Hellacopters – ‘Rock and Roll Is
Dead’ (Universal Music/Wild Kingdom)
If rock and
roll ain't dead yet, the Hellacopters might have come close to killing it with
their latest turd of an album. From what I can tell, the songs are pretty good,
but whoever was in charge of getting this thing recorded needs to find a new
calling in life, because they're failing at their current one. The Chuck Berry
riff on the first cut, "Before The Fall", was pretty cool until the song kicked
in and something was missing - DISTORTION. The album's just too clean. By the
time I got to the fourth track, "No Angel to Lay Me Away", it was evident that
the Hellacopters' guardian angel was nowhere to be found - the song starts quiet
but there's plenty of room to take this to a louder, better place. It gets
louder, but only marginally. "Leave It Alone" reminded me of late-70's Rolling
Stones, which would be good except they took the blackup singers from early-70's
Stones and tried to mix it. It doesn't work. Nick Royale should take a cue from
Iggy's remastering of Raw Power - take the Crestwood guitar and Marshall stack
into the studio, redo the guitar tracks, and push everything else a little
closer to the redline. Then, maybe the Hellacopters can resuscitate their brand
of rock and roll. (Adam LaSota)
Oh.
My. Gods! Those words keep echoing in my head as I listen to ‘Vinland Saga’,
the second album from the members of Atrocity and former Theatre of Tragedy
vocalist Liv Kristine. I 've had this CD for days now, and haven't been able to
stop listening to it. ‘Vinland Saga’ is a concept album about the voyage to the
new world made by Viking Leif Eriksson in ancient times. It’s fascinating from
beginning to end, and my only complaint is that it ended too soon! Of course,
great albums always end too soon, leaving one reaching for the "repeat" button
on the old CD player. ‘Vinland Saga’ both rocks and entrances, stimulates and
soothes, entertains and challenges the listener to delve deeper. It's one of
those rare releases that transcends genre, one that can appeal to both
metal-head and ballad fan alike. Liv Kristine's voice is in perfect form here,
and her performance elevates her to the heights of the highest ranked female
vocalists, along with Lisa Gerrard, Tarja Turunen, and Ann Wilson among others.
Alexander Krull and the other Atrocity members are also near perfect in their
performance, making an aural landscape that weaves metal fury and beauty in one
seamless tapestry. The songs, however, are what really set this album apart.
Well crafted, tightly arranged, and melodic as hell, they will stay in your head
for hours, days, and weeks after listening to them, and will haunt your dreams.
If I were to name the standout tracks, I'd have to list every song on the
album! There isn't a clunker in the bunch! In a year filled with great music,
‘Vinland Saga’ just shows that you haven't heard anything yet! The Heathen
Hippy gives it 5 million stars! (Taliesin Govannon)
Omegalord
plays a form of straight-forward hard rock I like to call "biker
metal"...pounding beats, chunky riffs, screaming guitar solos, and vocals that
are testosterone-heavy without venturing into death metal grunting. Imagine
classic Danzig without Glenn's Elvis impersonations (with Zakk Wylde's Black
Label Society style) and you can begin to see where I'm coming from. Overall,
this is one damn impressive
album! This band
plays 100% no-bullshit metal, the kind that gets your fist in the air and your
head banding furiously. The album kicks off in fine form with "Skullbong" (a
killer track!), and then chugs along with riff after riff and great song after
great song until the album closer "Hostile City" finishes things off with a
bang. If you like your rock heavy and without frills, then you should
definitely check out Omegalord. The Heathen Hippy gives it four wheelies. For
more info visit www.omegalord.com.
