Mastodon - The Hunter

I have this one friend that I refer to as "my heterosexual life-mate," and he's the one guy I have jammed with the most for the last 20 years. However, when it comes to music we tend to differ a bit. There are some albums we both love equally that some people would call weird like Alice Cooper's DaDa. Metallica is one of the bands that our friendship was formed around, though we like different albums. He's always been a bigger Pink Floyd fan than I am, but I've always enjoyed playing that "hippy trippy shit" more than him.

Every once and a while he'll bring me an album and say "You need to review this one." So, I throw it the CD player and give it a go. If it catches my attention on that first go, it stays in and I get to hear it mixed on random with twenty-four other discs. If it continues to grab my attention I start digging on it, and then I explore the album with repeated full length album plays.

Drew has never brought me an album that I haven't ended up doing this with. The only down side is I end up keeping the album for months, until I finally get the review done and/or buy my own copy. However this album is really thunder stompingly heavy and amazingly arranged and composed.

As for Mastodon themselves I have had limited exposure, and what I did have wasn't all good. The first time I heard anything from them was a music video that I can't remember and I thought they were a bit cliche. Then I heard their cover of ZZ Top's Just Got Paid. I really liked it, and if you want to know more I have reviewed the ZZ Top tribute album that contains that track. So, sitting down to this album I was pretty fifty fifty on what to expect. I was very pleasently surprised.

For starters there isn't just one vocalist, that growls is that almostly animalistic sounding Metal way. There were also two other guys. And not every song was basic Heavy Metal. There were tracks that got Floydian, and most of the album is what I would classify as Modern Heavy. It would be like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, or possibly even Jimi Hendrix recording those classic songs with todays technology.

I'll now move on to why you are are really here. Let's get to the songs themselves.

The album opens with Black Tonue. Which is this thundering intro of Jazz based drums that swing in a manner befitting the band's name. The lead guitar is little quiet in the mix in a way that reminds me of Glen Buxton, or Mick Mashbir, or Steve Hunter, or Dick Wagner depening on the track on Billion Dollar Babies. While the rest of it's sound is solid and heavy.

The second track on the album is the first one to really grab me. Curl Of The Burl is where I see the ZZ Top influence and it is awesome. This song is total Blues Metal, for those that need some sort of complex definition. I call it some really good Modern Heavy. Also, the chorus, while simple and catchy and bit commercial in it's way, is only one part of a better picture "I killed a man 'cause he killed my goat / I put my hands around his throat / He tried to reason with the sky and the clouds / But it didn't matter, 'cause they can't hear a sound / Oh / Oh oh / Oh / Oh oh oh / It's just the curl of the burl / It's just the curl of the burl / That's just the way of the world / It's just the curl of the burl / Splinters in my skin, just like needles and pins / I cut through the pine, love the feeling it gives / Been out here for days running through these trees / I'm using my hands, cuttin' through the disease / Oh / Oh oh / Oh / Oh oh oh / It's just the curl of the burl / It's just the curl of the burl / That's just the way of the world / It's just the curl of the burl / I feed the powerless / Chewed it up, spit the rest / I feed the powerless / Chewed it up, spit out the rest / It's just the curl of the burl / It's just the curl of the burl / That's just the way of the world / It's just the curl of the burl / Oh / Oh oh / Oh / Oh oh oh / Oh / Oh oh / Oh Oh oh oh". Blasteroid is the type of song you would expect to find as an album track. I wouldn't call it filler, because it is well done, and I'm sure there are many people that would and totally dig it, I find it a bit of a filler. It's like raspberry filling on top of cheese cake. Sure it's good, but it's not cherry. (Sorry, I do the Holiday baking in my house and guess what I'll be making.)

Stargasm isn't a clever name, it's an accurate description of what I would imagine celestial copulation to sound like. This is a track for the musicians, or the true music fans. Sure there are vocals, and the way they are done on this track is astounding, but it's more in a music performance and less in a lyrical performance. Fuck the words, just let the whole composition blend and take you away.

I think I'm going to do a search and see how many songs reference Octopi, because other than The Beatles, the next track it the only other one I have ever heard of, and the title makes you do a little WTF. Octopus Has No Friends, is a track that reminds me of exactly the same thing I thought about Blasteroid.

I love the sound and vibe that opens up All The Heavy Lifting. The drums have this odd little shuffle to them that seems a bit out of place, until the chorus kicks in, and then the song just turns into something magical. This song sounds like a cluster fuck of aggression for the most part, but when you hit the chorus there is this magnificent sound that sounds so uplifting and perfect. It's really like a choir of angels. Then there's the bridge section and breakdown between the second and third chorus that just keeps it going beautifully.

The Hunter continues that magical ambience, but this song is so totally Pink Floyd inspired, and if they say it isn't then, there's some type of connection that will put it all together. Hell the solo is even totally Dave Gilmour like. Think Comfortably Numb. This is seriously some of the best Rock soloing I have heard in years.

After the last two songs it makes sense that we get a song like Dry Bone Valley. This one has Alice In Chains written all over it. Not that silly Grunge sound they got looped in with. I mean the real Heavy stuff. That being said, not my first choice in songs, but I'm sure many would dig it.

