Cd Reviews

Free Fall - Power & Volume

2013-05-03T18:02:36Z

Despite having a connection to the extremely trendy and annoying Post-Hardcore scene, FREE FALL have nothing to do with that sound, style, or hipster scenester crap in any way. In fact, I would say that some ways they have more in common with the true old school Punk attitude. I started playing this one at work well before I know anything about the band though. I do my best to do reviews with as little research as possible. It keeps the review about the music and nothing more. So I will not look up any information on this band other than what I just found out in an email from the press agent. Nothing against the press agent for doing their job, I just think it taints things. You could say that I Refused that International Noise Conspiracy.

As soon as the first song started I was in shock. I expected the standard emo/screamo vocals to start at any second. Instead what I got was a full on late 70's and early 80's style rock the likes of Thin Lizzy, Hanoi Rocks, MC5, UFO, and a touch of Janis Joplin. The songs are written with a respect for the craft that is rarely heard in modern times. There is an attitude here that fueled not just Rock, but Metal, and Punk into becoming the statement it did. The song Attila has a vibe that will bring chills up your spin and create goosebumps on your flesh. It's mix of soulful spirit and Hard Rock punch raises the bar further than any band currently being over hyped by clueless morons. Now don't think for a second that this band is just a second rate rip off of the Rock that got the grandparents of some of our readers excited. They bring a modern flair to it all without that "piss take" after taste that bands like The Darkness seem to leave. Sure I have enjoyed a song by The Darkness before, but this release is everything The Darkness tried to pretend they were.

I don't care if you are an old fart like me who remembers when Rock came with a demand of quality song writing, or a young whippersnapper who has been caught more than once digging through your parents vinyl collection, this CD is a must listen. Click the Cd Review section on RockMyMonkey.com (if you are reading this in another section or website that stole our content) and take a look at how often I do cd reviews anymore. To be honest I am old, burnt out, and more jaded than a $2 whore judging a penis beauty contest. I almost never feel inspired to write even three paragraphs anymore. Every time I preview a new release I find myself relating to THIS EPISODE OF SOUTH PARK. But I wrote a review of this cd because people need to know just how damn good it is. I feel there needs to be a bigger effort in letting everyone know that good music is actually still made. Buy this cd and support music that doesn't suck!

Review: Soilwork The Living Infinite

2013-02-20T20:11:13Z

To be honest I have lost interest in Soilwork over the past few releases. Strid seemed to go from being one of the most innovative vocalists in Metal to being just another in a sea of millions. What I used to like so much about his vocals was that he would use so many different types of "extreme" vocals that it wouldn't get boring. So many of the so called extreme vocalists are so damn monotone and flat that it just loses something. Strid seems to be coming back to pushing the limits of extreme vocal diversity to some extent here on The Living Infinite. Because of that he has caught my interest once again. In fact I even dug out all my old Soilwork releases and started to listen to them all again to prepare for this review. Yup, there was a total drop in quality for a few releases. We can all agree that Stabbing The Drama was their weakest, right?

"Spectrum of Eternity" starts The Living Infinite off kind of weak with clique blast beats that seem to be there more because the band feels they have to use blast beats instead of it being something that the song needed. After that things pick up quick though. The back and forth vocals of "This Momentary Bliss" keep things at a level the band has not seen in years. I hear at least 3 different styles of "extreme" vocal alone. I could go song by song, but I think my point is clear. Soilwork is again one of the bands that does "extreme" vocals right. Mix that shit up already! The contrast between “Drowning With Silence” and “Antidotes In Passing” has me convinced that this is the best release from this band since the classic Natural Born Chaos.

I know a lot of people will want to focus on the involvement (or lack of involvement) of Peter Wichers. I think the guitar work here is just as good as his stuff. He has been so hot and cold with the band over the past few years that I'm not sure he adds much passion anyways. I still think that this is the band Soilwork returning to the work ethic of their earlier beginnings. This cd truly does Rock My Monkey!

Review: Tankard - A Girl Called Cerveza

2012-09-28T16:44:00Z

Germanys' Tankard after 30 years together have 'dropped' A Girl Called Cerveza on us.They have a painting of a big fugly toothless woman getting her mug shot as their cover,fitting for those of us that have worn beer goggles. Tankard is a synonym for 'beer mug', from the start they have been a tongue in cheek thrash and then thrash/punk band with their sound not having changed much in thirty years though their style has.
Tankard's sound is raw,garage style,a mix of punk,metal and rock. It's heavy. It reminds me of Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, and even a little King Diamond. From start to finish this effort bashes with titles like "Witch Hunt", "A Girl Called Cerveza", and Not One Day Dead.