(Taliesin Govannon)
Wow...another
great Canadian metal band! Like Goat Horn (reviewed elsewhere on the site)
Penetrator plays great, straight-forward heavy metal unencumbered by sub-label
bullshit or posing. This is great metal, in the vein of Armored Saint, Dio-era
Black Sabbath, Saxon, and Judas Priest. The songs are tight, the musicianship
is tighter, and the melodies are catchy as hell. I especially liked the bass
work on "Muso In A Bottle". My only complaint is that I only got a three-song
sampler instead of the full length release (available at
www.penetratorpower.com). I really can't tell you if the whole album is
this good, or if these are the best three songs cherry-picked and sent for
review. You can't blame the band for that...this was sent by their management
(Come on MetalQueen...give up the goods! *wink*). If the whole CD is as good as
the sampler, however, then this is one great find! The Heathen Hippy gives
these three songs four banging heads. (Taliesin Govannon)
If rock and
roll ain't dead yet, the Hellacopters might have come close to killing it with
their latest turd of an album. From what I can tell, the songs are pretty good,
but whoever was in charge of getting this thing recorded needs to find a new
calling in life, because they're failing at their current one. The Chuck Berry
riff on the first cut, "Before The Fall", was pretty cool until the song kicked
in and something was missing - DISTORTION. The album's just too clean. By the
time I got to the fourth track, "No Angel to Lay Me Away", it was evident that
the Hellacopters' guardian angel was nowhere to be found - the song starts quiet
but there's plenty of room to take this to a louder, better place. It gets
louder, but only marginally. "Leave It Alone" reminded me of late-70's Rolling
Stones, which would be good except they took the blackup singers from early-70's
Stones and tried to mix it. It doesn't work. Nick Royale should take a cue from
Iggy's remastering of Raw Power - take the Crestwood guitar and Marshall stack
into the studio, redo the guitar tracks, and push everything else a little
closer to the redline. Then, maybe the Hellacopters can resuscitate their brand
of rock and roll. (Adam LaSota)
Oh.
My. Gods! Those words keep echoing in my head as I listen to ‘Vinland Saga’,
the second album from the members of Atrocity and former Theatre of Tragedy
vocalist Liv Kristine. I 've had this CD for days now, and haven't been able to
stop listening to it. ‘Vinland Saga’ is a concept album about the voyage to the
new world made by Viking Leif Eriksson in ancient times. It’s fascinating from
beginning to end, and my only complaint is that it ended too soon! Of course,
great albums always end too soon, leaving one reaching for the "repeat" button
on the old CD player. ‘Vinland Saga’ both rocks and entrances, stimulates and
soothes, entertains and challenges the listener to delve deeper. It's one of
those rare releases that transcends genre, one that can appeal to both
metal-head and ballad fan alike. Liv Kristine's voice is in perfect form here,
and her performance elevates her to the heights of the highest ranked female
vocalists, along with Lisa Gerrard, Tarja Turunen, and Ann Wilson among others.
Alexander Krull and the other Atrocity members are also near perfect in their
performance, making an aural landscape that weaves metal fury and beauty in one
seamless tapestry. The songs, however, are what really set this album apart.
Well crafted, tightly arranged, and melodic as hell, they will stay in your head
for hours, days, and weeks after listening to them, and will haunt your dreams.
If I were to name the standout tracks, I'd have to list every song on the
album! There isn't a clunker in the bunch! In a year filled with great music,
‘Vinland Saga’ just shows that you haven't heard anything yet! The Heathen
Hippy gives it 5 million stars! (Taliesin Govannon)
Omegalord
plays a form of straight-forward hard rock I like to call "biker
metal"...pounding beats, chunky riffs, screaming guitar solos, and vocals that
are testosterone-heavy without venturing into death metal grunting. Imagine
classic Danzig without Glenn's Elvis impersonations (with Zakk Wylde's Black
Label Society style) and you can begin to see where I'm coming from. Overall,
this is one damn impressive
Wow...another
great Canadian metal band! Like Goat Horn (reviewed elsewhere on the site)
Penetrator plays great, straight-forward heavy metal unencumbered by sub-label
bullshit or posing. This is great metal, in the vein of Armored Saint, Dio-era
Black Sabbath, Saxon, and Judas Priest. The songs are tight, the musicianship
is tighter, and the melodies are catchy as hell. I especially liked the bass
work on "Muso In A Bottle". My only complaint is that I only got a three-song
sampler instead of the full length release (available at