Thickening opens right off the bat with this great sexy swing. I mean this is some big band standard swing, with this ultra heavy rhythm and almost ballet like lead guitar dancing about. It's absolutely beautiful, then it moves what may be mistaken as a continuation of the last track. Not in a bad way. Sort of like how Another Brick In The Wall (part I) flows into The Happiest Days Of Our Lives and then into Another Brick In The Wall (part II).

Speaking of Pink Floyd, it's time for a totally tripped out tale of cinematic fanfair, that is totally inspired by Dark Side Of The Moon. Creature Lives might be just about one of the most deligthful tracks I have heard in years. It'd just this big heavy band telling a story and filling it with instrumentation that compliments and helpd move the story along. It's like early Syd Barrett Floyd, but even could be connected back to classic King's Court music from the days of Shakespeare or maybe earlier. "I saw the creature fall / Into the swamp from which he spawned / I heard them laugh and say / They never liked him anyway / I tried to talk to them / To help you on your feet again / They laughed and said to me / The swamp is right where I should be / The creature lives / The creature lives / The creature lives / The creature lives".

Spectrelight is a track much like Blasteroid and Octopus Has No Friends. Really cool name, but sort of a basic track. All the songs that I consider fillers on this album, would be strong fillers for this band, but to me they are just your run of the mill tracks. They help fill out a mix with sturdy music, but they are pretty basic for this band.

Bedazzled Fingernails is a little more than a filler for me. The lyrics are very simple, but the performce mixed with the music gives a more impressive vibe than just the more simple songs on this album. "Give and take / We are full of pride / All is proved in time / Lay me down / Stand my ground / Lay me down / Stand my ground / Taking a life / I see it flash before my eyes / Taking a life / I see it flash before my eyes / Rule by my head / Endure test of time / Plant the seed of mind / Lay me down / Stand my ground / Lay me down / Stand my ground / Taking a life / I see it flash before my eyes / Taking a life / I see it flash before my eyes".

One of the guitarists I've worked with over the years, has a habit of calling everything sexy. If he liked a song it was sexy, if he didn't it was either cool or it didn't do anything for him. The Sparrow, is one of those song where I will have to take a page out of his book and call this song sexy. Not because I like it, but because it's really honestly sexy. This is a song that a very talented and trained erotic dancer could use as stage music and give the pole spinning, twirling, dancing performance of a life time. Or if you want something cleaner sounding, this song as the Beauty of cirque du soleil. It is a genius album closer.

While this album has a few tracks that make me go "Meh," I do really love this album. After the second full listening I knew it was an album I was going to need to own. I also knew that I was going to need to dig into some more Mastodon. The Hunter is totally my type of album.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias

AC/DC - Fly On The Wall

Every one knows that AC/DC have pretty much released the same album over and over again. There is some misconception there. Seventies Bon Scott era sounds different from eighties Brian Johnson era for the most part. Yes they are Blues based albums, but the feel is different. Fly On The Wall is the perfect example of what 1980's AC/DC had to offer. Which was polished, well arranged Rock.

The album kicks off with the album's title track. This track reminds me a lot of the album tracks off For Those About To Rock. For some reason COD comes to mind. It's a solid start to the album, but it's a pretty basic track.

Next up is Shake Your Foundation, which is a decent song. I think some people make it into a bigger track than it really is, but with very singable lyrics it's hard to knock it too much. "You gotta see me leanin' on the bar / I got my head in a whiskey jar [jug ?] / Feelin' good 'cos the city's alive / I'm gettin' ready to rock and jive / I get up and I slide across the floor / You wanna come and I'll meet you at the door / No one can stop us 'cos we're feelin' too right / We're gonna steal our way around tonight / (Alright, alright) / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it to the floor / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it / I was takin' no liberties / She's gettin' hotter off the heat on me / I was oilin', she was slick / Lickin' off the sweat, her favorite trick / She cried help me, help me, please / Tame this animal, help me to breathe / I said no, no way / You gotta come with me all of the way / (OK, I'll play) / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it to the floor / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it to the floor / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it / We had the night, we had the time / She had the sugar and I had the wine / Took my hand, shook me to the core / Told her not to touch, but she was coming back for more / (You know what for) / Aye, aye, aye, aye / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it to the floor / Aye, aye, oh, shake your foundations / Aye, aye, oh, shake it".

First Blood is different for AC/DC. It's a little Pop-ish, and has a bit of that eighties commercial vibe to it. It's a solid album filler, but that's pretty much all it is.

That's followed up by Danger. This is one of those tracks that could have been a popular radio single, if it was released in another time, or by another band. It's a decent track, but when performed by AC/DC it sounds like just another song, with a commercial production. The solo on this track, brings to mind my feelings about the soloing on this album in general. It's wild, over played, and sounds more thrown in and thrashed out, than being something that compliments the song.

