The Fat Freddy Review Column

Eyesore wrote:

The Under Satanae album is killer! A nice mix of the original sound from those songs and the newer, more progressive Moonspell style.

Yea, UNDER SATANAE was an interesting listen, kinda prog-gone-black metal. Like a Satanic Kamelot!!

I've been on a reviewing binge this week... here's a few new ones

WOLFPACK UNLEASHED – ANTHEMS OF RESISTANCE (C) Napalm Records, 2007
10 Tracks, RT: 46:49
[ http://www.wolfpackunleashed.com ]
[ http://www.napalmrecords.com ]
I give guitarist Wops Koch of Austria’s Wolfpack Unleashed credit for his honesty. In the bio sheet that accompanies ANTHEMS OF RESISTANCE, he is quoted as saying his band “realized quickly that all classic Thrash riffs had already been written,” so at least he doesn’t think he’s re-inventing the metal genre on his band’s debut album. He then goes on to say “…so we used minor chords and melodies to create a unique sound,” but I suppose “unique” would be in the ear of the beholder. I found ANTHEMS OF RESISTANCE to be a pretty cool old school thrash album, but not a mindblowing release by any stretch of the imagination. The obvious influence here is the glorious Bay Area Thrash of old, i.e. early Metallica, Testament, Megadeth, etc… in fact, if James Hetfield (in his younger days) had joined ‘Deth and recorded RUST IN PEACE with them, it might have sounded something like this. (Gunther Wirth does have a slight vocal similarity to Hetfield, though his occasional growls – which lean a little too much towards Machine Head territory for me -- are entirely his own.) The real stars of Wolfpack Unleashed are the guitar team of Koch and Karl Preininger, as well as human drum machine Daniel Habert, who lay down a bed of seriously shredding, sledgehammer riffs and drum abuse beneath Wirth’s vocals. “Retro-Thrash” seems to be the flavor of the day right now with bands like Municipal Waste, Evile, SSS, Skeletonwitch, and many others picking up the spiked wristbands where 1989 left off, and though I’m not totally sold on the style as of yet, I’d say Wolfpack Unleashed are a worthy entrant into the category. Since they’re still a very young band (they only formed in 2005), I’d be interested in hearing them again in another album or two to see how they’ve progressed. As it stands, ANTHEMS OF RESISTANCE is a decent enough listen but not a must have unless you’re a thrash completist.

RESISTANCE – PATENTS OF CONTROL (B) Lion Music, 2007
11 Tracks, RT: 50:53
[ http://www.resistancemetal.com ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/resistancemetal ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/patentsofcontrol.htm ]

This is one of those CDs that took a couple of spins before it really started to sink in, but I was glad when it finally did. Resistance hails from Los Angeles and on PATENTS OF CONTROL (their second album), they have taken the concept album route, crafting a story about “one man’s obsession to provide humanity with the ideal society,” as well as “thought and behavior control through the use of devices that have actual United States Patents” and “the idea of world illuminati… to create a new world order.” Whew, sounds complicated, huh? Unfortunately, the promotional copy I was sent didn’t include a booklet or lyric sheet so I have no idea if any of that stuff (which I quoted from the bio) makes any sense when laid out in musical form…all I have to go on are the tunes themselves, and fortunately for Resistance, they’re quite good. PATENTS OF CONTROL is some intense yet melodic thrash that brings comparisons to JUSTICE-era Metallica and SOMETHING WICKED-era Iced Earth, with a twist of Nevermore’s technical wizardry for good measure. (They’re not quite as bizarre as Nevermore can occasionally be, but the similarity is definitely there.) The album kicks off quite nicely with the pounding “Inhumanation,” during which vocalist Robbie Hetts bears a slight resemblance to Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach. (!!) “Ashes of Tomorrow” is another highlight, featuring a catchy chorus (which is something a lot of newer thrash bands forget to provide in their music!), then Hetts gets some gruffer vocal assistance from Dreams of Damnation’s gravel voiced hellion, Loana D.P. Valencia, on the track “Paternal Shift” (which also features a guest solo from D.O.D./former Dark Angel axeman Jim Durkin). As previously mentioned, I can’t really follow the concept of PATENTS OF CONTROL without a CD booklet, but several of the tracks begin or end with the sounds of news broadcasts or weird sound effects (very MINDCRIME-ish!) that I assume must help move the story along. But even without getting the whole picture, PATENTS OF CONTROL comes across as a damn fine piece of dark sci-fi oriented thrash that will continue to see repeated spins in my CD player.