But, It just doesn't do it for me, it sounds under produced which I'm sure was done on purpose but jeez, it's time to grow. This to me sounds like a bunch of 18 year olds first demo (maybe second) they slammed out in a weekend because they couldn't afford more studio time and didn't know better. I wont listen to this again, there's nothing there for me. Having said that, they've never been that serious, they've always gone for laughs and are basically a party/club band. So maybe they're doing it just right for themselves, but I can't take it.

Thumbs up/down is taken, how bout new or broken strings? I give Tankard's "A Girl Called Cerveza" four broken strings out of six. They get a couple strings because the guitar player does some good things here and there when you can hear him and the vocals don't suck all the time, but there's nothing else that stands out as good for me.

Not recommended.

Review: Testament - Dark Roots of Earth

2012-09-24T12:31:05Z

When I was a kid I loved Testament's Legacy, New Order and Practice What You Preach. I've always been a fan, but this recording is putting them at the top of my favorites list again. Dark Roots of Earth starts with a track called 'Rise Up'. It's fast, melodic, and wicked heavy, reminding me why I've always liked Testament. Dark Roots had the bands highest opening sales release opening at number 12 on the U.S. billboard top 200 with over 20,000 'scans' in the opening week.

Alex Skolnick in my opinion has always been one of the best Metal lead players and he shows plenty of those talents in Dark Roots of Earth, he and Eric Peterson are two of the best in Metal.
Chuck Billy for a while went a little heavier, in Dark Roots he goes back to his original sound that made him so popular in the Metal scene and it's great to hear again.

For this Metal fan, Dark Roots of Earth is a must have. It's great thrash and Testament's best effort in years. Check them out while they're touring the U.S. and Canada.

Uproar Festival

2012-09-23T09:45:30Z

Mark and I showed up at the White River Amphitheater about an hour before the first band started on the smaller stages, the line to get in was already six people wide and a quarter mile long, growing by the second. When we first got in we walked around checking out the bands merchandise setups and the various sponsor booths and tents. Once they opened the gates the place filled up fast and continued to for hours with all the fun people that fill rock/metal shows.

The first band to play was Drown Mary, super heavy Pantera-ish style and the crowd congregated at their stage. There was two stages setup side by side, both were semi trailers that literally folded out to make stages, it was pretty cool. Once one band got done it was seconds later and another band would start on the other stage while the roadies tore down and set up for the next band on whatever stage was just finished. Non stop rockin for roughly six hours on kickin P.A.s that were powerful enough that it felt like I had a second heartbeat at times from the kick drums:-) That was great, those setups were so clear and powerful sounding you could drop a guitar and it would sound good.

After the bands on the smaller stages were done everyone started to make their way to the main stage for the opener there. The main stage is outdoors but still under a canopy that resembles the Mariners Safeco Field, the place is huge. There's two giant screens, one on either side of the stage about 150 feet away from the stage each for the people way in back. I didn't get the attendance but it's safe to say there's thousands, the crowd is huge,loud and roudy. As I write this Godsmack is playing "Voodoo", there's three people I can see crowd surfing and two great big pits mangling bodies. I love Metal.

Remember in the old days when a ballad would get played and there would be 5,000 lighters go up? I'm sitting in the 200 section and I can see a sea of cell phones, times have changed.
We had a great time at 2012 Uproar, every band was kick ass and the music was non stop all day and night.

Heart - Strange Euphoria Box Set (Disc 3): Part 4

2012-06-24T21:40:14Z

This third and final disc kicks off with these lovely ladies doing a song under The Lovemongers banner called "Kiss". Modern popstar tarts can try all they want, but there is no way they can ever top the erotic power of this song! In fact there is just something amazing about when these two pick up an acoustic guitar that you just know it is going to be the highest of quality. So many female artists end up sounding contrived and overly pretentious, but with Ann and Nancy Wilson this is never the case. So although I prefer it when they get into some serious heavy rock tunes, I enjoy their acoustic material more than most artists out today. It doesn't seem to matter if it is the sensual "Kiss", "Sand", "Everything", or "She Still Believes", it is down right mesmerizing.

The 4 song intro of acoustic leads into something I don't think I have ever heard them do before...Blues! "Any Woman's Blues" is another track listed as a demo, but I'm really confused as to why it would be just a demo. I have never listened to the final studio version, but I just do not see how it can be any better than this down right stunning version. This however leads into a song that I have to admit I just can not get into. The strange thing is that it is the title track to this box set! "Strange Euphoria" comes off like an experiment that just did not work out. It does however show why they have been around for almost half a century, they are not afraid to experiment. Which is why they pull it off so well most of the time. This sadly leads into my least favorite Heart song in their entire catalog, "Boppy's Back" is just annoying. The vocals are bad and the lyrics are monotonous and uninspired. I am sure I will get hate mail for saying so, but I just do not like that song.

