Epic albums with big-name guest stars are an iffy proposition. The expectations those all-star lineups create can be a bit of a letdown. That was the case for me with the latest effort from Ayreon, which I found a bit boring. On this record, though, the guest stars get bits that better reflect their own […]

I had high hopes from the name of this self-released record. I was hoping for some nice thrashing sounds with some jazzy, funky runs. I thought it could be really interesting. It’s just the opposite. I’m hearing a whole lot of jazz and funk and not much thrash. Apparently the companion piece to to a […]

You may or may not remember French band Nightmare from their moderate success in the 1980s. I don’t, but then I grew up in a rural area where there wasn’t much exposure to the European metal bands of the time except for those named Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. (And even they were hard to […]

If you’ve heard Freedom Call before, you won’t be surprised by their most recent album. What you expect is what you get — a lot of uptempo power metal influenced by the likes of Gamma Ray and Helloween. Let’s start with the unneccessary intro, “Demons Dance”; I’m begging, can we just drop these useless wastes […]

Sometimes you just want to like a band. I felt that way when I pulled this CD out of the envelope. I liked the name. I liked the logo. I had high hopes for this record after seeing the lineup: former Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder, MSG guitarist/keyboard player Wayne Findlay, Steve Vai bassist Philip […]

Agonizer has taken the long road to get to their debut album on Spinefarm. A few demos that got good reviews and almost, but not quite, got them record deals. A few contests entered that they almost, but not quite, won. It made me suspect that this record might be almost, but not quite, good. […]

Circus Maximus’ debut record really caught my attention a few years ago. Despite a heavy leaning toward Dream Theater worship, it had some really interesting and memorable moments. It’s taken me a little longer to get a bead on the group’s sophomore effort. There are the good things that I remember from the first record, […]

I’ve already outed myself here as a Skid Row fan and proud of it. Despite their regrettably hairy hits, “I Remember You” and “18 and Life,” I do think Skid Row was one of the best hard rock bands to emerge from the late 1980s scene. The latest release by former singer Sebastian Bach, though, […]

I’m not sure if there are any real porn stars in this band, but I feel pretty safe in saying there probably aren’t any real poets when the best chorus they can come up with for the record opener is the tired, “it’s just rock ‘n’ roll to me,” that’s been used at least a […]

It’s a tried and true formula. You’ve put out a couple of records that were slightly different in style and perhaps not as good as earlier records, a few fans grumbled. You want to make it clear you’re returning to your old style, so you name your new record after one that’s widely considered by […]

I remember being very impressed with Rob Rock’s last solo record, Holy Hell. The Roy Z-produced effort captured the same vibe as Bruce Dickinson’s solo works without, of course, sounding like a Dickinson knock off. There’s still a bit of that sound on Garden of Chaos, but I’m finding it much harder to get into […]

I’ve got a soft spot for bands that try to blend funk and soul with metal, and I’ve also got a soft spot for power trios, so I was really pulling for Kyrbgrinder when I popped this record in. In truth, it’s not as good as I hoped, but neither is it disappointing. It’s a […]

It’s always nice to be surprised. I’ve only followed Helloween’s career sporadically since the 1980s, and have never really found anything in their catalog that impressed me as much as the first two Keeper records. I didn’t expect to find it here, but they had me from the first true song on the record. As […]

It’s a bit surprising that a band formed by former Dimmu Borgir drummer Tjodalv and Satyricon guitarist Cyrus has little or no black metal leanings. Instead it’s very much a classic thrash sound with some interesting compositional choices that add a dark, moody flavor to what could otherwise be easily written off as Metallica/Testament worship […]

The latest release from Prong is in some ways refreshing. They’ve dropped most of the industrial, mechanical influence they adopted on Cleansing and have gone for a return to the sound of <i>Beg to Differ</i> or Prove You Wrong. In other ways it’s disappointing – mainly that it’s not as interesting as any of those […]

Though they were never one of my favorite bands, I grew up listening to M.O.D. in the 1980s, and I got a good chuckle out of their last record, 2003’s The Rebel You Love to Hate. You see, that’s the M.O.D. that I like – the tongue in cheek, bordering on goofy band that made […]

The downside to the resurgence of the thrash sound (which I consider a very good thing) is that now you have labels digging back into the catalog to find a bunch of never-were bands, re-release their stuff and try to make them sound like underground legends. Occasionally you find a gem, but usually the re-release […]

 thought Ozzy’s last record, 2001’s Down to Earth, was one of the most underrated records of his career. (When I say last record, I’m not counting the god-awful covers record.) The six years since have certainly given fans reasons to be less than enthusiastic about the self-proclaimed Prince of Fucking Darkness. First there’s the joke […]

The cover record needs to die. I realize it’s an easy way to put together an album quickly and make a few bucks, but can you really name one all-covers record that just blew you away? No, you can’t. That’s because rarely are the covers as good as the original. Still, it seems we’re doomed […]

I’ll admit it took me a little longer to come around to New Orleans supergroup Down’s latest record than it did for their first two. Initially, I missed those big hooks from their second record (the ones that some fans thought were a little too commercial.) Then, there was the mix on this record, which […]

Ordinarily, I’m not a big fan of the “supergroup” concept. No matter how good the musicians are, I don’t think a month in the studio together can bring the tightness and spirit to a band that playing together for years, busting your ass to make it and living together in a van down by the […]

Over the years, I’ve probably written about The Feds coming to town a dozen times or more in my regular gig at the local paper, so it seems a little odd that the first time I’m actually hearing them is for a review here. First, I’ll say that there are some good things to be […]

Albums with expectations are always interesting, and this one has plenty. First, fans have been waiting for it since 1998 when the original trilogy of songs appeared on Something Wicked This Way Comes, regarded by many as the band’s best record. The expectations were boosted over the summer when the band released the first single […]

So the last time the Scorpions tried to reinvent themselves, on 1999’s Eye II Eye, the results weren’t very good. Most fans disliked it, and the attempt to update their sound and capture new fans certainly failed. But when I took a look at this record, I thought perhaps they’d decided to give it another […]

The Mausoleum debut of U.K. band Rise to Addiction, produced by Andy Sneap, has all the hallmarks of a band on the edge of great success. It has guitar riffs that are heavy enough to get the attention of metalheads and hooks that are big enough to stick in the head of mainstream rock fans. […]