ROCKARMA – BRING IT! (B) Kivel Records, 2008
12 Tracks, RT: 41:49
[ http://www.rockarma.com ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/rockarma ]
[ http://www.kivelrecords.com ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/kivelrecords ]

Sitting down to review this disc caused me to battle some personal demons at first. I know one of the band members personally (guitarist Pete Fry, a fellow Jersey boy and a good friend from the “Heavy Harmonies” message board), so I had a lot of thinking to do before I even pressed “play” on BRING IT!... if I gave the album a rave review, would people then accuse me of kissing the band’s ass because of my ever-so-slight personal connection to them? Even worse, if I hated the disc, would Pete come to my house (he only lives about an hour and a half away from me) and kick my ass? Betcha you didn’t know that amateur music critics like me ever had these kind of troubles, huh? Finally I simply asked myself, “would I like this disc even if I didn’t know Pete played on it?” and the answer came back a resounding YES. For the uninitiated, Rockarma is a Canadian melodic rock band (Pete is a new recruit) that continues in the tradition of ‘80s arena-rock forefathers like Firehouse, Dokken, Stryper, Winger, Cinderella, Slaughter, et cetera, et cetera (the list could go on and on). As a result, BRING IT (their second album) sounds like it fell out of a time capsule straight from 1988. You won’t find any “modern rock” influences on BRING IT, and that’s just fine by me, brother! The band is tight, vocalist Damon Kelly sounds like a combination of C.J. Snare (Firehouse) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), and the songs are straight-up catchy, pop-edged hard rock anthems -- the kind of stuff we all grooved to on the radio back in the day. My favorite tracks were “Get Me Outta This Hole” (the guitar work in this one is pure George Lynch), “Let’s Go” (a crunchy track with a swaggering groove similar to JetBoy’s “Feel The Shake”) and the tender “Missing You” (which isn’t a cover of the John Waite AOR classic, by the way, even though that would’ve been pretty cool… it’s actually closer to Stryper’s “Always There For You”), but truthfully, nearly all of these songs had me humming along after only a couple of spins. BRING IT! is simply a fun listen all the way through and it provided a much needed, very pleasant break from all the B-list metalcore, thrash and hardcore CDs I’ve been reviewing around here lately. BRING IT comes highly recommended to everyone who misses the commercial hard rock sound of the late ‘80s golden era, and I know there are lots of you out there. Do yourself (and my friend Pete) a favor and buy several copies!

Bring It! is a big improvement over Damon Kelly's first disc but I still wish it was a little heavier. Great melodies on this one though.

Another new one:
CATASTROPHIC – PATHOLOGY OF MURDER (C) Napalm Records, 2008
11 tracks, RT:

With all due respect to the members of Catastrophic and the nice folks at Napalm Records, this CD got sent to the WRONG guy, because I am not a death metal fan at all, therefore I am pretty much unqualified to review this disc. Just giving you fair warning, fellas. On with it, then… Catastrophic once counted guitarist Trevor Peres of Obituary among their ranks (he appeared on their debut release THE CLEANSING, released via Metal Blade back in ‘01) but now that he’s rejoined the Obituary mothership, the rest of the band has soldiered on without him, releasing an EP in 2005 and now their sophomore full length, PATHOLOGY OF MURDER. If you’re a fan of this particular style, then you already know what you’re going to get before you even crack the shrink wrap on this CD. Nothin’ screams "Death Metal" louder than an album cover with butcher knives and severed heads on it, and PATHOLOGY OF MURDER contains all of the usual death metal hallmarks -- high speed, twisted guitar riffage, guttural vocals, drums that sound like a bunch of nuts and bolts clanging around in a blender, and shiny-happy song titles like "Healthy Dose of Hate," "Generation Decimation," and "Apathy’s Warm Embrace." I didn’t receive a lyric sheet with my promotional copy, but obviously I don’t need one to know that these guys aren’t singing about sunshine and bunnies. It’s not the worst death metal release I’ve ever heard, it’s not the best, and those of you who know more about this genre have probably already decided to buy it without the help of my useless uninformed opinion. All I can really say about it is "Meh, it’s OK if ya like this sorta thing, I guess. Next disc please."

Busted a few more reviewin' moves this week:

GYPSY CARNS – THE WATCHMAN (B)
TTM Records, 2007
12 Tracks, RT: 36:42
I’d never heard of Gypsy Carns until this CD arrived in my mailbox, but it appears that this guitar-slingin’, blues-rock wailin’ Nashville native has led quite an interesting life, according to the bio on his web site. Though his musical career dates back to the early 1960s (!), Gypsy became a Christian in the early 90s and since then he has been traveling the world, playing what he calls "Apocalyptic Messianic Rock," i.e. bluesy hard-edged music with a deeply religious message about the "end times" we are currently living in. THE WATCHMAN is his eighth religious album and though I may not terribly well versed in this particular musical style, I gotta say that I was very impressed by the soulful grooves that emanated from my stereo during my very first spin of THE WATCHMAN. Gypsy’s emotional guitar playing and rough-and-ready vocal style will immediately make you feel like you’re ankle-deep in a swamp somewhere way down South. THE WATCHMAN is hard core, pedal-to-the-metal biker rock, best described thusly: imagine if members of the Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, and heck, maybe even a couple of George Throrogood’s Destroyers got some of that old-time religion and then got together to kick out some sanctified jams. Tracks like "End of the Age," "Pray For Love," and my personal favorite "Searchin" are catchy, to-the-point, and don’t overstay their welcome with endless soloing/jamming. The extremely bold, in-your-face religious content in each and every lyric may become tiresome quickly for non-Christian listeners and therefore might prevent Gypsy from making any kind of crossover into the "secular" blues/rock market, but I’d imagine that crossing over is not a major priority for him anyway. All I can say is "jam on brother, jam on!"