Sink The Pink was probably the biggest song on the album. With lyrics that are found on here it's not hard to see why. "Put your gear into fire / Lay your bullets on the ground / Turn your head to desire / There's a woman going down / She said she'll rough you up, all the way / And she gonna spit you out, count your days / She says choice is yours, casually / So why don't you do what comes naturally / Sink the pink, it's all the fashion / Drink the drink, it's old-fashioned / Gimme water, gimme wine / Gonna show you a good time / Sink the pink / Sink the pink / Got a fever runnin' high / Give you wings to make you fly / She school you like a fool / She make you break the rules / She wanna get a shot, hit the spot / Then I'm gonna rack 'em up, get that hot / She said make it good, satisfy / You know that woman got jealous eyes / Sink the pink, it's all the fashion / Drink the drink, it's old-fashioned / Gimme water, gimme wine / Gonna show you a good time / Sink the pink / Sink the pink", then it's on to one of the few solos on the album that works with the song, and followed by one last round of the chorus. "Sink the pink, it's all the fashion / Drink the drink, it's old-fashioned / Gimme water, gimme wine / Gonna show you a good time / Sink the pink / Sink the pink".

The second side of the album opens with Playing With Girls. I dig this song because it has an almost Aerosmith boogie woogie to it. I could picture this track on Permanent Vacation with no real effort. This is one of those songs that I think years from now will be thought of as a hidden gem, if it isn't already. But, only because it is a different vibe for them.

Stand Up is pretty much like fifty percent of the album fillers found in the 1980's AC/DC catalog. It sounds great on this album, but it's pretty much as you would expect. There is some experimental sounding stuff during the solo which is worth a listen, I think, but other wise I've said it already.

By the time you get to Hell Or High Water you can really start to figure out what this side of the album is really about. It's pretty much what Blues morphed into in the 1980's after Pop radio and mainstream Top 40 started sucking the soul out of music. It's the same idea of what happened to ZZ Top during this period. That twisted morph to try and stay contemporary. Which AC/DC pulled off.

I don't remember if Back in Business was ever radio friendly, or a single, and I really don't care. it always stood out on this album for me. It's one of those tracks that are just bad ass and full of a whole lot of nasty mood. "Breaking out, about to shout / Feel the need, for one more round / Don't you struggle, don't try to bite / You want some trouble, I'm the king of vice / I'm a wrecking ball, I'm a stinging knife / Steal your money, gonna take your life / You got screaming murder, lock up your door / Double dealing, gotta have more / Call me dirty, trash my name / Just tell the boys that I'm gonna be / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business / Flesh and blood, I'm a rag 'n' bone / Bad luck message on the telephone / Don't you worry, play my game / I'll do you a favour put your soul for sale / Like a cannon ball going down the track / Need good loving, but I want it back / I was born in trouble, they gave up on me / Teacher preaching what not to be / Call me dirty, trash my name / Just tell the boys that I'm gonna be / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business again, back in business again / Back in business again, back in business, back in business again / Back in business again, back in business, back in business again / Back in business again, and I'm looking for you". This is one of those songs that by the end of it, you are ready to go raise hell.

The album ends with Send For The Man, and it's a very solid and decent ending to to the album. I think I may have switched the last two tracks, but this one closes out the album well enough. It's a good angry drinking kind of song, the type that you'd expect to hear in a biker bar right before someone opens up on some stupid shmucks face with a fist or boot.

I would suggest any AC/DC fan should own this album. If you are a Bon Scott fan you may not be as into it, but if you like Brian Johnson you should enjoy this a lot. If you like both vocalists you should also get this one. It's great thrown into a mix, and still very enjoyable on it's own. You may not listen to it a lot after you first give it a few good listens, but it's one of those albums you look at from time to time and go, "Hell yeah, let's give that one a spin."

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Music From And Inspired By M:I-2

The idea behind this soundtrack was clearly star power. Like the fact that Limp Bizkit performed Take A Look Around (Theme From "M:I-2"), which opens the album. It's the perfect way to describe how this album works more or less.

There are also a few tracks that I have no clue why they made this album. Then there's one track that I would consider a hidden gem.

The second track on the album is Metallica's I Disappear. I'm not sure if there is any other way to get this song than on this album. If you are a real Metallica fan you will need to have this album for that reason. Even if you hate the song, because you think it's complete commercial bullshit. As for what I think about the song, well I'm not really sure. It does what it's supposed to do. It super charges the album with a high octane track that makes you want to force your foot down as hard and as fast as you can on the gas and go. I would put this on any driving album I made.

Rob Zombie is next up with Scum Of The Earth. I'm not a fan of this song. I have no clue where it showed up first, and I care so little for the track I can't be bothered to look either. But I also understand why people like it and why it was included. This song speeds along at break neck pace.

Keep in mind that even though those bands were not the biggest bands in 2000, they weren't out of date or used up has beens either. Hell, Zombie only got better after that point, and Metallica became a lot less commercial.

Then it's on to They Came In from Butthole Surfers. Let me start by saying I know why I have never heard of this band, other than in jokes. What the hell? I think there's a space man trying to melt my brain through the computer. Although Andie may like this, because she likes that kind of screwed up music. If I have to say something nice, it's got a steady computer generated beat.

The Pimps give this album Rocket Science. Anyone else enjoying that little joke. This song sounds like early Marilyn Manson, think lunch box era, but with a more of a Korn vibe to it.

