soon. May he rest in peace. His legacy, however, is immortal. As long as there are guitars that come with amplifiers, Hendrix will always be an inspiration for every generation to come.

The best place to start with Hendrix is with "The Ultimate Experience". It's a pretty thorough collection of his best songs that will not disappoint either casual or die-hard fans. Specifically, I can recommend some favorite songs:
-Star Spangled Banner
-Purple Haze
-Fire
-Hey Joe
-Little Wing
-Voodoo Child (slight return)
-Peace In Mississippi
-All Along the Watchtower
-The Wind Cries Mary

Trivium: The Crusade

Post #15
Trivium are a newer metal band that I took too long to discover. I kept hearing their name mentioned in magazine articles and interviews. Most notably, I read an interview with Iron Maiden, and they kept speaking very highly of Trivium. I made myself go to a Barnes & Noble store, and preview The Crusade on one of their listening stations. I was not dissapoinetd.

They aslo had a song on one of those sample CDs they now include in a lot of Metal magazines. The song was "Entrance of the Conflagration". Finally I had to give in and buy their newest CD, The Crusade. It was one of the best choices in music I've recently made.

These guys are pretty much classic heavy metal: Heavy riffs, plenty of guitar solos, and a good gravelly voice. I'll always consider James Hetfield of Metallica as the ideal metal singer. His voice is the standard I compare others to. Like Hetfield, Matthew Kiichi Heafy sings & plays guitar in this band. He is also the closest I've hear to Hetfield's voice in a long time. I think only John Bush of Anthrax comes closer. In fact, when I first heard the beginning of "Unrepentant", I did a double-take thinking I was listening to "Through the Never" from Metallica's Black Album.

All throughout The Crusade I was bludgeoned over the head with awesome song after awesome song. It is an aptly named CD, like a crusade to reclaim the glory of heavy metal. Right before the closing song, I was beginning to think what a shame it is that metal bands don't write instrumentals anymore. I was thinking that this band is good enough that they could probably write an awesome instrumental. Oh, well, I thought. Too bad it's not the mid-80's in the height of Thrash-metal anymore. Then "The Crusade" came on. I was banging my head with gusto, thinking this would make a great instrumental, if they just kept rolling with it, then braced myself for some lyrics (not that I'd be dissapointed, after all this guy's voice is really awesome for metal!) I kept waiting... The lyrics never came. Instead I was treated to an instrumental masterpiece over 8 minutes in length, the likes of which I hadn't heard since Metallica's "To Live is To Die", or "Orion".

I'm sure to add Trivium's other CDs to my collection before too long. I'll review them when I get to them, so keep checking back.. Now for my picks from The Crusade. I'll try not to recommend too many songs, but its hard to narrow it down when every song is so consistently good. Try these:
-Ignition
-Entrance of the Conflagration (the lyrics to this song read like an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
-Anthem (We Are The Fire)
-Tread the Floods
-The Crusade

Recalling the Hair Metal Era Vol. 1: Britny Fox

Post #14
The "Hair-Metal" Era of the late 80's/ early 90's will always hold a special meaning for me, because this was the era when I first got into hard rock & heavy metal music. There were a ton of bands around who all seemed to have a big hit on MTV and your regular hard-rock radio station. Half a decade later, they were all nearly forgotten, and regarded as a bad fad that couldn't have ended too soon. There was never a period of rock music where guys looked more like girls than in the height of Hair-Metal.

One of these "flash-in-the-pan" bands that I happened to enjoy at the time was Britny Fox. Underneath the hairspray & glam was some good rockin' music. If you check out my recommendations at the end of this post you can judge for yourself, but for now let me get to my review of their 15 minutes of fame...

The first song of theirs I heard was "Girlschool". The video for this song got plenty of air play on MTV in '88, and myself being 13 at the time, the song appealed to me. They also had a follow-up video for "Long Way to Love". I never understood why the hair-metal bands dressed so feminine, & wore make-up & hairspray, but I always liked the music. Their 2nd album, Boys In Heat, was not as big of a hit, and didn't have as many songs that really stood out. Britny Fox really continued their decline on their 3rd effort, Bite Down Hard. Nonetheless, there are some good rock songs to be found among these albums, and I'll tell you the ones I would deem worthy of a quick download.

