Good
lord, has it really been 18 years since Kreator hit the metal scene with their
debut EP "Flag of Hate"? To tell you the truth, I never really liked this band
"back in the day", but I've grown to be quite fond of them over time. There's
just something about German speed-metal the strikes a chord in me. Of course,
the fact that Kreator just gets better every year doesn't hurt either. Sure,
you can still hear the Slayer influence in them, but in an age where bands are
copying bands who copied bands who copied Slayer, an influence once removed is
almost refreshing. ‘Enemy of God’ is a pounding piece of thrashin' heaven that
should get your head banging in no time. From the opening riffs of the title
track through the anthemic groove of "The Ancient Plague", Kreator's latest
reminds you of a day when Germany and San Francisco, not Sweden, ruled the
extreme metal scene. The band stretches out and gets a bit more experimental on
"Voices of the Dead", and the acoustic opening of "Dying Race Apocalypse" adds a
nice twist. Kreator's music, however, is all about aggression with a thrash
groove, and this CD is full of just that. A great time! The Heathen Hippy
gives it four mugs of cold German beer. (Taliesin Govannon)
Shesus
sounds something like a pop-punk version of Blondie. Their 2004 recording
‘Ruined It For You’ contains seven tracks of highly energetic well-done music.
It is near impossible to listen to this CD without having the urge to bob your
head or shake your fist in the air to the beat. The band did the pop-punk genre
some service in making each song have it's own sound instead of letting the
overdone fast beat that makes up much of the genre own the entire album. The
album starts with a bang with “Debbie’s Shoes”. Then Shesus lowers the energy
on “Overseas Alert” and “Cheekbone Dance” before they kick it back to high with
“In the France” and “K.O.”. It's like a musical roller coaster ride, but a
smooth ride, though. Not like the roller coasters with the old wooden tracks
which jerk you around. Heather Newark's vocals contain the right amount of
attitude and melody to front the band. The other band members, all girls except
the drummer, do a fabulous job combining driving beats and sweet guitars. And
who doesn't love female led pop-punk with all its angst and beauty mixed
together? (Jennifer Adams)
‘The
Lost Christmas Eve’ contains some songs that are sure to grab Trans-Siberian
Orchestra fans by the jingle bells. "What is Christmas?" is a rollicking
Scrooge-like rant sung by a jaded businessman (played by talented Robert Evans).
The late Daryl Pediford's soulful rendition of "For the Sake of Our Brother" is
an inspired effort, and Jennifer Cella's performance of ‘Christmas Canon Rock’
is also excellent. TSO’s singers and musicians on this album are
top-of-the-line, which is what fans have come to expect from any Paul
O'Neill/Robert Kinkel production. TSO lovers will find plenty to like in this
mix of new and traditional Christmas songs. A quick check of Amazon.com and the
rave reviews for the CD shows that this is true. Having said all of that, I
must admit that I enjoyed ‘The Lost Christmas Eve’ less than ‘Christmas Eve and
Other Stories’. The lyrics in this latest effort are all right, but I found the
melodies generally less captivating. Still, if you’re a serious TSO fan,
chances are good that you’ll want to add this album to your collection. Even so,
I’m guessing that you won’t rank it at the top of the TSO Christmas trilogy.
(Bill Ignizio)
W.A.S.P. – ‘The Neon God Pt.2: The
Demise’ (Sanctuary)
It
matters little that Blackie Lawless is the only original member of W.A.S.P.
still in the band...this group always was, and continues to be, his brainchild.
Blackie's latest CD is the second part, and conclusion, to his modern hard rock
opera "The Neon God". In part one, we learned of central character Jesse
Slane's ascent from obscurity to worldwide acclaim as a new messiah, one who
championed pleasures of the flesh over self-denial and became revered as a
living God himself in the process. In part two we get to see the inevitable
decline, Jesse's struggle with his abusive past and his profound doubts about
his messianic mission. Folks, this is conceptual rock and roll at it's best!
If you are a fan *at all* of concept albums, then you MUST go out and get these
two discs NOW. Really, these should have been released as a double CD, but
independent marketing is tough enough these days, I guess. The story is
gripping, tense, emotional, and thoroughly satisfying. I knew Blackie had it in
him back during "The Headless Children", but it took until now to fully realize
the potential of this heavy-metal storyteller. And on top of it, the music
kicks ass! "Tear Down The Walls" rocks with a fury that reminds me of W.A.S.P.