Next up is the Foo Fighters and Brian May covering Pink Floyd's Have A Cigar. This is a fantastic cover. I'm a huge fan of the original, and I love how true to that original this cover is, while at the same time totally jacking it up and making it real heavy. Much like the original, it is the soloing that really helps push this song over the top. This song to me is this album's greatest saving grace.

When it comes to Chris Cornell I have tons of respect. He's a musician that knows how to write good songs that people really enjoy. He's a really cool vocalist, and when the mood takes me the right way I can really dig what he's doing. However, that mood doesn't come often. When it comes to Mission 2000, his contribution to this album, he brings it, but it sounds a bit like a left over from the Sound Garden days. Not a bad left over, just one of those tracks that showed up towards the end and never got a chance.

Godsmack Going Down is pretty much what you would expect from Godsmack. It's not a bad track either. I've never been a fan of the band, but this track is worth a listen.

What U Lookin' At sounds a lot like what I would expect from Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker. It's not my thing, but I'm sure there are others out there that would dig on it.

By the time we get to track eleven I start to notice that I really was out of the loop with music when I picked up this album. A lot of this stuff is music that would either get lumped into Post Grunge or Industrial and while that's kind of acurate, it's not very fair. However, both those terms apply to the next track, Backwards. This is performed by Apartment 26. This is pretty stock on the whole. I'm sure some people dig on it, but I would like to think even they would find this a bit stock.

Buckcherry's Alone is one of those songs where if you have ever heard a Buckcherry song, you've heard this one as well. Tinfed's sound lives up to there name on Immune. It sounds like early Emo, if it was being spit out of the corporate machine these days. Even the lyrics are total mass produced tripe. "Can't resist, full of lies, full of it and fully deny / Couldn't risk but couldn't decided anyway / I admit I would deceive, you are hit with this disease / Another fact I just can't conceive / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / I admit I confess evil without rest / And you'd be true at any test so wise up / What was thrown down to you / Could be a crown on me, we can speak here openly / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest is / And the truest most pure of hearts / And the truest most pure is not / Immune to blue, immune to blue, blue / Immune to blue, immune to blue / And so soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune / So soon we'll all be immune".

I would like to point out that this album really started going down hill back around Going Down, but by this point it's a complete out of control downward spiral. When you hear or read the name Powderfinger doing a track called Not My Kinda Scene, you sure don't expect this whiny sappy bullshit that goes on here. Now I remember why I don't normally put this album in the CD player.

Okay, when I saw that Tori Amos was on this album I almost crapped myself laughing. I know that's crude and all, but really really read over the track listing again. The song is called Carnival, and pretty much makes me think of Madonna's Frozen, or a variation on the whole Ray of Light album.

The album is completed with Nyah, which is done by Hans Zimmer featuring Heitor Pereira. This is a nice little, Latin, guitar based, song. It's pretty much the only song after Backwards that's worth listening to, and one of only four songs on this album that could end up on my Mp3 player at some point.

The first half of this album isn't bad. The second half seems to be pretty much a free for all of miscellanious debris. On the whole I would probably suggest looking for the few choice individual songs off this one, unless you can find it in a nice cheap bin somewhere.

5/10 - content

7/10 - production

6/10 - personal bias

Blue Oyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin

I picked up this album after seeing that I knew and liked three of the tracks, which are on albums I've previously reviewed. On the whole I'm really glad I did. While this album isn't the perfect album, it's a great representation of a band that I have developed a huge respect for.

The album opens with the title track, which has one of the best opening lyrics I have ever heard. "Death comes sweeping through the hallway, like a lady's dress". Really conjures up Death as a figure perfectly. This song comes very close to that fine line between decent track and sad cliche done well. It all depends on how you want to hear the music.

I remember diggin' Burnin' For You as a kid, but it took my daughter performing it on Guitar Hero for me to fall in love with it. Now everytime this song comes on she can't help but sing along. It's one of those moments when as a parent I know I raised my kid right with music. It's the perfect kind of Metal/Hard Rock for a girl to really enjoy. If you want to read a little more about what I think of this song, check out my review for their best of album.

I have loved Veteran Of The Psychic Wars since the first time I heard it in Heavy Metal, the animated film. It's classic BOC doing that wild Sci-Fi Metal I really have discovered I love. And the lyrical imagery is amazing, even without the sweet, sweet music. "You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars / I've been living on the edge so long / Where the winds of limbo roar / And I'm young enough to look at / And far too old to see / All the scars are on the inside / I'm not sure if there's anything left of me / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / It's time we had some leave / We've been living in the flames / We've been eating up our brains / Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on / You ask me why I'm weary, why I can't speak to you / You blame me for my silence / Say it's time I changed and grew / But the war's still going on dear / And there's no end that I know / And I can't say if we're ever... / I can't say if we're ever gonna to be free / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / It's time we had some leave / We've been living in the flames / We've been eating out our brains / Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on / You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars / My energy's spent at last / And my armor is destroyed / I have used up all my weapons and I'm helpless and bereaved / Wounds are all I'm made of / Did I hear you say that this is victory? / Don't let these shakes go on / It's time we had a break from it / Send me to the rear / Where the tides of madness swell / And been sliding into hell / Oh, please don't let shakes go on / Don't let these shakes go on / Don't let these shakes go on".