SLIK HELVETIKA – KRYPT KICKER 5 (C)
Metro City/Screaming Ferret, 2007
9 Tracks, RT: 20:42
I reviewed the self-titled debut from this Pennsylvania-based band for Detritus back in ’05, and if memory serves, I compared the disc to a mix of early W.A.S.P., Accept, and a pinch of CREATURES OF THE NIGHT era KISS, and found them to be a fun (if somewhat dunderheaded) retro-metal listening experience, but not a must-hear. A few years have passed since then and now "The Slik’s" follow up EP, KRYPT KICKER 5, has arrived in my mailbox. After a couple of spins it sounds like my now three-year-old description of the band still holds water; in fact, KRYPT KICKER 5 sounds like it could have been recorded at the same time as the debut. However, I didn’t find this one to be nearly as much fun as the previous disc. "KK5" technically has nine tracks on it, but only five of these are actual songs, with a couple of supposedly humorous skits (!) in between songs taking up the rest of the run time. Unfortunately, these bits (which the band bills as "Various Skits of Phrenia" on the back of the CD -- har de har har! That’s about as sophisticated as this band GETS, kids!) are incredibly silly and should’ve been left off the album so the music could do more of the talking. Song-wise, KRYPT KICKER 5 is solid enough stuff, let down a bit by the fuzzy production job and lyrics that are heavy on the cheese factor. The strongest track is the opening song, "Bastard," which is a classic screaming metal anthem with a bit of a Judas Priest feel and plenty of shredding guitar. "You & Me" isn’t half bad either, but "Crack The Sky" gets annoying due to the over-use of Mikhail Myers’ high-pitched screams. "Pain" and "Pray For the Future" both have their decent chugging moments as well, but in the end, KRYPT KICKER 5 is an underwhelming release from a band that seems content to merely run in place and rehash their previous material rather than progress any further with their sound.

HERMANO - …INTO THE EXAM ROOM (C)
Suburban/Regain Records, 2008
12 Tracks, RT: 43:46
Somehow or other I managed to miss out on the entire Kyuss mini-phenomenon during the early-to-mid ‘90s. I remember reading about that now-legendary stoner-metal outfit in nearly every rock magazine during that period and wondering who they were and why they were getting so much love, but still heard very little, if any, of their musical output, so if you put a gun to my head right now and asked me to name five Kyuss songs, I’d have to tell you, "pull the trigger." The reason I bring this up is because former Kyuss guy John Garcia is now a member of Hermano, which naturally is one of the major selling points in the label’s bio and promotional material for INTO THE EXAM ROOM. Since I’m clueless about Kyuss, the connection meant next to nothing to me, of course, so therefore I was able to listen to INTO THE EXAM ROOM with no preconceptions or expectations whatsoever. I’ve only recently begun dipping my toes into the "stoner rock" realm via recent outputs by bands like C.O.C. and Monster Magnet, but Hermano doesn’t sound much like either one of them; instead, INTO THE EXAM ROOM seems far more laid back and "trippy" sounding. This is one of those bands that doesn’t exactly "jam," so to speak, but "flows," if you know what I mean. I get the feeling that the Hermano dudes spend a lot of time doing mushrooms and listening to Hendrix, maaaaaan….! John Garcia’s vocals remind me of Cinderella’s Tom Keifer at times (I swear to God!), and the musicians are amazingly tight considering how sprawling and all-over-the-place this album sounds at times. Unfortunately, other than when an occasional riff would catch my attention (as in "Left Side Bleeding" and "Hard Working Wall"), most of this album went in one ear and out the other for me. I’ll admit that it sounds great while it’s playing but I’m damned if I can remember a bit of it once it’s over. Are these guys a little TOO laid back and spacey sounding for their own good, or is my A.D.D. getting worse as I get older? Either way, I’d recommend this to folks who’ve followed Garcia since his Kyuss days and maybe to folks who do a lot of the aforementioned mushrooms, but that’s about it. I guess that means I failed this EXAM.

One more. Yea, it's been quiet round here today.

