Strange and Beautiful |
| The second I put this cd in, I hated it. It didnt sound like Crimson Glory, it sounded like Led Zeppelin, spanish acoustic music and Indian influences kind of mixed together to create some kind of freaky shit. And as one Midnight admirer said "vocalist Midnight sounds like a wuss" Okay that's a bit strong, but this isn't the hard and heavy, pristinely clean sounding Crimson Glory of days long past. Glancing over the titles I was intrigued but that wore off pretty soon. The title track kicks it off and it is not really a rocker or a ballad but something inbetween. Promised Land starts off as some native sounding primitive drum beating which is a major turn off for me. I do not like primitive sounding music. It turns into a hard rocking sounding song, but the horrid beginning haunts me still. Its like CG wanted to be a glam band but got lost somewhere along the way. The trick to writing a good glam song is to have a good melodic hook and they don't have that. Love and Dreams is a very pretty acoustic sounding ballad, which along with the beautiful Song for Angels, get my votes for the best songs on here. Very acoustic and very pretty, Midnight's vocals really shine here. The Chant and Dance on Fire are tolerable, as well as their closest shot to a power ballad, Deep Inside Your Heart. Starchamber was the title that really captured my imagination, but upon listening, that faded away. After hearing it a few times, it grows on you, like all things do. If you do get this cd, be prepared for a new side to CG, considering their past masterpieces, this was a direction I don't like, but at least the ballads are good. However, compared to other real flops made by bands like Dokken and Queensryche, this is a shining gem of musical wonder. Just proves how bad Dokken's last cd was..... |
Rating: 4.5/10.0 |
III How the Gods Kill |
| I have to say that I am not a Danzig type metal fan. My boyfriend bought me this cd for my birthday and well, I wasn't expecting it to be all that great...I generally don't like the darker sounding music, but after listening to zillions of happy poppy metal stuff, I was glad to get ahold of this. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. I like all the songs on here, and some I actually love. Sistinas is hands down my favorite, with the creepy dark tones that compose the closest thing to a ballad on this disc. Godless is a heavy sounding treat with Glenn's evil sounding vocals giving it the vocal sound it needs. Anything is a song I have heard before, with a very addicting hook. The beginning beckons you into the darkened sound...lapping acoustic and very soft vocals, the energy starts to build slowly until it breaks out into a faster paced tune that is one of my favorites on here. Dirty Black Summer is great, another song with a great hook. Do You Wear the Mark is also notable. Its always a great to hear something you are not so sure about, and come out pleasantly surprised. A very excellent cd, and a good change from what I usually listen to. Very recommended! |
Rating: 7.5/10.0 |
Hail to England |
| I am a huge Manowar fan, and all their cd's after 1987 had set such high standards, I expected their material before then to be just as good, and I had my expectations realized and knocked down at the same time. Blood of My Enemies is good, Manowar-ish enough for my tastes. Each Dawn I Die is too Pagan sounding for me, and far too repetitive, but overall its not that bad. Kill With Power is cool, probably my favorite on the cd, it starts out slow and pounding, quickly increasing in speed until it gets to a comfortably excrutiatingly fast level and then just pounds. The "...die..die..." delivered by powerhouse vocalist Eric Adams, is just beyond neat. And the evil and fiendish laughs are perfect. Oh yeah, Hail to England, the title track is pretty awesome, a sing-a-long song in typical Manowar fashion. Army of the Immortals pounds, like the songs before it, seems to me its about Manowar fans. Not quite up to speed. Next track. Black Arrows. Performed on a bass guitar, this is one of the most annoying metal songs I have ever heard. Ignore it, next track. Bridge of Death is a satanic song, thus I haven't listened to it much. The beginning is slow and plodding, and then Eric Adams voice kicks in very softly at that, it ends up sounding very dramatic. Its actually a pretty decent song as long as I ignore the lyrics. The production on this cd is not that great. Instead of enhancing the sound, it takes alot away from it. Die hard Manowar fans might find enough interesting here to want to own this cd, but there are so many better discs on the market that I would gladly pass this up if I had a second chance. |
Rating: 4.5/10.0 |
Breaking the Chains |
| I had wanted this cd for quite awhile, and ran across it recently in a store in Baton Rouge and bought it. I was disappointed at first, mainly because of the production and the repetitive songwriting. But upon further listen, I started to like it just a bit better. The title song is good, with its addictive sound and good vocal harmonies. In the Middle, is the closest song on BTC to give a hint of what Dokken is capable of doing. The drums help set the tone for the song. My favorite, Seven Thunders, starts out sounding like a basic rock song with very fast rhythm guitar and then Don Dokken's voice kicks in, and really sounds as beautiful as it ever did. His voice, like in the albums to come after this, gives the song a very melodic sound, which it quickly shapes to, making it the best song on the cd. Felony is pretty good too. The rest of it is standard material, nothing special, just straight forward hard rock. Dokken fans will like this cd, but might be disappointed with the repetitive rhythms and typical sounding, predictable tunes. Not great, but passable... |
Rating: 5.0/10.0 |
Masters of Metal |
| OOH yeah a compilation cd I actually LIKE! Loaded with 10 songs, some familiar, some not, most of them good to excellent, its a combination that just hints of keeping your interest. Motley Crue's "Looks that Kill" is the first track off, and with its trademark rhythms and sing along pounding feel, it makes a great starter track. Especially since I was familiar with it and knew all the words, it stirred my interest up immediately. "Follow Your Heart" by Triumph was a very pleasant surprise. Sort of a cross between Foreigner and TNT, the very melodic vocals and sound made me fall deeply in love with the song. Triumph was a great band that played alot of excellent melodic hard rock tunes. Ace Frehley's "Into the Night" is another of my favorites on here, previously unheard by me, I enjoyed the very pop metallish sound of this song, and soon became familiar with the lyrics. "Mechanix" by Megadeth is pretty good, Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark" is one of my favorite songs, not only on this compilation cd, but of all time. The synthesizer is used so perfectly, and RJD's vocals are like no one else's. The Faster Pussycat song, and Accept's "London Quireboys" are decent tracks, but the cheerleading feel of "Rock You" by Helix is a sing-a-long dance-a-long tune that really revs it up all the way, and the closing song, Kix's "Cold Blood" is pop melodic metal at its very best. The only complaint is the Beastie Boys song. I don't know what moron got the idea that the Beastie Boys were a metal band, but they belong in the "rap type music that isn't really music, just generally annoying sounds" section. Other than that, this is a must have. 9 great songs out of 10 is pretty good. |
Rating: 8.0/10.0 |