From their 1st album, Britny Fox:
-Girlschool
-Long Way to Love
-Rock Revolution (if you're in a band & looking for an obscure song to cover that still rocks, try this one!)
-In America

From Boys in Heat:
-Dream On (this is NOT a cover of the Aerosmith classic)
-Angel in My Heart

From Bite Down Hard:
-Six Guns Loaded

Iced Earth

Post #13
It's January. It's 14 degrees outside. The little snow that fell today was too cold to stick to anything. It's a great time to write about Iced Earth!!!!!!!

Iced Earth are a newer thrash band (by that I mean newer than the original thrash bands of the 80's) I heard about from a college friend. I was conversing about heavy metal with this friend and mentioned how disappointed I was in the current music scene (this was back in '98-'99). All of my long-time favorite metal bands seemed to be experimenting with Alternative (Metallica), or putting out mediocre albums (Anthrax, Megadeth,). My friend asked if I had ever heard of Iced Earth. I said no...

Iced Earth came to my ears like a savior. I was blown away by how heavy they were. I hadn't discovered a band this heavy since I first heard Pantera back in '94. They really won me over with the blend of clean guitar peppered sparingly amongst their speedy thrash riffs. I couldn't have had a better recommendation & I owe a great deal of thanks to that friend. I've been collecting their albums slowly ever since.

Iced Earth is the brain child of Jon Schaffer (the band's primary songwriter & guitarist). Over the years the other band members have changed numerous times. For the most part, the lead singer has been Matt Barlow. In 2004 he was replaced by Tim "Ripper" Owens (previously of Judas Priest-he filled the lead singer spot vacated by the legendary Rob Halford). Owens sang on the Iced Earth albums: The Glorious Burden, and Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Ptart 1. Recently, Schaffer hired Barlow back, and has let Owens go, citing the wishes of long time fans as the reason. Matt Barlow will be the featured vocalist on the up-coming Something Wicked Part 2 album.

For the Iced Earth era leading up to The Glorious Burden, I'll simply recommend any song from the compilation: The Blessed and the Damned. This is a 2-disc collection that provides a balanced sampling of their best music from this time period. In particular I really love the song "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)".

Not included on The Blessed & the Damned is Iced Earth's collection of cover songs: Tribute to the Gods. So that you're not missing out, I recommend the following songs from this album:
-Burning for You (Blue Oyster Cult)
-Dead Babies (Alice Cooper), Iced Earth give this song a darker & more haunting vibe than the original.
-Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden)
-Creatures of the Night (Kiss), of course I have to recommend a Kiss cover!

As for the short-lived Tim Owens era, let me first mention that I will miss Ripper's vocals. I'm also a fan of Barlow's voice in this band, so I'll still enjoy their new music. However, I'll be sure to keep an ear out for Tim Owens wherever he goes from here. The best Iced Earth songs that Tim gave voice to follow...

The Glorious Burden
This is a concept album that deals with war through the ages. The highlight is the 3-part epic: Gettysburg (1863). The CD's booklet provides an in-depth synopsis of the Civil War's history behind the music, and reveals Schaffer's skill at story-telling. The symphonic accompaniment throughout, as well as battle-march style drums, really make Gettysburg an emotionally weighted listening experience. Other good songs from The Glorious Burden:
-Star Spangled Banner (This is a straight-forward interpretation, played very heavy, and leads straight into the next song...)
-Declaration Day (About the US's battle for independence from Britain)
-The Reckoning

Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
Again, this is a concept album, or rather the 1st half of a concept album. It's also a continuation of a trilogy of songs that close the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" album. The scope of the concept is quite vast, and there are elements of science fiction present. It seems to be about the history of mankind's conquest of the earth, as well as a futuristic vision of the same trend: mankind's conquest throughout the universe. Unlike the Gettysburg epic from the previous album, this album lacks any interpretive synopsis beyond the lyrics. As a result the story is more difficult to assemble & follow. Maybe Part 2 will clear things up once it comes out. That being said, this album is still a great head-banging experience for any thrash-metal fan. Some of my favorite songs from Framing Armageddon:
-Ten Thousand Strong
-The Clouding (This song is a masterpiece in & of itself. For the 1st 5:27 its a slow dark melodic piece, but the remaining 4 minutes get heavy again)
-Framing Armageddon
-When Stars Collide (Born is He)

Check out Iced Earth's website:
http://www.icedearth.com/

Led Zeppelin

Post #12 (Poll Winner: Favorite 70's Band)
"Lords of Rock, Led Zeppelin! Grace us with your Mighty Love!"

You may recall the above quote from Jack Black's "Pitch to Led Zeppelin" begging for permission to use "The Immigrant Song" in the movie School of Rock. (You can find it in the extras on the DVD!) This statement really puts Zeppelin in an appropriate perspective: they are Legend, they are Icons, they have no equal, they are One of a Kind. I know I claim that KISS is my all time favorite, but few bands command the level of respect that Led Zeppelin do.

A great many musical artists have paid this respect through recording their own interpretations of their music. Some examples include: Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Kashmir: The Symphonic Led Zeppelin, Great White-Great Zeppelin, Dread Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin inna reggae style!), and Stairways to Heaven to name a few.

Their music practically defined the 70's. You cannot converse about the influences of modern hard rock music without mentioning them. Without them, without their music, the world would be a different place. Can you imagine if you had never heard of the song Stairway to Heaven?

With a Led Zeppelin reunion currently in the works, the legend they already have can only grow. I'll probably miss out on a chance to see them live because of how limited this opportunity may be and how astronomical the cost of their shows are sure to be, but I'll be 1st in line to buy a new album from them should they pursue this reunion that far.

I have had the opportunity to see a world-renown Zeppelin tribute band: Zoso (check out their website: http://www.zosoontour.net/). The show they did was incredible. They look like Led Zeppelin, they sound like Led Zeppelin, they even played Stairway! I'm glad to have seen their tribute show, and would see them again if I get another chance.

For now I'll leave you with a list of some of my personal favorites from Zeppelin. These songs are mostly from their 1st 4 albums, which I regard as their "Golden Era". They are also the same as my own "Best of Led Zeppelin" mix CD!
-Black Dog
-Good Times, Bad Times
-Rock & Roll
-Immigrant Song
-Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
-Heartbreaker
-Going to California
-Misty Mountain Hop
-That's the Way
-Whole Lotta Love
-Kashmir
-When the Levee Breaks
-D'yer Mak'er
-Gallows Pole
-Stairway to Heaven

Some websites of interest:
http://www.dreadzeppelin.com/
http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

A Brief Note on "70's Rock Band" Poll

Post #11.5
First, my thanks to all those who voted. The votes were spread pretty evenly, and the narrow winner is Led Zeppelin. Before I get to my full review of Zeppelin, I just want to say a few things.

First is that if I could do this poll over again I probably would not include Judas Priest or the Scorpions. After I'd already posted the poll it occured to me that these bands didn't really hit big until the 80's. In their place I would have included a couple bands like Rush, AC/DC, or ZZ Top.

Second, I could porbably ramble for half an hour just listing more great bands from the 70's, so no matter how long the list would get I couldn't include everyone. Anyone who voted for "other" please don't take it personally that your favorite wasn't on the list.

Now I'm off to compose my thoughts on the legendary Led Zeppelin....
Be back soon!

Music Mix Mania!

Post #11
The age of the i-Pod & other portable digital music players is upon us & in full swing. With the ability to carry hundreds (or even thousands!) of songs in a tiny device you can slip into your pocket, its easier than ever to quickly give a listen to a great song of you choice at a moments notice. One sad fact of this high-tech convenience is that the art of recording a music mix onto a tape or CD has nearly become a lost art already! Okay, cassette tapes have been ancient for years already, but I'm still jazzed that I can make music mixes on a computer with a CD burner! Is there anyone out there who agrees with me? Isn't there still a great feeling to assemble 60-80 minutes of great music in the perfect sequence and making a permanent recording of it? If you agree, then this post is dedicated to you. This post will be a look at one random mix tape form my personal archives-a blast from the past so to say.