DOG FACED GODS – SPIT IN MY EYE (C)
Voodoo Nation Records, 2008
12 Tracks, RT: 55:20 (plus multi-media section)
Talk about false advertising! This band shares its name with a song title from Testament’s classic LOW album (1994), and the CD cover bears a bit of a resemblance to Prong’s CLEANSING artwork, so I thought I’d be hearing a thrash CD. What I got was a pretty dull, modern groove-rock/aggro CD with occasional metallic moments. Take a bit of Pantera, add a LOT of Godsmack, and throw in a pinch of Black Label Society, bingo – Dog Faced Gods. This sort of thing is not my deal at all, but if you’re into the stuff that passes for "metal" on commercial radio these days, you should be all over this one. The band is tight, the album is well played, and the band’s hulking, shaven-headed, heavily pierced and tattooed vocalist "Short Dawg" has a pleasant enough croon to his voice, but unfortunately SPIT IN MY EYE was another case of "in one ear, out the other" for me, even after about a dozen spins. In the end, the only song that even raised a grin on my face was the silly-on-purpose "Bad Mother F**ker." For those who are still interested, the CD also contains a multi-media section for your computer that offers web links, a photo gallery, and the video for the album’s opening track "Meltdown," which is a nice touch that you don’t see very often anymore. Sorry fellas, I guess it’s pretty obvious that this disc didn’t do a thing for me, but I personally wouldn’t be surprised to see’em on OzzFest’s Second Stage or on the cover of Metal Edge Magazine sometime in the near future, since that’s obviously the market they’re shooting for. They’ll just have to do it without me.

Been awhile since I did any new reviews, but this week I'm trying to get caught up on the pile of backlogged review stuff that's taking up major space on my desk so here's what will hopefully be the first of several freshies:


LOAD POINT PULL – DOWN IN FLAMES (C-) WTO Records, 2007
11 Tracks, RT: 46:12

The nicest thing I can say about this Kansas City combo is that their lead singer does a helluva good Rob Zombie impression. Maybe Load Point Pull ought to think about becoming a White Zombie tribute band, because wow, this guy sure sounds a lot like Rob. According to the band’s bio, Load Point Pull’s history dates back to the late ‘90s, where they released a debut album (1998’s WE’VE COME TO TAKE WHAT’S OURS) and scored a bunch of Midwestern gigs opening for such bands as Creed (!), Stabbing Westward (!), Vince Neil, and many others before going on hiatus for a few years at the turn of the century. The band decided to regroup in 2005 and their second album, DOWN IN FLAMES, a self described "lethal mix of industrial fused modern metal," is the result. I have issues with the term "modern" because to me this already sounds pretty dated – i.e. "late 90s aggro-rock" – to me. DOWN IN FLAMES reminds me of the dozens of instantly forgettable, so-called "hard music" bands that the major labels and mass media and were trying to pass off on us as "metal" back when that term was considered a dirty word. If this disc had been released in 2001, Metal Edge would’ve been putting these guys on the cover and they would’ve had an OzzFest side stage gig in their back pockets. Nowadays, I get the feeling that they’re chasing a train that’s already pulled out of the station and has disappeared over the horizon. On the plus side, the band does indeed have decent chops, the CD is well produced and the songs are listenable enough while the disc is playing, though I honestly don’t remember a thing about any of them after I hit the "stop" button – and I really, really tried. Sorry if this isn’t the most informative review I’ve ever written, but there’s really not much to work with here. I guess if generic "hard rock" is your bag, or you just happen to really, REALLY miss White Zombie, maybe this band will float your boat, but obviously they didn’t float mine one iota.

This one's not new. It dates back a few years, but I pulled it from the archives to send to someone @ another forum and figured what the hell, let's post it up here too.

C.I.A. - ATTITUDE ( C )
Screaming Ferret Wreckords, 2004
9 Tracks, RT: 30:02

Sometimes I think it would save record labels a lot of time and trouble if they would poll prospective record buyers before they re-issue an album, to see if there is really enough public demand for it. For example, if Screaming Ferret Wreckords had e-mailed a few thousand metalheads and asked them the following multiple choice question:

"Would you be interested in buying a re-issue of ATTITUDE, the second album from C.I.A?"
A) Yes, Definitely!
B.)I'm not sure
C) Who the hell is C.I.A.?

...I'd bet ten bucks that the overwhelming response would've been "C." The main reason that ATTITUDE has been reissued, I suppose, is because it features drummer Glenn Evans of Nuclear Assault, and Screaming Ferret must hope that this disc will tide N.A. fans over till they release forthcoming all-new Assault album later this year. ATTITUDE was the second disc from Evans' fairly obscure early 90s side project and apparently it was only released in Europe back in 1992, so who knows, there may be a few diehards out there who are actually waiting for this to get a legitimate U.S. release. (Hmmm... on second thought, nah. No there aren't.) Otherwise, ATTITUDE will probably cause most listeners to scratch their heads and say, "Why did they bother?" It's not a bad album, just not a particularly memorable one. I will give props to Evans for being a surprisingly talented multi-instrumentalist -- he handles drums, guitars, bass AND lead vocals on this disc, with some guitar help from his Assault mate Anthony Bramante and one time T.T. Quick axeman Dave DiPietro, (who would then go on to play with the
Assault on their final album SOMETHING WICKED back in 1993), but
overall ATTITUDE simply didn't float my boat. It's perfectly competent speed/thrash metal that sounds fine while it's playing (imagine, if you can, a slightly less sloppy sounding version of Megadeth's KILLING IS MY BUSINESS..., and you're in the ball park) but once the disc is over you'll be hard pressed to remember anything of what you've just heard. There are lots and LOTS of guitar solos (give a drummer a guitar, and he's gonna show you what he can do with it before you stick him back behind the kit, I guess), and Evans' vocals sound like an angry Ace Frehley. I've listened to ATTITUDE about a dozen times since I got it and the bulk of the album still goes in one ear and out the other. Even
now, the only song that sticks in my head is "Ace in the Hole," due to its catchy shouts of "CIA! CIA! CIA!" during the chorus. Otherwise, the CD is best summed up by the title of track #2: "Don't Waste My Time." ATTITUDE may be of interest to Nuclear Assault completists, but for the average record buyer there's really no need to bother.