The only song on this album I flat out don't care for is Soul Survivor. This sounds like a bad early eighties soundtrack filler. Maybe even a cheesy opening credits track that's supposed to set the mood. Basic problem, way too heavy on campy sounding synths.

Heavy Metal: The Black And Silver is next up. This is a really decent track. Pretty much can be considered a bit stock, and cliche, but the better kind, and only by people that are mildly casual listeners.

Vengeance (The Pact) is Blue Oyster Cult kicking it with some Iron Maiden gallop. This is a huge cinematic like piece.

If it wasn't for how far forward in the mix the keyboards have been pushed, I would enjoy After Dark a lot more. I find it really cheeses up the mix. However, it's still a fun track to sing along with.

Next up is a song I only recently discovered and have really come to love. I've reviewed it before and that review covers what I have to say so I'm just going to repost it here.

I can't even begin to describe how crazy, ahead of it's time, and wild Joan Crawford is. For starters, this song was so ahead of it's time that it would have been considered complete cheese instead of the genius Proto Goth piece that it really is. I mean there is a part of me that's surprised Type O Negative never covered this one just for the fun of it. Then I listen to the complex musical pieces and remember why they couldn't, especially with the speed the piano moves at. I mean this is some serious musicianship mixed with some dark lyrics. "Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazy / They're laughing just like hungry dogs in the street / Policemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girls / Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Catholic school girls have thrown away their mascara / They chain themselves to the axles of big Mac trucks / The sky is filled with herds of shivering angels / The fat lady laughs, "Gentlemen, start your trucks" / Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Christina / Mother's home / Christina / Come to mother / Christina / No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen from the grave / Joan Crawford has risen".

The album finishes with Don't Turn You Back, which is kind of Bluesy in a dark thick West Side Story kind of way. I would have used the last track as the closer, and moved this one up in the mix. It's more of a really solid filler, and less of a closer.

I know there are points where I take a few cheap shots at the songs on this album, but it's really a good album, exspecially for one that came out in 1981. When most bands were getting lost, this one had found parts of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal that worked for them and then exploited it very well, just by doing what they always did.

I don't want to say that it's the best five dollars I've ever spent on a used album, but track for track and dollar for dollar I got more than what I paid for. So much so that when the day comes, I'll most likely give this copy to my daughter, and then pick up the digitally remastered version for myself.

7/10 - content

8/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Slash - Made In Stoke - featuring Myles Kennedy Live - Special Edition

If you've read my reviews for both of Slash's solo albums, you'll know how I feel about Slash and Myles Kennedy in conjunction with Slash. Kennedy is a top notch vocalist, and the band that backs Slash finally gets a little time to shine.

What I like the most about this album, is how it allows you to see that even though I'm not a fan of Kennedy's work with Slash, I am a huge fan of him as a vocalist. There are so many songs on this album that are sung by a variety of different vocalists. Axl, the Snakepit dude, plus all the tracks from everyone on the first Slash solo album. I only focus on Myles because Myles is the front man, and in a live album that makes him the focus.

I'm surprised that Slash would open a concert with a song that I had never heard of, figuring that most of the time they open with a hit single or something along those lines. Instead they open with Been There Lately, which after some research, I discover is from Slash's Snakepit's second album. Which I have never heard. This song makes me sort of understand why.

So we hit the first G'N'F'N'R song, which is the second track and it's Night Train. It's a really good rendition of the song. Kennedy really can do a kick ass job on Guns N' Roses songs. I often say that the original line up should get back together and tour with Myles doing the vocals and this song helps solidify that theory. Then there's that whole Slash bustin' out that killer solo live. There is a little something that seems to be missing in this song, from the original, but it's either in the production or in the rhythm section.

Ghost was one of those songs that I like, but it's not a big grab for me. This is a good version, it's just the song that leaves me feeling a little "meh."

I had to google Mean Bone. I had no clue what album this originally came from, which is surprising because it's a pretty bitchin' tune. This is from the second Slash's Snakepit, Ain't Life Grand. I have never heard the original, but this song makes me want to.

Back From Cali is the Myles Kennedy track from the first Slash solo album, and to be honest, I like this live version much better. It has a much cooler energy to it. I find Kennedy works the crowd a little harder than is needed with some cheap grabs and pops, but hell, that's what a good front man does.

Then it's on to one of my top three G'N'R tunes, Rocket Queen. We all know that Slash rips it up, and rides it through on this one, but this song has never been about the guitar. Yes, Myles give great vocals on this track, that once again have me saying, go on tour with the original group and this man. But, that's not what this song is about either. It's the drums and bass that make you want to get all nasty on this track, even when Slash is laying down an extended solo. Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz lay it down like you wouldn't beleive. Brent Fitz gets the task of replicating Steven Adler and he does it very well, while Todd Kerns tackles the Duff lines with good grace. They make it so dirty and naughty you'd think you were listening to the original band live. Which means I should also mention Bobby Schneck, he has to play Izzy's parts, and that is no easy feat. Though he does it well.