Here I go, pull out the old cassette travel-case I once kept in my car during my college days, blow the dust off, crack it open and... BAM! Instant nostalgia! A whole dozen mix tapes to choose from. For me, this is like opening a time capsule. I was never one to make a mix of the same 18 songs you would hear any given day on the rock radio station, either. So these tapes are chocked full of some obscure gems out of left field.

My choice of mixes to cover today: “You Name It!” The following mix tape is probably one of the most eclectic mixes I’ve ever assembled. Thrash, Alternative, Classic Rock, Acid-Rock, Grunge, Prog-Rock, Dance, 80’s Pop-Rock, Reggae, Latin Blues, and even (don’t shoot me, I’ll explain myself) Country: this mix pretty much has it all. A couple underlying themes to this mix; 1-there are a lot of KISS songs, but they’re mostly covers from various KISS-tribute CDs. The lone KISS song, “Then She Kissed Me”, is actually a cover itself. 2-Many of the songs are a-typical versions; either live, unplugged, or a remix. This tape is kicked off with a Dance-remix/cover of Kiss’ classic disco-era hit, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You”. I heard someone in my dorm listening to it one day and it inspired me to make the following mix-tape. I asked to borrow the CD, then returned it after I’d made the tape.

However, my favorite part of this listening experience has to be when the soft, smooth, bluesy melody of “Forever Night Shade Mary” by Latin Playboys comes to a close, only to be instantly succeeded by Sepultura’s “Murder” , which assaults your eardrums like a barrage of serrated sledgehammers. What an awesome feeling!

Here’s an annotated breakdown of this music mix…

“You Name It!”
Mix Tape (circa ’96-’97) review: 110min TDK CDpower Cassette
Side A
-I Was Made for Lovin’ You (Dance Mix) I never listen to dance music, unless I happen to be at a club or something, which for me is once in a blue moon. It’s only because it’s a Kiss cover that I put it on this tape.
-Space-Dye Vest (Dream Theater) This is one of the best songs Dream Theater ever recorded. I love the seamless blend of piano and slow, heavy guitar riffs this song showcases.
-Suicide Note Pts I & II (Pantera) A 2-part song by Pantera, that in itself represents the 2 extremes of their own unique sound in metal.
-Tomorrow (J Walsh) An obscure mellow tune by Joe Walsh about procrastination, I included it here to avoid stringing too many metal songs together, however I was in college, so maybe I identified with the lyrics too.
-Bleeding Me (Metallica) One of my personal favorites from Metallica’s Load album.
-Deuce (Hellmenn) A fast, punky cover of the Kiss classic.
-The Heart of the Matter (D. Henley) Just felt like a bit of 80’s pop…
-Turbo Lover (Judas Priest) The heavy metal titan’s least ‘metal’ hit (lots of synth on this song, thank the 80’s for that), but I still like it.
-Then She Kissed Me (Kiss) Kiss covering the classic 50’s hit.
-Last Exit (Pearl Jam) Needed a ‘grunge’-era song somewhere, I thought this number was a bit underrated from the Vitalogy album.
Side B
-Peace in Mississippi (Hendrix) An excellent instrumental from one of the most legendary guitarists of all time. Never heard of it? Do yourself a favor & listen to it NOW.
-Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles) This is a live version from the “Hell Freezes Over” album. Can’t beat the vibe of this band that had just reunited.
-Polly (Nirvana-unplugged) This unplugged version really rocks!
-Rip It Out (Haphazard) Another Kiss cover, this one comes from “Dressed to Kill: An Independent Tribute to Kiss”
-Silent Scream (Slayer) When Slayer tackle issues in their music, they’re brutal about it. This one’s no different. Be warned, it deals with abortion.
-Long Day (Matchbox 20) Back when MB20 actually rocked!
-Forever Night Shade Mary (Latin Playboys) This song comes from the Desperado Soundtrack. Robert Rodriguez’ selection of songs & how he works them into this film is simply fantastic. I bought the soundtrack because of how well it enhanced the film.
-Murder (Sepultura) This is probably the heaviest song on this mix. From the “Arise” album, it thrashes as fast as any song from the mid-80’s
-Down In a Hole (Alice In Chains-unplugged) Another live, acoustic grunge song. Again, there’s something special about live performances, and the acoustic arrangement on this song makes it all the better.
-Stir it Up (Cool Runnings Soundtrack) Diana King covers the Bob Marley classic.
-Love Gun (Flipp) This is a very different arrangement of a Kiss classic. Slowed down to about half the tempo of the original and played on acoustic guitar, its practically a different song.
-More Human Than Human (White Zombie-Remix) Taken from “Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds: The Astro-Creep Remixes.” As far as remixes go, I find this one really cool.
-Train to Nowhere (Great White) From Great White’s live album, “Stage”, this bluesy rock song has a great groove.
-Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow) Straight forward Sheryl Crow. Another acoustic number.
-Hard Luck Woman (Garth Brooks) One last Kiss cover to close this music mix. Although Garth is to Country what Kiss is to Rock N’ Roll, he does a great job covering this song.