In the Red wasn't that great. I don't get why he even released a second album.

spectrefate wrote:

In the Red wasn't that great. I don't get why he even released a second album.

Dunno, but obviously Glenn Evans isn't complaining. Not only was some European label dumb enough to give him the money to record it, but then another dumb label paid him for the rights to reissue it in the U.S. over a decade later. Gotta love the music biz Cha-CHING!

Freddy when can we expect more reviews? They were all great and gave me a good idea what the music is like, also you are very fair critic which is rare, anyway looking forward to more of your reviews.

Freddy is a great writer, IMO.

He's got two DVDs to do. A Solitude Aeturnus and an Onslaught DVD. *clears throat for a full minute*

spectrefate wrote:

Freddy is a great writer, IMO.

He's got two DVDs to do. A Solitude Aeturnus and an Onslaught DVD. *clears throat for a full minute*

Sheesh, I was just thinking about those the other day. They're sitting on my desk under a mountain of crap, along with 7 or 8 other CDs that I have had since the beginning of the Summer. Maybe I oughta get on those huh??

No pressure from me, of course. BTW, I got 100% on the Twisted Sister game.

I'm told I have some more CDs coming in the mail to review sometime this week... so I'll try to get to work on the backlogged ones that I've had sitting around all this time soon, I like to have a "clean slate" before starting on the next batch... so watch this space y'all

If you could see the edge of my seat, you would also see me sitting very close to it, waiting in anticipation. You also might see me and wonder why I was nude, but that is a topic of discussion for another time. Type on, brother, type on.

Back by popular demand... or maybe not. I've had a whole stinkin' heap of backlogged CDs piling up for some time so this weekend I finally decided to get off my duff and start burnin' thru'em. Here's the first batch of what should be many more over the next coupla weeks.


BAD BISCUT – WE STILL BELIEVE THE HYPE (A) Main Man Records, 2008
22 Tracks, RT: 66:00
I imagine that just about every music fan has a “local favorite” band from their area that they think “coulda been a contender.” In case you missed my mention of this disc in my last “From the Mega-Vault” column a while back, New Jersey’s Bad Biscut were that “shoulda, coulda, woulda” band for me and a lot of other fellow Garden State residents back in the early 90s. I saw them live several times back in my college days and their blend of sleazy punk/metal (sorta like a love child of the Ramones and GNR doing bong hits with Skid Row) made for a fun, energetic show every time. The Biscut briefly flirted with the big time when they won the AC/DC themed “Highway To Fame” contest on MTV and released their one and only studio album (1994’s THE AMERICAN DREAM?) on Cathedral Records (a label owned by Jon Bon Jovi’s cousin, Tony Bongiovi), but for whatever reason things just never came together for them, and sadly, Bad Biscut split up by the middle of the 90s. I never expected to hear from Bad Biscut again, so imagine my surprise when I discovered this newly released odds-and-ends collection while trolling CDBaby.com! Since then, WE STILL BELIEVE THE HYPE has practically been welded into my CD player on a permanent loop and it’ll definitely have a place amongst my top 10 releases of 2008. High praise? Perhaps, but this is simply a fun, addictive disc from beginning to end. The 22 tracks that make up HYPE were recorded between 1991 and 1996 and consist of early demos, a couple of live tracks, and material from an extremely limited edition 7-inch single called CULT 45 (which I was especially jazzed to finally hear, as I missed out on snagging a copy back in the day). Several of these songs (“Chelsea Hotel” and “Day in the Life”) were re-recorded for their THE AMERICAN DREAM debut, but most are new to my ears. Of the “new” tracks my personal highlights would be “Thunders Falling” (an ode to the late guitar legend Johnny Thunders), “Blood Suckin’ Freaks” and the catchy-as-hell opener “Valvoline,” but truthfully there is not a clinker on this disc. Bad Biscut started life as an all-covers band and their weird/awesome taste in cover selections is readily apparent via renditions of classics as varied as AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell” (which is the tune that won the MTV contest -- it is quite simply the most BAD-ASS version of this song you will ever hear!), George Michael’s “Faith” (which pre-dates the Limp Bizkit version of the same tune, by the way, and needless to say is far superior to theirs as well), and hellacious rips through the Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You” (!), the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and the Ramones’ “Chinese Rock” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” (recorded live in ’94 with special guest Scotti Hill of Skid Row sitting in), among others. WE STILL BELIEVE THE HYPE is solid as a rock, entertaining as hell and takes you on a wild ride through this underrated band’s all-too-short history. Odds and ends releases like these are usually intended for diehards only, but anyone who likes their hard rock a little on the gritty side (with a pinch of punk for extra flavor) should definitely dig this release. Main Man
Records has also re-issued THE AMERICAN DREAM? in a special deluxe edition and I highly recommend that one as well. (both discs are available via CDBaby.) Check this band out and show some love for a long lost Jersey legend!

