Hard to believe, but after over 15 years in existence, "Atlantis" is Portugals` Attick Demons first studio album! The 9 tracks offered here are no-holds barred Power Metal, with plenty of Maiden influences, though it`s not blatant by any means. Certainly not 100 percent original, but the album [and the band] is definitely entertaining. The songs are well thought out, packed to the brim with high power riffs, and the powerhouse vocals of Artur Almeida, a Bruce Dickinson disciple if there ever was one. But Artur is not Bruce clone; one can hear a bit of Paul Di`anno in there, also; the band seems to straddle the fence between the Di`anno and Dickinson eras, but again, they put their own stamp on it. Speaking of Paul, he even makes an appearence on the title track, as does former Manowar axeman Ross The Boss. Not many bands are fortunate to have such luminaries appear on their maiden [pardon the pun!] outing. It`s tough to pick the stand out tracks, as they`re all good, really; "Meeting The Queen" is my favorite at the moment. Can`t say what the future holds for Attick Demons, but with "Atlantis" they`re off to a flying start. And after all these years of waiting, they deserve to be recognized. Metalheads from both Old and newer schools would do well to pick this one up today!!
Certainly one of the most anticipated, and perhaps dreaded, Rock albums in recent years. Let`s face it; the last 15 years haven`t been kind to Van Halen. The aborted attempts to re-unite with David Lee Roth, the public mud-slinging with erstwhile vocalist Sammy Hagar, the departure of Bassist Michael Anthony [replacing him with Eddie`s son, Wolfgang, a controversial move to many], the ambitious but ultimately doomed Gary Cherone experiment, etc. Throw in Eddie Van Halen`s health concerns and disheveled public appearences [where his straggly beard, unkempt hair and missing teeth made The King look like an ad for a homeless shelter], plus the fact that Roth left the music biz to work as an EMT in New York City [!] for a while, and what have you got? A total loss, a once great band who didn`t go out with a bang OR a whimper but a yawn. End of story, who cares? Well, not quite. VH weren`t ready to be written off JUST yet. When the new album "A Different Kind Of Truth", was announced, most [like me] thought we were about to bear witness to a long-over band trying pathetically to exhume past glories. My GOD, were we ever wrong! The deck was stacked against `em, the critics AND public were ready to pounce, and the boys knew they had to deliver in a HUGE way; did they EVER! Some complained about the fact that the band re-worked and/or re-recorded unreleased demo material from their club days; uh, so what? Deal with it! And forget the albums first track [and single] "Tattoo"; it`s not terrible but it just isn`t all that special, either. Get past that one, and you`ve got Van Halen`s best effort since "Van Halen II". Rather than pick up from "1984" [their last with Roth], VH stripped things down to bare bones, opting for more of a raw, off the cuff feel than their more recent albums. While Anthony`s background vocals are definitely missed, their loss is minimal here. I have no idea if Wolfgang played Bass [more likely Dad was responsible for the lion`s share of the bass lines], so it`s tough to gauge his impact on the band right now. Alex always seemed to be the Drummer`s version of his Brother, and each cut shows that his skills have far from diminished. Eddie? He seems to have woken up and remembered who he is; the guy you hear on this CD is the same one who blew speakers, eardrums and minds back in `78. Eddie Van Halen 2012 is on 10, firing on all 8 cylinders, and ain`t takin` prisoners! Every trick in the EVH arsenal is employed, Eddie filling each track with, well, everything he can think of! Yet no matter how far over the top his playing, it`s always within the framework of the song, something his millions of imitators never seemed to grasp. For proof, look no further than "China Town","Blood And Fire", "Bullethead", the monstrously heavy [and brilliant] "As Is", "Honeybabysweetiedoll", "The Trouble With Never", "Outta Space", "Stay Frosty" [the sequel to "Ice Cream Man"?], "Big River", and the closer "Beats Working". Hey, I just listed nearly every song on the album, didn`t I? That should tell you a lot! And of course we have Diamond Dave. And though his vocal gymnastics aren`t what they used to be, the Roth magic is still very much there. And who else could have penned lyrics like "When you turn on the stereo, does it return the favor?" ["The Trouble With Never"]? All told, "A Different Kind Of Truth" is a comeback, a throwback, and a step forward. It`s great to see a VH CD at the top of the charts once again, and they did it without lowering themselves to collaborating with Blonde Country-Pop robots. Welcome back, boys!