circa 1985, and "Come Back To Black" continues the assault. "Clockwork Mary" is
delightfully deep, and "The Demise" stands well on it's own, as well. As a
matter of fact, the biggest problem many have with concept albums is that songs
too often take a back seat to the narrative, but I can say confidently that this
isn't the case here. All of the songs work well on their own, as well as within
the overall story-arc. I would rank these two discs (Parts One & Two) together
right up there with Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime" and Pink Floyd's "The
Wall" as one of the best concept albums of the rock era. I'm not kidding. The
Heathen Hippy gives it five neon stars! (Taliesin Govannon)
Good
lord, has it really been 18 years since Kreator hit the metal scene with their
debut EP "Flag of Hate"? To tell you the truth, I never really liked this band
"back in the day", but I've grown to be quite fond of them over time. There's
just something about German speed-metal the strikes a chord in me. Of course,
the fact that Kreator just gets better every year doesn't hurt either. Sure,
you can still hear the Slayer influence in them, but in an age where bands are
copying bands who copied bands who copied Slayer, an influence once removed is
almost refreshing. ‘Enemy of God’ is a pounding piece of thrashin' heaven that
should get your head banging in no time. From the opening riffs of the title
track through the anthemic groove of "The Ancient Plague", Kreator's latest
reminds you of a day when Germany and San Francisco, not Sweden, ruled the
extreme metal scene. The band stretches out and gets a bit more experimental on
"Voices of the Dead", and the acoustic opening of "Dying Race Apocalypse" adds a
nice twist. Kreator's music, however, is all about aggression with a thrash
groove, and this CD is full of just that. A great time! The Heathen Hippy
gives it four mugs of cold German beer. (Taliesin Govannon)
Shesus
sounds something like a pop-punk version of Blondie. Their 2004 recording
‘Ruined It For You’ contains seven tracks of highly energetic well-done music.
It is near impossible to listen to this CD without having the urge to bob your
head or shake your fist in the air to the beat. The band did the pop-punk genre
some service in making each song have it's own sound instead of letting the
overdone fast beat that makes up much of the genre own the entire album. The
album starts with a bang with “Debbie’s Shoes”. Then Shesus lowers the energy
on “Overseas Alert” and “Cheekbone Dance” before they kick it back to high with
“In the France” and “K.O.”. It's like a musical roller coaster ride, but a
smooth ride, though. Not like the roller coasters with the old wooden tracks
which jerk you around. Heather Newark's vocals contain the right amount of
attitude and melody to front the band. The other band members, all girls except
the drummer, do a fabulous job combining driving beats and sweet guitars. And
who doesn't love female led pop-punk with all its angst and beauty mixed
together? (Jennifer Adams)
‘The
Lost Christmas Eve’ contains some songs that are sure to grab Trans-Siberian
Orchestra fans by the jingle bells. "What is Christmas?" is a rollicking
Scrooge-like rant sung by a jaded businessman (played by talented Robert Evans).
The late Daryl Pediford's soulful rendition of "For the Sake of Our Brother" is
an inspired effort, and Jennifer Cella's performance of ‘Christmas Canon Rock’
is also excellent. TSO’s singers and musicians on this album are
top-of-the-line, which is what fans have come to expect from any Paul
O'Neill/Robert Kinkel production. TSO lovers will find plenty to like in this
mix of new and traditional Christmas songs. A quick check of Amazon.com and the
rave reviews for the CD shows that this is true. Having said all of that, I
must admit that I enjoyed ‘The Lost Christmas Eve’ less than ‘Christmas Eve and
Other Stories’. The lyrics in this latest effort are all right, but I found the
melodies generally less captivating. Still, if you’re a serious TSO fan,
chances are good that you’ll want to add this album to your collection. Even so,
I’m guessing that you won’t rank it at the top of the TSO Christmas trilogy.
(Bill Ignizio)
It
matters little that Blackie Lawless is the only original member of W.A.S.P.
still in the band...this group always was, and continues to be, his brainchild.
Blackie's latest CD is the second part, and conclusion, to his modern hard rock
opera "The Neon God". In part one, we learned of central character Jesse
Slane's ascent from obscurity to worldwide acclaim as a new messiah, one who
championed pleasures of the flesh over self-denial and became revered as a
living God himself in the process. In part two we get to see the inevitable
decline, Jesse's struggle with his abusive past and his profound doubts about
his messianic mission. Folks, this is conceptual rock and roll at it's best!
If you are a fan *at all* of concept albums, then you MUST go out and get these
two discs NOW. Really, these should have been released as a double CD, but
independent marketing is tough enough these days, I guess. The story is
gripping, tense, emotional, and thoroughly satisfying. I knew Blackie had it in
him back during "The Headless Children", but it took until now to fully realize
the potential of this heavy-metal storyteller. And on top of it, the music
kicks ass! "Tear Down The Walls" rocks with a fury that reminds me of W.A.S.P.
circa 1985, and "Come Back To Black" continues the assault. "Clockwork Mary" is
delightfully deep, and "The Demise" stands well on it's own, as well. As a
matter of fact, the biggest problem many have with concept albums is that songs
too often take a back seat to the narrative, but I can say confidently that this
isn't the case here. All of the songs work well on their own, as well as within
the overall story-arc. I would rank these two discs (Parts One & Two) together
right up there with Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime" and Pink Floyd's "The
Wall" as one of the best concept albums of the rock era. I'm not kidding. The
Heathen Hippy gives it five neon stars! (Taliesin Govannon)