GUN BARREL – OUTLAW INVASION (B) LMP/SPV, 2008 13 Tracks, RT: 53:00 Germany’s Gun Barrel have been kicking around since the early ‘00s and have released three albums prior to this one, but OUTLAW INVASION is their first to cross my desk. They may not the most original thing I’ve heard lately but after several spins of OUTLAW INVASION, I decided that Gun Barrel are a competent batch of retro-minded rockers, best described as a blend of Motorhead, AC/DC, Accept, and Saxon (to name just a few). There’s nothing overly complicated on OUTLAW INVASION, just a collection of catchy, melodic mid-paced anthems about such tried and true topics as rockin’ out, drinkin’ beer, kickin’ ass and lovin’ anything in a skirt. Vocalist Xavier Drexler sounds a bit like Marc Storace of Krokus fame at times, and the band is tight, in-yo’-face, and sufficiently pounding on tunes like the Motorhead-ish “Front Killers,” the Manowar-esque “Brother To Brother,” “Wanted Man,” and “Cheap, Wild and Nasty.” There’s even a passable ballad in the form of “Tomorrow Never Comes,” and how can you not love a band that records a song called “M.I.L.F.?” Gun Barrel describe themselves as “Dirty Heavy Metal Rock N Roll” in their bio and I’d say that pretty much covers everything you need to know in a nutshell. All you denim and leather ‘80s leftovers and lovers of everything Germanic and manic can pick OUTLAW INVASION up with confidence. GREENHAVEN – THE LAST POWERFUL SECOND (C+) Humble Recordings, 2006 10 Tracks, RT: 28:00 I’m not sure how timely this review is at this point, since the release date on this CD is 2006 (though I didn’t receive it till mid-’08, and the disc sat around my house for a while before I finally dug it out of the “to be reviewed” pile. As I sat down to write this I wondered, “What took them so long to send this to me, anyway? Hell, does this band even still exist?” but their web site is still active and it looks like they’re still out there playin’ shows, so whatever, here we go. On a totally random note, at first glance I swore that the gun-toting, mustachioed desperado looking guy on the CD cover looks like Chef Gordon Ramsay of “Hell’s Kitchen” fame after a two-week bender, but that’s neither here nor there. Greenhaven hails from Phoenix, Arizona and THE LAST POWERFUL SECOND is their debut release. They play dirty, burly, high-speed, stoner-style hard rock that I would put in the same ballpark as latter-era C.O.C., recent Monster Magnet and Clutch (though they’re not as Sabbathy as C.O.C, more metallic than Clutch, and not as spaced-out as Magnet, you can still detect the influences of all three). This is the kind of stuff that’s intended to make you boogie, not think, and the ten tracks on offer here do that job admirably enough by getting in quickly, kicking your butt, and getting back out again before they overstay their welcome. (Only three songs on this release crack the three-minute mark!) Oddball song titles like “Seven Miles To Saturn,” “Ape,” and “Flunky” caused a few chuckles and the stage names of several band members are a hoot (the bassist is “Uncle Dave” and the vocalist’s name is “Matt Strangeways”), but while THE LAST POWERFUL SECOND was a decent listen while the CD was playing (I especially liked “Limousine” and the ass-kicking opener, “Waterloo”), most of the tunes didn’t leave much of an impression once the disc was over. I guess THE LAST POWERFUL SECOND would make a decent enough soundtrack CD for your next keg party or glue sniffing session as long as you don’t expect much of a hangover in the morning. WIDOW – NIGHTLIFE (B+) Cruz Del Sur Music, 2007 11 Tracks, RT: 44:00 Blasting out of Raleigh, North Carolina, Widow was one of those "buzz bands” I’ve been reading about in metal mags for several years now but had not heard for myself till NIGHTLIFE (their third disc) landed in my lap. I knew I was in for an old-school metal experience before I even slipped NIGHTLIFE into my player merely due to their connection with Cruz Del Sur Music, a label that has an excellent roster of retro-minded metal acts including Pharaoh, Crescent Shield, and Ignitor. I wasn’t disappointed when the soaring riffs of opener “First Born” came blaring out of my speakers and instantly increased my heart rate. In fact, I think my first comment upon hearing this disc was “Holy crap, these guys SMOKE!” The first band I could think of for comparison’s sake was Sweden’s Wolf (with whom Widow share an obvious love for high-speed, NWOBHM style riffery) but thankfully Widow’s vocals are nowhere near as whiny or annoying as those of Wolf’s. Widow actually employs a pair of vocalists (Chris Bennett provides “Death Vocals,” which fortunately are used sparingly, while John E. Wooten IV does “Clean Vocals”), a gimmick which brings 3 Inches Of Blood to mind, but again, Widow’s vocal tag-team aren’t as grating as 3IOB’s. In short, Widow pisses all over those other two bands. Widow even has the good taste to cover Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking Bout Love” and KISS’ “I Stole Your Love” at the tail end of this album, so if you can imagine a mish-mash of those two bands’ general over-the-top vibe mixed with the best of the early Diamond Head, Raven, and Exciter catalogs, you are somewhere in Widow’s neck of the woods. Tracks like “The Teacher’s Pet,” “We Will Meet Again” and “Beware The Night” (my personal faves) all thrash along with joyful abandon and instantly cemented NIGHTLIFE as essential listening for this jaded old critic. This CD should have any old-school metalhead making with the devil horns and head banging along in no time. VENDETTA – TYRANNY OF MINORITY (B+) Lion Music, 2007 12 Tracks, RT: 53:00 Let me get this out of the way first: this is not the German “Vendetta” that released the cult classic GO AND LIVE…STAY AND DIE through Noise Records back in 1987, it is a new band from England by the same name. Moving on, then…the success of British power metal sensations DragonForce seems to have opened the doors for other melodic metal acts coming out of the UK over the past several years. I personally can’t stand DragonForce, but I have found myself digging other British bands as Intense, Headless Cross, and these new contenders. TYRANNY OF MINORITY is Vendetta’s first album, but guitarist/vocalist Edward Box may be a familiar name to some (though he wasn’t to me) as he has previously released two solo albums through Lion Music. Though the aforementioned German “Vendetta” was a thrash band, these Brits are melodic/shred metal through and through (would you expect any less from Lion Music?), falling somewhere in the neighborhood of EMPIRE era Queensryche and BACK FOR THE ATTACK era Dokken with a dash of Crimson Glory and a touch of Helloween in spots (mostly due to Box’s very Kai Hansen-esque singing voice). The one-two punch of “Archangel” and the excellent “Generation Kill” get things off to a rollicking start, while the two-part epic “Doorways of the Mind: Transcendence Part 1” and “Window of the Soul: Transcendence Part 2” (tracks 4 and 12, respectively) should satisfy the prog-metal crowd. I also enjoyed “Plastic God” and the mid-paced “Lost Cause.” Box’s voice might be the major stumbling block for some; I like him just fine but other folks I’ve played the disc for found him to be a little too “rock n roll” sounding and not as smooth or grandiose as they’d expected to hear on material like this. I suppose most regular visitors to the Lion Music roster are used to hearing guys in the Geoff Tate/Midnight/John Arch vein, an area in which Box definitely does NOT reside, but that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of TYRANNY OF MINORITY and those who don't mind something a little more rough-and-ready mixed in their shred might be pleasantly surprised by these newcomers.