“Evolution” is mostly a "Best Of" from Magnum`s most recent releases ["Breath Of Life" to "The Visitation"], along with two new tracks. Apart from the new songs, the rest of the CD features re-recorded versions of some recent material. This is something of a head-scratcher to me, as the songs were fine in their original state. "That Holy Touch" and "Just Like January" are the exceptions; the re-recorded versions have more punch to them than the originals. Yet a song like "When We Were Younger" loses the magic of the original here; this, as well as the other updated versions, don`t really benefit from the re-boot. Seems kind of pointless, really. But the real diamonds here are the two new cuts, “The Fall” and especially my favorite “Do You Know Who You Are”, which are brilliant. If these are the sort of tracks we can expect from the forthcoming Magnum studio release, we`re in for a treat!
I was suspicious of these guys at first; some Nu Metal kids raided Nikki Sixxs` closet, went down to Guitar Center and convinced themselves they they "Rawked". And on first glance, Black Veil Brides mix of "Doctor Feelgood"-era Motley Crüe with more Modern Metal stylings seems a bit contrived. But damned if they don`t pull it off. On "Set The World On Fire", BVB manage to take the `Eighties Glam image and Cock-Rock swagger [something that`s been missing in Rock, lost in a filthy tide of shoe-gazing whiners from Seattle and later a bunch of Hot Topic-clad geeks in need of anger management sessions] and blend it with the darker, more aggressive touch of recent Metal bands. Throw in a bit of Old School Punk and you`ve got.....Black Veil Brides! The whole Rock Star attitude has been sorely missed in a Rock world where, year after year, the Vans Warped Tour trots out Boy bands with downtuned guitars that feature perky lead singers with cute hearcuts, and muscle-bound Christian Jocks-For-Jesus and passes them off as "Rock Bands". To be sure, there isn`t much originality in what BVB do, but since when is originality a requirement? Like they say in the advertising business; "Don`t bring me a new idea, bring me a GOOD idea!". And the band manages to execute their own ideas with conviction, as heard on cuts like "Youth & Whiskey", "Love Isn't Always Fair", "Savior", "New Religion", and "Ritual". And while Black Veil Brides probably won`t headline Wacken anytime soon, they ARE a lot of fun and, from the reception they`re getting, may actually do as the album title suggests!
Third times` the charm for Brazillian Metallists Shadowside. "Inner Monster Out" sees the band firmly establishing their identity as one of THE top Metal acts coming out of South America. The new CD [which was produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden] is their best to date, and features a very up front and in-your-face approach only hinted at on their previous efforts. Having had the good fortune of seeing this band live, I know full well what they`re capable of. All of the qualities that make Shadowside great are on full display here. This is not some retro, Helloween wannabee-type album; the band take a thoroughly modern approach to the more traditional Metal themes, and the results speak for themselves. Super heavy riffs, monstrous rhythms, clever arrangements, catchy melodies, and the vocals of Dani Nolden, who is one of the best vocalists in Metal today; anyone who can`t hear that needs to get a new pair of ears!! The opening track, "Gag Order", starts off with an eerie, psychotic riff and just crushes right from the get-go. "Angel With Horns", the first single, is equally great. But then in MY not-so-humble opinion, the whole album is great! Can`t think of a duff track; "Habitchual", "I'm Your Mind", "My Disupted Reality", and the title track [featuring Nolden going toe-to-toe with guest vocalists Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork), Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility), and Niklas Isfeldt (Dream Evil)] are just a FEW examples of how great the CD is. Take my word for it, you NEED to own this. The "Inner Monster" is DEFINITELY out now, and there`s no stopping it!!!