Black Tide Rising...

Post #10
It's not every day where I have a chance to review a band prior to the release of their debut album. With Black Tide I have that chance & I'm taking it! Slated for release next month on February 5th, their debut album, "Light From Above", is already on my radar of CDs to collect soon. In addition to picking up their promo/single at Hot Topic, I've also had the opportunity to see these guys live at Ozzfest this past summer. They really rock (especially their singer/guitarist/songwriter who's only 17)!
They instantly caught my ear at Ozzfest because I arrived while they were covering Metallica's "Hit the Lights". They sounded great live, and their 2-song single is equally impressive. They have a classic-metal feel: Great guitar solos, catchy riffs, good mid-range vocals. Overall Black Tide remind me of bands like Avenged Sevenfold & Trivium (both of which I plan to blog about in the future!) So if you want to jump on the bandwagon of a young & promising new heavy metal band, give Black Tide a listen.
I can easily recommend the 2 songs on their single:
-Shockwave
-Warriors of Time

Check out their website: http://www.blacktidemusic.com/

'Tis The Season! A Rockin' Christmas Post (pt.2)

Post #9
Get "Barenaked For The Holidays"!
Seriously, you should get it! Its the collection of holiday music from the band Barenaked Ladies. This is truly a favorite holiday music CD in our household around Christmas Time, right up there with good ole' Bing Crosby (and not just a favorite of mine, my wife digs it as much as I do!) It's also more than just a "Christmas" CD, as it contains a number of Hanukkah songs as well. So whether you put up a tree & stockings, or spin dreidels & light the Menorah, you will certainly enjoy this recording.

In true Barenaked Ladies fashion, they pep-up the album with some comedic tunes like Jingle Bells & The Elf's Lament. But don't think this is entirely a goofy album either! There are a number of truly heart-felt interpretations of classic Holiday songs that genuinely honor the "Reason for the Season", for either faith.
For those who download, I recommend:
-Jingle Bells
-Hanukkah Blessings
-Elf's Lament
-God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/We Three Kings (features Sarah McLachlan)
-Deck The Stills
-I Have a Little Dreidel
-Auld Lang Syne

'Tis The Season! A Rockin' Christmas Post (pt. 1)

Post #8
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Back in the 90's this group started off as a side project from the band Savatage. Initially they recorded classic Christmas songs in the Heavy Metal style. After a successful video & single with "Christmas Eve", they soon began to write original Christmas-themed material. Since their debut "Christmas Eve & Other Stories", they've released 2 other Christmas albums (both concept albums that create their own story) and one non-Christmas album: Beethoven's Last Night. The Christmas albums are a blend of new material & Holiday classics interpreted throughout. On all their recordings, the guitars & drums are expertly blended with symphonic accompaniment. If you like hard rock music and like getting into the Holiday Spirit, then check out this band!
Recommended Christmas Rock from TSO:
-Anno Domine
-Siberian Sleigh Ride
-What Child Is This?
-O’ Come All Ye Faithful
-The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve
-Boughs Of Holly
-Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 (This is the song that started it all; it can also be found on Savatage's classic concept album, Dead Winter Dead ['95], which tells a story of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
-This Christmas Day
-Back To A Reason (Part II) (This song is a sequel/rewrite of "Back to a Reason", which originally appeared on the Savatage album: Poets And Madmen ['01])

