My blog on HubPages.com - Reviews of Music, Movies, etc.

A new "Forgotten Hard Rock Albums" entry zooms in on Crimson Glory's least essential release:



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Forgotten-Hard-Rock-Albums-Crimson-Glory-Strange-and-Beautiful

Been busy lately, reviewing Stormspell's Spring 2021 release slate:

Warrior Path, "the Mad King"



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Warrior-Path-The-Mad-King-Album-Review

Timeless Haunt, "Dark For Life"


https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Timeless-Haunt-Dark-For-Life-Album-Review

Two more from Stormspell:
Laden Saint, self titled - reissue of 2010 indie release by long lost Washington State band


https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Laden-Saint-Album-Review

Starscape, "Colony" - sci-fi themed retro metal from Sweden


https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Starscape-Colony-Album-Review

But wait, there's one more!
I recently picked up Kingdom Come's self titled debut CD from 1988, which led to this trip down memory lane...


https://spinditty.com/genres/Revisiting-Lenny-Wolfs-Kingdom-Come

New review of False Reality, the debut album by Project Resurrect featuring our old HOM-ie Phoenix Reign Drummer on the skins...



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Project-Resurrect-False-Reality-Album-Review

Fat Freddy wrote:

But wait, there's one more!
I recently picked up Kingdom Come's self titled debut CD from 1988, which led to this trip down memory lane...


https://spinditty.com/genres/Revisiting-Lenny-Wolfs-Kingdom-Come

I picked this one up about a year or so ago in a thrift shop for a buck. Like many others at the time, I blew them off as Zep clones/posers. It's a much better album than I expected and had they just owned up to it, I think it could have done quite well for them. Having the balls to say they never heard of Led Zeppelin in interviews is what really sank them. Like a led balloon. Or zeppelin, if you will.

New album from Grimgotts, the U.K.'s answer to Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Labyrinth, etc. will be out in early May:



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Grimgotts-Tales-Sagas-Legends-Album-Review

Today's two-fer:

Raven's Party Killers cover album is a ton of fun:

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Raven-Party-Killers-CD-Review

I also enjoyed Dokken's The Lost Songs 1978-81, though your mileage may vary depending on the depths of your Dokken fanhood.

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Dokken-The-Lost-Songs-1978-1981-Review

I whipped up two new installments over the long holiday weekend, cuz the weather was crappy so there wasn't much else to do:

Digging through the archives, I dusted off '2-4-1" by CJSS, a combo platter of their two albums feat. David Chastain on guitar:

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/CJSS-2-4-1-CD-Review

Aerosmith did an "MTV Unplugged" back in 1990 but for some reason, they never released that performance on CD, which is weird. Fortunately I came across a decent quality bootleg to fill that gap in my collection:

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Aerosmith-Unplugged-1990-Review

New entry, looking back on Metallica's "Black Album" as it approaches its 30th (!) anniversary.


https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Metallicas-Black-Album-Turns-30

That was one of the first albums I ever owned as a kid, after hearing "The Unforgiven" on the radio I had to have it.

To the surprise of no one this is the album that made me start paying attention to Metallica.  I loved it!  As everyone here knows, I'm no fan of thrash at all...all the speed and the screechy vocals (looking at you Mustaine)...yeah I'll pass.  But this?  I had no idea Metallica could appeal to my ever-present melodic sense.  When listening to music I value melody and vocals over everything else.  I prefer that the music be hard rock or heavy metal but the importance I put on those two aspects of music even lets me appreciate a band like ABBA or more recently Lady Gaga.  I own nothing by either artist but if something by either one happens to pass my way I don't instantly change whatever is transmitting it.  

So yeah, I really dig this album.

EDIT: I'll also add that many of the featured tracks on the album were WAY overplayed and I got sick of them too. I also haven't listened to the album in years because my tastes have gotten even more sleazy and glammy. But "The Black Album" is still my favorite Metallica album.

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb release like Justice. I wanted more aggression and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

Troublezone wrote:

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb thrash album like Justice. I wanted more speed and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

Quite similar for me, really. There are a handful of songs on there, now, that I can appreciate, but I still much prefer their first 4 to this one.