Excellent writing style, I never heard of any of these bands but I have a good idea what kind of music they play and what they sound like. That is hard to do when writing about music, and I look forward to other reviews in the future.

manny wrote:

Excellent writing style, I never heard of any of these bands but I have a good idea what kind of music they play and what they sound like. That is hard to do when writing about music, and I look forward to other reviews in the future.

Thanks! Stay tuned for more over the next couple of weeks because I still have a massive heap of stuff to get thru.

I was disappointed in that Gun Barrel.

Your description of their sound is right on though.

tohostudios wrote:

I was disappointed in that Gun Barrel.

Your description of their sound is right on though.

Yea, it's fun for a couple of listens but it likely won't have much staying power. I can't see myself listening to it six months from now.

I banged out a few new reviews over the weekend... enjoy

WINTERS – BLACK CLOUDS IN TWIN GALAXIES (C-) Rise Above/Candlelight USA, 2007
11 Tracks, RT: 41:00

I love it when bands’ bio sheets contain boasts like this one: “Let us introduce you to your new favourite band.” Uhhh… nah, that’s OK, really. If you’re not already totally sick of stoner rock, you will be by the time you finish listening to this 41-minute behemoth. I actually had to double check the timer on my CD player while writing this review, because BLACK CLOUDS IN TWIN GALAXIES certainly felt like a hell of a lot longer than 41 minutes!! In case you were wondering who this trio might be, Winters hails from the UK and were discovered by Lee Dorrian, their fellow countryman/ doom rock aficionado/Rise Above Records honcho/Cathedral frontman/dude who wears a lotta hats… Lee liked them so much that he inked them to his label to release this disc, their debut album. Mind you, I dig Cathedral and I have nothing but respect for Mr. Dorrian, but two spins through this platter was about all I could handle. This so-called “epic voyage of sonic discovery” sounded more to me like one ponderously LONG song, with some of the whiniest vocals I’ve heard in an age …imagine, if you will, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) singing over a Black Sabbath record that’s being played at the wrong speed. Talk about your nightmare scenario! Have you ever been stuck behind someone in the fast lane on the highway who’s doing 20 MPH (and who usually has had their left hand turn signal on for the last twenty miles)? That’s the feeling I got while listening to this record. “EITHER SPEED IT UP OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY, DAMN IT!” True story: when preparing to write CD reviews, I listen to a lot of my promos while in my car or at my desk at work. During my second pass through BLACK CLOUDS IN TWIN GALAXIES, several of my co-workers actually pleaded with me to turn it off. Since they hardly ever complain about the music I listen to, that says a lot about how annoying this slow, dirgy, drone was. I suppose the stoner rock crowd will trip out on this one but I simply don’t dig it... either I don’t take enough downers to wrap my head around what these three heshers are doing, or they slipped me some bad acid, but either way, Winters and I are obviously not in the same galaxy.

