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Flight 09 – 'Rifflection' (Neurosis Records) 
All the way from Uzbekistan comes Flight 09, a progressive
rock/jazz fusion group of considerable talent whose debut CD has been released
by Cleveland label Neurosis Records. It’s a little on the mellow side for my
tastes, but the band knows how to write a good song. They have enough good
taste to let their playing work in the service of the song, avoiding self
indulgence and masturbatory showboating. Solos are short, with more emphasis
placed on the interplay of the musicians as a group. ‘Rifflection’ mostly
consists of mid tempo rockers, with a few bluesy numbers and ballads for
variety. Unfortunately the band never really seems to cut loose. While the
players are good, I think they need to up the energy level and go for a stronger
studio sound to really reach their full potential. I’ve never heard the band
live (it’s been a while since I last visited Uzbekistan), but I’m guessing this
album doesn’t really do them justice. (Bob Ignizio)
Rocket From The
Crypt – 'Live From Camp X-Ray' (Tee Vee Tunes)
Full tilt, ass
kicking, thunder boogie Rock 'N' Roll that should rule the world. That's how I
feel about San Diego's Rocket From The Crypt. You may feel differently, but
that's only because you're wrong. All kidding aside, “Live From Camp X-Ray” is
RFTC's sixth full length release and it's too short. There you go, that's my
complaint with the album. I don't have any others. There are 10 songs on the
album and it totals about 29 minutes so the whole Rocket experience goes by
waaaaay too fast. The album, which is neither live or from Camp X-Ray in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, kicks off with “I'm Not Invisible”, the first single and
the song they performed recently on the Craig Kilborn show. It's a peppy little
ditty and it sets the stage for the overall “theme” of the album: A response to
our country's reaction to 9/11. This may seem strange for a band like RFTC to
take a political slant in their music and you would be right. It's not
something that they have done on a regular basis in their 12 year existence, but
that's okay. The lyrics might be of a political nature, but the only thing
that's in your face is the music, not the message. Other songs on “X-Ray” that
demand attention include “I Wanna Know What I Wanna Know”, “Bring Us Bullets”,
“Too Many Balls” and the ass shaking romp “I Can't Feel My Head.” While all of
these songs and the rest of the album kick more than the recommended daily
amount of ass, Rocket From The Crypt is a band that MUST be seen live to fully
appreciate how amazing they truly are. (Mr. Lee)
Various - ‘Rise
Above – 24 Black Flag Songs To Benefit The West Memphis Three’ (Sanctuary)
For those
unfamiliar with the West Memphis Three, in short, they are three young adults
who are currently in prison for the murder of three young boys in West Memphis,
Arkansas. There are many who believe that they are not guilty and that much
overlooked evidence supports these claims. They were singled out to take the
fall because they wore black and listened to Heavy Metal which, of course, leads
to Satan worship...and murder. Check out the documentaries, ‘Paradise Lost’ 1 &
2 or the newly published book ‘Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis
Three’ for yourself and come to your own conclusions. The album is comprised of
24 covers of Black Flag songs. All of the music is performed by Mother
Superior, aka Rollins Band sans Rollins, and each song features a different
vocalist. Well, almost. Henry Rollins, who pulled this project together, sings
on 6 of the 24 tracks. Other vocalists lending their time and talent include
Lemmy, Neil Fallon of Clutch, Tom Araya of Slayer, Nick Oliveri of Queens of the
Stone Age, Excene Cervenka, Hank III, Ice T, Dean Ween and the ubiquitous Mike
Patton. Patton is now involved in every rock recording on the planet whether
you know it or not. Some of the standout tracks are Neil Fallon singing
“American Waste”, Tom Araya's “Revenge”, Hank III belting out “No Values” and
Corey Taylor of Slipknot doing “Room 13” like it was a long-lost Slipknot song.
I personally was never a big fan of Black Flag when they were in their prime,
but Rollins updated versions of these classics really stand out with better
production and his vocals being more mature without losing much of that angry
edge. One interesting point about this album is the fact that all of the music
is 100% Greg Ginn free. Obviously there is still quite a rift between him and
Rollins, but it's still amazing that he didn't play a single note of the music
that he wrote for a benefit album. All in all, this is quite a good album
covering the span of Black Flag's history. Pick up this album and relive your
angry youth while lending a helping hand at the same time. (Mr. Lee)
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