Next up is Civil War. Let's just say that the band rises up to the occasion and knocks it out of the park. The only thing that stands out from the original is the little mini fuck around section at the end of the song. Which is a bit of a tease, because you think they are going to go into Voodoo Chile.

That is followed by Nothing To Say instead. Which is a good track, but I do actually like this version a bit better. Once again there's a certain sound and energy to it that really kicks it up compared to the studio album version. After that is the next Myles Kennedy song Starlight. I like this rendition about as much as I like the studio version. It's okay, but that's about it.

Promise is the last track on the first disc. This was originally a Chris Cornell vocal track. I like Myles better, and once again this track has a great vibe that makes it pop more for me on this album than it does on the original album. Slash introduces Todd Kerns as the Vocalist for Doctor Alibi, which was co-written by a man born in Stoke. Lemmy Kilmeister, can not be replicated by anyone, but I love how Kerns busts it out. I have a special affinity for Todd, because I enjoyed the few songs I heard from his earlier group Age Of Electric.

Speed Parade is a forgetable track that follows, which also lowers the chances that I will pick up the second Snakepit album. Next up is Watch This, which was the killer instrumental from Slash's first solo album. It's the perfect track to have in this live set and the band really rocks it out.

Beggars & Hangers On, the only song I distinctly remember from the first Snakepit album, is the next track. I don't really remember the original that much, but this version may help explain why. It's a good solid filler, with a catchy chorus, and not really mush else.

Myles explains he can't whistle and asks the crowd to join in on Patience if they like. I personally just want to skip the song, as I always do. I really don't understand why Slash felt the need to include this track in the live set.

That is followed by Godfather Solo. Slash on one of his well planned and perfected solos. It's always a little on the brilliant side, and a little sexy. There are even times when it sounds like he may shred Eddie Van Halen's Eruption. I'm glad that wasn't the case. The only down side is that Sweet Child O' Mine follows that up.

If there are three Guns N' Roses songs I could spend the rest of my life never hearing again, or hearing live, it would be Sweet Child O' Mine, Don't Cry and Patience. If it weren't for that wicked solo on the previous track, this whole section of the concert would be bothersome. All personal feelings aside, it's a good live version.

Then it's on to the only Velvet Revolver track to make the album. Slither is a great track, but if there was only going to be one song from VR it should have been one of the faster tracks. At least based on the placement in the set list. However, this is the time they use to introduce the band, and then rip into a great rendition of the song.

One song flows seemlessly into the other when they go into By The Sword. This is a very good and faithful version of the song. If you like the original, you should like this one. To be honest I found that the last part of this set list has been too laid back, and by the time we get to the end of this song I am really thankful, just because the pace is going to pick back up again.

If you are a former member of Guns N' Roses and you have to pick two songs to close out the night, the next two songs are the ones to do it with.

First comes the amazing and always fun and wild Mr. Brownstone. One of my favourite Gunner tunes. This is the only track where Myles fails with trying to do Axl. It's not a huge fail, it's just that his voice doesn't hit it right. Then again this isn't exactly the easiest song to sing. But either way it's a great way to begin the ending of the night.

The last track of the night has a fake intro. Slash would almost make you think Patience was coming back or maybe The Rolling Stones Wild Horses. That is until Mr. Kennedy decides to throw down the gauntlet and say flat out, "This is Paradise City." Then it's into what I think is the most popular G'N'R song. I know people like Sweet Child O' Mine better, but people are stupid. Okay, I'm sorry that's rude, but there's a reason why Slash closes the night with this track. Leave 'em on a high note.

Given a choice between the first disc and the second disc, I will always pick the first disc in this set. I find the second disc really causes it all to drag out longer than it is. I think part of that also comes from the fact that this is a two and half hour live set, featuring twenty-two live songs. This is for the hard core fan. Especially when you throw in the bonus DVD as well.

I will probably listen to this one a lot. And when I'm in the mood to "Liven" up the CD player this one will most likely end up in the mix. However, in the grand scheme of live albums, this is a pretty basic one. Nothing overly special or crazy, just good old fashioned Rock 'N Roll.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias

Alice Cooper - Pretties For You

Every band starts somewhere, and in the Sixties you could get signed to a label with the intensions of being able to grow. Someone would see something in a band that could be nurtured, and in many cases exploited. In the case of Alice Cooper, it was Frank Zappa and the label that allowed the original Alice Cooper Group to take root and grow.

Let me be clear about two things with this album. It is an album for those that consider themselves true Alice Cooper fans, or for people that are a fan of sixties Experimental Rock. This is like listening to early Pink Floyd, or the Beatles' raw demos from the psychedelic period, or early Frank Zappa even. This is just one of those kind of albums.

Titanic Overture opens the album up with a keyboard/organ number that is pretty cool. It's creepy, ominous, haunting, and has just the right amount of chill to it. It then moves into a piano piece that fades out.

It starts getting all weird and experimental and Noise Rock on 10 Minutes Before The Worms. This is totally for a certain kind of person. On the experimental noise side of things, it's pretty cool.

Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio is musically cool. It's hard to believe that it's the same band as the last track. If you can get over the sounds of the prodution which suffers in part due to when it was recorded, it's a really decent track. Also, to be honest the vocalist which was then listed as Vincent Furnier sounds kind of shitty. But seriously, musically this is really damn sound. What stands out to me the most in this song is Neil Smith's drumming. I would love to have heard it recorded with the amount of tracks available today.

The rawness of Today Muller is what holds this song back. It's a song that was way ahead of it's time and would be a great starting point for a band to expand on in this day and age.

Living is the first song on the album that the average listener could get into. This could have easily been a radio single. This is a track I would have expected from The Monkees, middle era Beatles, many of the West Coast psychedelic bands, but really well done.

Fields Of Regret is another song that suffers from not having the time of being further developed, or having better recording equipment. This is one of those tracks that could have been a huge favourite of the underground circuit if it had had the chance to be produced the same as Black Juju, which came out only two years later. However, one could argue that Black Juju pretty much was this song rearranged.

No Longer Umpire is one of those songs that started in the early days and continued into the first studio album, and probably should have been. It's just one of those songs that comes across as a first song ever written.

There was an Alice Cooper song I saw a very early promo video for, and I spent forever trying to find it. Eventually I came across Levity Ball (Live at the Cheetah) on this album and I couldn't understand why the studio version wasn't used. I still don't get why a proper version of this song wasn't released. I heard a demo that made me understand a little, but it pisses me off because there's a version on an unofficial release called Live At The Whiskey A-Go-Go which is fantastic. But instead, this album has some piss poor live recording. It really bugs me because this song is awesome. I love the lyrics even. So much poetry. "I got my invitation to the annual levity ball / Seeing the location is within the mirrored room / Walking in my room I found I had nothing to find / I got into my evening wear and left my clothes behind / I sat down on the stairway seven hours at a time / Writing all of this poetry that I knewq would never rhyme / The memory I knew I must have had when I came in / Was of some varied places where I've never ever been / And then in came a cake all decorated in my name / With four paper brown candles are all spelling out this name / The clock was passing out from time to time I saw it all / The beginning of the ending of my first levity ball".

I'm in the middle with B.B. On Mars. It's one of those early sounding songs that should have stayed that way, but on the other hand it does seem well developed. It's a song for those that like it raw.

If you read my review for Billion Dollar Babies you will already know the future story of Reflected, and how it would evolve into one of the great songs of the seventies, it started off here in rough and raw style. I honestly still really dig this track, and would have loved to have heard a version of it fully remastered to the fullest degree.

Apple Bush is a little too Rainbows and Unicorns kind of Hippy Rock for me. I mean this track is interesting, but not my cup of tea.

Earwigs To Eternity is a song that suffers from a lack of proper development. I think if it had been put into the hands of Bob Ezrin for a little time it could have become something a little more interesting. I can't really suggest this one to anyone other than the fans.

Okay, it's clear with Changing Arranging that the band understood from day one that an album needs to be closed out just right, and if it's hard and heavy that's all that much better. I really wish Dennis Dunaway's bass was pushed further ahead in the mix, and the drums were mic'd better, but it would have given this song a fuller sound that would have been killer. This is a track that Bob should have pushed to redo with the band later.

All in all this album is actully pretty decent for it's time. I really think some of these songs should have been given a second life in Bob Ezrin's producer hands later on. Maybe as a bonus album to the original Greatest Hits album, if it could have been done.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

Rammstein - Made In Germany

The reviews I hate writing the most are Rammstein reviews, and that's because I feel that I can never do them justice. For starters, I don't know the language, for which I am sorry, so I have to rely on internet translations. There are some exceptions to that rule, those being songs with English lyrical content, and any track found on the video collection Lichtspielhaus. If you put on the subtitles, you can get the English lyrics to those songs. My son taught me that trick, after he stole my DVD a few times.

However, it's in trying to translate the songs to English where I feel I cause the most damage in my reviews. Those are German words and they are meant to be German words, and sometimes other languages, because that is how Till Linderman delivers his amazing operatic style. I'm not talking about the high soaring vocal stylings of Bruce Dickinson. This is more like a classic Viking or Barbarian Warlord singing of his pain and pleasure and triumphs and failures. I don't need to know the words to let them take me away.

As for the album Made In Germany, it's a best of I picked up for my son for his birthday. I own all the albums and didn't need this one, but my kid sure is happy to have it. Which makes me happy.

Engel leads off the album. This is a good song, but never one of my favourites. I understand why it's on here, but I would have personally thrown it in the middle of the album and opened with the next track instead.

If I had been in charge of selecting the lead off track to this album it would have been Links 234. First off, it's quick, and it has such a steady gripping marching rhythm that it instantly pulls you into the album.

I've never been able to make up my mind about Kein Lust. Part of me loves the track, and enjoys politely banging my head at a gentle nod, while the other part of me will skip it and move on to something I enjoy a little more.