SEVEN WITCHES – DEADLY SINS (B) Screaming Ferret Wreckords, 2007
10 Tracks, RT: 41:00

New Jersey’s guitar slingin’ journeyman Jack Frost continues to be the hardest working man in the metal business with the release of DEADLY SINS, the seventh album from his venerable power-metal outfit (which is, of course, just one out of his multitude of projects) and the second S.W. disc with vocalist Alan Tecchio (ex-Hades) behind the mic. In the hype sheet Jack proclaims that DEADLY SINS is “the best work of my career.” I may not quite agree with that statement (Seven Witches will be hard pressed to ever surpass 2003’s masterpiece, PASSAGE TO THE OTHER SIDE, in my opinion) but I can definitely say that DEADLY SINS is a vast improvement over the last S.W. album, 2006’s AMPED, which was a transitional effort (released during a period of near-total lineup turmoil within the Witches camp) that was occasionally overly dark, sometimes directionless, and all in all, downright disappointing. On DEADLY SINS Frost and Tecchio have finally found their groove, aided by the able bass work by Joey (Armored Saint) Vera (who also co-produced the album with Frost). DEADLY SINS is a conceptual piece based on the “Seven Sins of Mahatma Gandhi,” a work which I’m not familiar with, but fortunately the mostly one-word song titles (“Science,” “Commerce,” “Worship,” “Knowledge,” etc.) give you an idea of what’s going on here. Kicking off with the chugging title track, each “deadly sin” is examined song by song, powered by Frost’s trademark galloping riff work and Tecchio’s dramatic, occasionally over-the-top vocals (which are nowhere as screechy or grating as they were on AMPED, which is a relief!) …in fact, this may be some of Tecchio’s most versatile vocal work yet. The only tracks that I didn’t care for were “Man of the Millennium,” which has a droning chorus that gets annoying rather quickly, and “Wealth,” which has Tecchio dipping into a death metal grunt that doesn’t fit his style at all.
Other than those minor complaints, DEADLY SINS is heavy as hell, solid as a
rock, and should definitely please the Witches faithful who were thrown for a
loop by the atypical last album.

SAINT – CRIME SCENE EARTH (B-) Armor Records, 2008
9 Tracks, RT: 42:00

Christian metal stalwarts Saint (not to be confused with Armored Saint, obviously!) have been kickin’ around the underground since the early 80s and have released several albums that are widely hailed as classics (1984’s WARRIORS OF THE SON and 1986’s TIME’S END). Following a late 80s breakup, they’ve been pumping out new material on a fairly regular basis since reforming in the late 90s, though this is the first “new” Saint CD I’ve heard. In a nutshell, Saint play no-frills, traditional, meat and potatoes heavy metal very similar to vintage Judas Priest. (I’ve often said that TIME’S END sounds like a lost Judas Priest album that might’ve been released between BRITISH STEEL and POINT OF ENTRY. Pick that one up if you can find it, because it’s a winner! End of commercial.) As for CRIME SCENE EARTH, it sounds like the band has aged well enough musically, but unfortunately time may not have been as kind to vocalist Josh Kramer. His vocals, very similar to Halford’s in years past, sound a bit rougher than they did in the old days and though that’s not a BAD thing per se, he occasionally tries to push into high-pitched territory that he can’t quite reach, as in the clumsy, squawking choruses on opening track “Half a Time’s Measure.” (But hey, the Metal God himself can’t quite hit’em like he used to either, so I probably shouldn’t complain too much.) Thankfully those moments are few and far between. The rest of the album is pretty much what longtime Saint fans want to hear – chugging, mid-paced, classic sounding metal with an uplifting message. “Everlasting God” is a decent metal praise anthem, and “The Judas In Me” and “Terror In The Sky” (my fave track) hit the bull’s eye as well. If I had to find fault with anything on CRIME SCENE EARTH it’s that the production sometimes sounds a bit muddy,but I doubt that it's bad enough to deter their longtime fans from digging this album. Extra props to the band for their surprising choice of a cover song, which is a fun rip through the underrated Judas Priest track “Invader” (one of my all time favorites!)… any band who likes the STAINED CLASS album as much as I do can write their own ticket with me.

Great job as always, and I know to stay away from that winters CD