MEGADETH-The Full Review

Post #7
I Know I've already posted about Megadeth's Rust In Peace album, but I need to have a post about their career as a whole, so here it goes...

Killing is My Business... (...and Business is Good!) -1985
Mustaine's first recording since being ousted from Metallica 2 years before gives true merit to his metal song-writing skills. Megadeth establish a fast/shredding metal sound that is different enough from Metallica to establish a loyal following in their own right.
Highlights:
-Last Rites/Loved to Deth
-Rattlehead
-Mechanix (this is a new arrangement & lyrics for the Metallica song "The Four Horsemen" which Mustaine co-wrote as well- Megadeth speed it up as you will see if you compare the 2)

Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? -1986
With Megadeth's 2nd release they establish a level of consistency with their fast metal sound. This recording also seems to have more direction & consistency within itself as well. Political themes make their way into some songs here too (most notably on the title track), a premonition of what will become a trend for Megadeth in the years to come.
Recommended:
-Peace Sells
-Wake Up Dead
-My Last Words (An awesome song about Russian Roulette!)

So Far, So Good... So What! -1988
By Megadeth's 3rd album, the drug habits of the group begin to take a toll on their song quality. Although there are certainly some great metal songs on this album, I must bring myself to say it is probably their 2nd-worst album. Don't let this deter you though, it's still a great deal better than many other heavy metal albums that are out there.
Recommended:
-Set the World Afire
-Hook In Mouth
-In My Darkest Hour (this is possibly the best song in Megadeth's whole catalog- funny that the rest of the album doesn't live up to this standard)

RUST IN PEACE -1990
I won't spend too much time on this album here. For a more in-depth review, see my "Rust In Peace" post! In a nutshell: This is the BEST Megadeth album ever.

Do not miss: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due



Countdown To Extinction -1992
Here is where Megadeth really make a change to their sound & push for the mainstream-radio sound in metal. There are a great number of slower tempo, more melodic songs to be found on this album. Although this move kind of went against their previous trend of heaviness & speed, the album is still an overall success, and highly regarded by many long-time Megadeth fans (myself included) as a great album. My personal favorites:
-Sweating Bullets
-Countdown to Extinction
-Foreclosure of a Dream
-Architecture of Aggression

Youthanasia -1994
This album hits with a bit of a heavier feel than Countdown does, however Megadeth do drift a bit further away from the speed element of their earlier work. The only down side to this album is probably the fact that so many of the songs sound too similar to each other. There are still good ones to choose from, the most distinguishing being "A Tout Le Monde". Other recommendations:
-Reckoning Day
-Family Tree

Hidden Treasures -1995
Since the late 80's, Megadeth had been contributing many songs to various movie soundtracks and compilations over a number of years. Most of these contributions never appeared on an official Megadeth record... until now! This is a collection of previously released songs, none of which had been on a Megadeth release. In essence, it's almost like a Greatest Hits record of all new songs.
Check out:
-Angry Again
-99 Ways to Die
-Go To Hell
-Diadems

MD.45-The Craving -1996
With this side project, Mustaine collaborates with Lee Ving (from the 80's Punk Rock band Fear). I think they were aiming for a blend of Punk and Metal. The overall feel is a very raw sounding metal album. The end result is not bad, it's actually better than a couple of Megadeth's own records. It sounds pretty much like a Megadeth album with Lee on lead vocals. However, when Dave remastered the Megadeth back-catalog, he apparently re-recorder the vocal tracks on this album in his own voice. I haven't heard the remastered version yet, but I'd imagine it makes it sound even more like a real Megadeth album. I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite tracks from this CD:
-Hell's Motel
-Designer Behavior
-Nothing is Something
-Roadman (some parts of this one remind me of Rattlehead from Killing is My Business)