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb thrash album like Justice. I wanted more speed and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

Quite similar for me, really.  There are a handful of songs on there, now, that I can appreciate, but I still much prefer their first 4 to this one.

The Cliff Burton era will always be my favorite. Justice was great too! But it had zero of that beautiful bass alchemy (or any bass at all). The black album was a giant step away from their roots and a bit too simple and commercial, but still way more metal than they later evolved into. Some of the deeper tracks are very good.

Troublezone wrote:

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb thrash album like Justice. I wanted more speed and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

Quite similar for me, really.  There are a handful of songs on there, now, that I can appreciate, but I still much prefer their first 4 to this one.

The Cliff Burton era will always be my favorite. Justice was great too! But it had zero of that beautiful bass alchemy (or any bass at all). The black album was a giant step away from their roots and a bit too simple and commercial, but still way more metal than they later evolved into. Some of the deeper tracks are very good.

Yah, I found the mix on Justice to be.... lacking. No punch in it.

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb thrash album like Justice. I wanted more speed and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

Quite similar for me, really.  There are a handful of songs on there, now, that I can appreciate, but I still much prefer their first 4 to this one.

The Cliff Burton era will always be my favorite. Justice was great too! But it had zero of that beautiful bass alchemy (or any bass at all). The black album was a giant step away from their roots and a bit too simple and commercial, but still way more metal than they later evolved into. Some of the deeper tracks are very good.

Yah, I found the mix on Justice to be....  lacking.  No punch in it.

I agree, but most of the songs were great! Just a tad too long...
I also think Hetfield’s vocals and lyrics were some of his best.

Back from a brief hiatus, finally got around to reviewing the new Helloween:



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Helloween-Self-Titled-Album

A new installment of "Forgotten Hard Rock Albums," investigating the Throbs' Language of Thieves and Vagabonds (1991).



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Forgotten-Hard-Rock-Albums-The-Throbs-The-Language-of-Thieves-and-Vagabonds-1991

New entry!
I've been listening to a lot of vintage AC/DC lately, which inspired this deep dive into their humble beginnings.



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Humble-Beginnings-of-ACDC

Man, after listening to that version of can I sit next to you, all I can say is thank God for Bon Scott! AC/DC never would have hit my radar as a young child looking to expand beyond the pop rock shit I grew up on. I'd probably still be stuck in that world if not for them. So glad they got rid of that other dude and brought in the legend that would be, Bon Scott!

Troublezone wrote:

I borderline hated the black album when it first came out. Especially after a superb release like Justice. I wanted more aggression and heavy stuff and they were hitting the brakes. Luckily, there was Pantera to take their place.

That said... I enjoy it a lot more now. “Sad But True” is a great song. One of their best!

I didn't know what to think when I heard it the first time. I must have played it five times before I realized that that was really Metallica. I remember a dude I used to party with next door, who really wasn't much of a metalhead, not understanding why I was in such disbelief. Like you I was trying to find the speed and aggression from their previous albums, and he hears (I think) of wolf and man, and says there us my fast aggressive song. I'm like bitch please, that's a fucking slow song, do you even know who these guys are???? Throw in the Ride the Lighting to play Fight Fire with Fire just to shut him up. He got my point after that and shut up lol

New entry:
Been on a VENOM kick this past week, which inspired this look back at their "comeback" album.



https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Venom-Cast-In-Stone-Album-Review

Cool article, but I think the Tony Dolan albums were pretty good. Prime Evil was a great album, I'd rank it up there with the first four. Better by far than that POS Calm before the Storm anyways lol

I remember seeing and buying Cast in Stone at the record store. I thought Venom was long gone and done. Very happy when I heard that album for the first time. It's still great, and I listen to it every now and then. I was also lucky enough to get the expanded version at the time, which I also love. I like the originals better, but do like what you do about the production being better. Might be time to give it another listen tomorrow after I get done with Trouble and The Skull.

New entry:
I have a weakness for those low budget "tribute albums" from Deadline Records with their casts of thrown-together, out of work 80s hair metal dudes.
I got this one in the mail yesterday and had so much fun listening to it that this practically wrote itself



https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Broken-Law-A-Tribute-to-Judas-Priest-CD-Review