The first song on this album I find truly powerful is Mein Teil. Musically it has a little of everything. Tempo changes, vocal changes, dynamic fluctuations and fantastic timing are all perfectly spread through this song. The constant build ups to the pre chorus and chorus are top notch, while the explosion delivered during the mentioned sections gets the heart pounding and the fist pumping.

If you know any song from Rammstein it's most likely Du Hast. This was the song that truly opened the band up to the North American mainstream. I know the language barrier hasn't helped in the U.S., even though the band does have a strong following there. I personally found that Canadians tend to be more accepting, but no where near as accepting as much of Europe. To be honest I'd rather see Rammstein in Germany where they can do a proper stage show than see a tamed down one in North America. As for the song in question, it's a good track to get you pumped, but I would compare it using the idea of songs one might find on Iron Maiden's self titled album compared to tracks that would be found on Number Of The Beast. Fast, furious, but minimalistic and not as lyrically in depth as songs that were released later.

I often wonder is Du Riechst So Gut has become one of my son's favourite songs, just because of how much he loves singing the English lyrics in a sly mocking manner.

Ich Will has been one of my favourite Rammstein tracks since I first heard it. I love the sound and production on this track. I love the delicate textured layering of the instruments and the way the keyboard is being sprinkled through out the entire song. Christian "Flake" Lorenz may be the most underlooked member of the band when it comes to the actual music. His textures and sounds add so much flavour to so many of this band's songs.

It was only inevitable that eventually the band would try to get more and more orhestrated, and they show that with full luxurious style on Mein Herz Brennt. There's a full sounding string section that powers off the choruses while the verse tends to stay more to accoustic sounds, and then during the pick up leading into the chorus the band turns it up to eleven.

The album finally slows down and gets real mellow dramatic when Mutter starts up. This is a very slow and pretty song when it first starts. Musically it's like a music box with a ballerina in it, if it was played by a full band. The chorus reminds me of a warriors mournful howl for their fallen comrade, and pretty much the only word spoken during those choruses is "Mutter", which you can't help but sing along to.

I don't want to say that Pussy is one of my favourite Rammstein songs, but it really is. I love the complete and utter hilarity of this song. The way that they mock English speaking women, and their obsession with bad boy foreigners is just genious. At least that's how I take it. If I were the same dumb ass kid that got into Rammstein I would love this song for the cheap reasons msot people do. It's fast, fun, and all kinds of dirty.

Rosenrot is only the second song on the album that I could either take or leave. It's not a bad song by any means, but I think it's one of those ones that suffers because of the language barrier.

Halfisch is full of so much fun and bouncy energy. This song is like some German beer polka meets the heavy depths of Metal, with a little whimsical texturing for the tongue in cheek fun. It's also a really good pick up after Rosenrot, and is an even better warm up for the next track.

I hate to come off sounding anti-American but I do have a bias towards them, which is why I love Amerika so much. I love it even more when you think about how popular this song got in the U.S. because Rammstein was using English lyrics, even though those lyrics were meant to be mocking. "We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / Wenn getanzt wird will ich führen / Auch wenn ihr euch alleine dreht / Lasst euch ein wenig kontrollieren / Ich zeige euch wie's richtig geht / Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen / Die Freiheit spielt auf allen Geigen / Musik kommt aus dem Weißen Haus / Und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus / (We're all living in Amerika) / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / Ich kenne Schritte die sehr nützen / Und werde euch vor Fehltritt schützen / Und wer nicht tanzen will am Schluss / Weiß noch nicht dass er tanzen muss / Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen / Ich werde euch die Richtung zeigen / Nach Afrika kommt Santa Claus / Und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Coca-Cola, Wonderbra / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / This is not a love song / This is not a love song / I don't sing my (mother's) tongue / No, this is not a love song / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika / We're all living in Amerika / Coca-Cola, sometimes war / We're all living in Amerika / Amerika / Amerika ". I especially love the part where he says "This is not a love song". That mixed with the chanting that's like a fucked up paraody of It's A Small World from the Disney World theme park, makes this song so much humorous fun.

Sonne was the very first Rammstein song that made me look at the band as serious contenders in the grand scheme of music. While every song from this German powerhouse group tends to be as heavy as Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, Metallica's Thing That Should Not Be, or Iron Butterfly's Heavy, this song is full of so much emotion that the heavy only gets deeper and darker. This song is the true description of beautiful Metal.

Take everything I just said about Sonne and then make it into the epic sound genious of the already mentioned Kashmir, or Metallica's Orion (if it had words), or Iron Maiden's Fear Of The Dark and you get Ohne Dich. This song is the perfect way to cap off all the already widely avaiable material.

Mein Land was released specifically as new material for this album. It's an okay track, but not how I would have ended the album. I really think ending the album with this track makes it seem very last minute, which the song does enough on it's own anyway.

All in all this is a pretty good collection. I think it represents the band decently. To be honest this could have easily been a double album, and maybe it should have been. I can think of five or six songs that should have been on here, two of which were actually singles, and that's just off the top of my head. But if you have never owned anything Rammmstein and don't want to go and pick up every album, as you really should, then you can go with Made In Germany and rest easy that you made a good choice to start with.

8/10 - content

8/10 - production

9/10 - personal bias