Cryptic Writings -1997
As the 90's wore on, grunge and alternative rock grew to dominate the mainstream of rock & metal music. So much so, that Metallica tried their hand at the craft and saw huge success with 1996's Load. With Cryptic Writings, Megadeth seem to make another lunge at radio-friendly song writing. Of all Megadeth's albums, this one comes closest to repeating the level of mainstream success they had with "Countdown". The songs on this album bring back a variety of sounds and tempos that were missing back on "Youthanasia". A bit of the influence of the alternative rock scene can be heard on the song "I'll Get Even", but overall it's not as evident as it is on Metallica's Load from the previous year. There are a lot of good songs on this album:
-Trust
-Almost Honest
-Use the Man
-I'll Get Even
-She-Wolf
-Fff

Risk -1999
Ok, this is it: the only Megadeth album I would actually NOT recommend you buy. It is hands-down the worst Megadeth album. This is the most experimental album they've ever recorded, and it falls short of any expectations. There are elements of Industrial mixed with metal, and other songs are almost pop-metal. Few if any songs can be compared to the rest of Megadeth's work. If you're still curious, a couple songs it wouldn't hurt to try are:
-Prince of Darkness
-Time: The Beginning (& The End)

The World Needs a Hero -2001
This album marks the start of a new era for Megadeth, as Mustaine replaces Friedman on lead guitar and Menza on drums. New members Al Pitrelli (guitar) and Jimmy Degrasso (drums-also from the MD.45 project) help Dave Mustaine right the direction of Megadeth on this effort. The vibe here is definitely closer to "Classic Megadeth" than the previous couple of albums, but it's not quite on the level with "Countdown" or anything that came before that. Still, the good songs on this CD are really good. Check out:
-Disconnect
-MotoPsycho
-Dread & the Fugitive Mind (This one originally appeared on "Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years", a best-of album that Capitol Records needed from the band before releasing them from their contract. Megadeth switched to Sanctuary Records afterward)
-Return to Hangar (Yes, it's a sequel to Hangar 18! Not as good as the original, but not bad.)
-When (This is a nice long, epic track dedicated to a bad relationship-much like "In My Darkest Hour" was)

The System Has Failed -2004
This album was intended to be Dave Mustaine's debut solo-album, however the legal-schmegal fine print of record contracts made it easier for Dave to keep the Megadeth moniker, rather than drop it. From this point on, one may want to view any Megadeth material as Dave Mustaine's solo project.
In spite of another line-up change and the bad-terms exit of original Bassist Dave Ellifson, this CD really gets back to old-school Megadeth thrashing even more than "Hero" did. For the studio work, Dave even brought in former guitarist Chris Poland to help on a lot of the guitar solos. Chris, at one point described this album as "Rust In Peace Part 2". Some of the better songs on this CD truly live up to that praise, too. Mustaine & Poland have several dueling lead guitar solos on the album, much like they used to do up until RIP. Political themed lyrics are back with a sharp tongue as Dave criticizes a variety of issues including the judicial system and international affairs. The only gripe I have with this CD is how the lyrics sometimes don't flow well with the riffs, they seem a bit forced in places. And other lyrics seem to dwell a bit too long on Dave's new grudge with Lars Ulrich (at least it seems so to me). Here are my top suggestions from this album:
-Blackmail the Universe
-Kick the Chair
-Die Dead Enough
-Back In The Day
-Truth Be Told

United Abominations -2007
If "System" was a true return-to-form for Megadeth, then United Abominations may become known as a masterpiece. Here is another solid step in the direction of unyielding thrash. Mustaine has changed the band's line-up (again), but the speed and technical masterwork on lead guitar doesn't skip a beat from "System". If you thought some of the lyrics were controversial on the previous album, then you better brace yourself for some of these. I've never heard good ole' Dave tear into politics without holding anything back as much as he does here. I'll take a moment here to say that although I don't always agree with some of Dave Mustaine's out-spoken opinions, I truly admire him for having the balls to say what he believes. This is what Rock music & Heavy Metal are all about: sticking it to "the man" (thank you, School of Rock). Much of the criticism on this album is aimed at US foreign policy and the actions (and inactions) of the United Nations. But if you can put some of your opinions aside for the sake of banging your head to some shredding metal, then United Abominations is sure to cause you some well-deserved headaches!
Recomended Tracks:
-Sleepwalker
-Washington is Next!
-Gears of War
-Set Me Free (A Tout Le Monde) (this is the exact same song as the original "A Tout Le Monde", just rerecorded and some cool new vocals from Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. I find it better than the original!)
-United Abominations

All cover images from either:
http://www.megadeth.com/ or
www.rattleheadhq.com/
11/15-12/13/07 -Headbanger_71369

The Ultimate Paul Stanley Power-Ballad Collection

Post #6
Okay, Please forgive me this segue into what some may consider the very abomination of what Heavy Metal should be about: the Power Ballad! I swear I'll get back to real METAL quickly with my next post... I'm compelled to write this particular post because of an hilarious video I saw on youtube.com called "Paul Stanley-Lullabye Guy" (here's the link if you want to see it for yourself:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRM2g8vEEbY

(Although I was ROTFL myself as I watched & listened, I also was able to appreciate this guy's voice as he was actually pretty good at imitating Paul's singing style). It also made me realize that Paul has had a ballad or power ballad on pretty much every KISS album I could remember. So I looked into it a little more closely and came up with this list (in case anyone wants to make a mix CD or i-pod play list of Mr. Stanley's ballads through the years).



KISS ('74)-LET ME KNOW (this album may not have a "true" ballad per se, but this song is close enough, I think)
Hotter Than Hell ('74)-COMIN' HOME
Dressed to Kill ('75)-ANYTHING FOR MY BABY or LOVE HER ALL I CAN
Destroyer ('76)-DO YOU LOVE ME? (the famous ballad from this album is of course, "BETH" sung by Peter Criss, but Paul presents this much harder-rocking pseudo-ballad as well)
Rock & Roll Over ('76)-HARD LUCK WOMAN (written by Paul, but sung by Peter)
Love Gun ('77)-THEN SHE KISSED ME (cover of the 60' pop song, but Paul sings on this track-closest song to a ballad on this album)
1978: PAUL STANLEY's Solo album is packed with ballads-pick one you like!
Dynasty ('79)-SURE KNOW SOMETHING
Unmasked ('80)-SHANDI
Music From "The Elder" ('81)-ODYSSEY
Creatures of the Night ('82)-I STILL LOVE YOU (this one lifts Paul's Power-Ballad skills to a new level!)
Lick It Up ('83)-A MILLION TO ONE
Animalize ('84)-THRILLS IN THE NIGHT
Asylum ('85)-TEARS ARE FALLING
Crazy Nights ('87)-REASON TO LIVE
Hot in the Shade ('89)-FOREVER*
Revenge ('92)-EVERY TIME I LOOK AT YOU
Carnival of Souls [The Final Sessions] ('97)-I WILL BE THERE
Psycho-Circus ('98)-DREAMING (Paul-vocals) or I FINALLY FOUND MY WAY (written by Paul, sung by Peter)
Detroit Rock City [movie soundtrack] ('99)-NOTHING CAN KEEP ME FROM YOU (this one was actually written by Diane Warren- who'd penned "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" for Aerosmith on the Armageddon soundtrack. This song could be referenced as another example of KISS trying [and failing] to duplicate some of thier peers' glory. I must admit that since Aerosmith's comeback with Permanent Vacation in '87 they've been the better band, but that's a story for another post...)
Live To Win ('07)-This is Paul's new solo-album (post-KISS). Similar to his '78 solo album there are several ballads to pick from. Try EVERY TIME I SEE YOU AROUND, or SECOND TO NONE.

*-If you're like me and can only take power-ballads in small doses, or one at a time, then this is the one I say to go with...

(Images from www.paulstanley.com)