The band snaps back with a vengeance with another song recorded under The Lovemongers name, "Friend Meets Friend." Interesting, it's another acoustic song. The duel vocals are a major reason why this song works so well. We then get a live recording of the band doing a more raw Blues song called "Love Or Madness". The recording is rough, but it adds to the nasty attitude the song has and I love it! "Skin To Skin" is listed as previously unreleased and I can tell you why. It is a little weak and lacks the timeless nature of the majority of material they are known for. It goes back and forth from a really bad rap vocal to this annoying vocalization. Some may love it but this is one of my least favorite songs on this disc.

"Fallen Ones" is the heaviest song on the disc and just might be my new favorite song by Heart. How did I not hear this song before? "Enough" is another song that proves that wimpy can be done without it coming off as lame. Sure the song is mellow as hell, but it is also cool as hell. The difference is talent and passion. "Lost Angel", "Little Problems, Little Lies", "Queen City", and "Hey You" all continue this same pattern to greatness. "Avalon" ends this third disc with a 34 second teaser of a song that ends with that same feeling of your favorite tv show doing a cliff hanger before they know if they are renewed.

So after three discs I have a few thoughts. This is more a box set of the career of Ann and Nancy Wilson instead of Heart, but that is a good thing to me. I also am reminded of why these box sets are such a great idea. Even if there is a song or two that you do not like per disc, you still end up with hours of great music you love! In this day of disposable mp3 files a box set like this creates a great back up. What if your hard drive fails? What if that cloud service goes under with no warning? Always keep a physical back up. Plus, this box set looks much better on a shelf instead of an mp3 on a hard drive. I have discovered some great new songs from this duo that I never knew about. I know have more Ann and Nancy Wilson songs that I can enjoy over and over again. Even without the dvd I will review next, this box set is well worth the money. Buy it or you are seriously missing out on some awesome.

For part one where I talk in depth about the packaging and art work go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/cd-reviews/2012/6/17/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-review-part-1.html

For Part 2 where I review disc 1 go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/19/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-1-part-2.html

For part 3 where I talk about disc 2 go to :

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/21/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-2-part-3.html

Heart - Strange Euphoria Box Set (Disc 2): Part 3

2012-06-20T18:13:56Z

You remember back when you were a little kid and your parents would be ranting about something they thought was important, but your brain was drifting off to something you cared about more? They would say that although you could hear them, you were not really listening to them. Well, that is what we do to music now. It's just background noise. I think what makes Heart so special is that they have four decades of releasing music that would grab you and make you listen the way our parents wish they could have more often. So here I am on the third installment of my adventure to give the most detailed review of the Heart box set available.

When I started listening to this at work I ended up listening to the first few songs of this second disc a few times before I figured out it was the second disc. The song that stuck out the most was "Bebe Le Strange". I have no clue why, but that hook got a hold of me and just would not let go. The guitar riffs in the song "City's Burning" have to be some of the most over looked guitar riffs in Rock history. I'm not a guitar player, so maybe I am missing something but people should be talking about this song way more than they do. The live version of "Never" is amazing. Just like with the demo tracks, this is stripped down to it's core. Maybe they had an extra dose of energy because John Paul Jones was playing with them? Either way, I still wonder if they meant "You're banging your head again, somebody won't let you in" as a masturbation reference. I have always thought so but have never seen them confirm or deny it in interviews. "These Dreams" and "Alone" are just the standard studio versions we have all loved for the past couple decades, but it is still nice to hear them both again and have them in this collection.

I have to admit that this is the first time I have heard the songs "Nobody Home", "High Romance", and "Under The Sky", but I really like them. Although I like it best when these girls kick ass, some of their softer songs are great because soft songs from modern bands of today seem to lack any passion and these ladies have always been overflowing with it. This disc did has two weak spots in "Lucky Day", and "Unconditional Love" but two weak songs amongst such a strong catalog is a pretty good track record in my book. My wife did get mad at me when I played the track back to back with a Beyonce song and asked her if she heard any similarities. I think I ruined that song for her for life.

With this disc being pretty full of the softer side of Heart, I was glad to hear that the final song was a bit heavier. It is 80's cheese all the way, but nobody did that with more integrity than Heart. It is the perfect statement to describe their entire career. It never mattered if it was one of the heavier rock songs of that era, a soft ballad about love, or an 80's style track about empowerment, they always did it with their integrity intact. That is clear with this disc, even with the songs I don't like.

For part one where I talk in depth about the packaging and art work go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/cd-reviews/2012/6/17/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-review-part-1.html

For Part 2 where I review disc 1 go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/19/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-1-part-2.html

Heart - Strange Euphoria Box Set (Disc 1): Part 2

2012-06-19T17:36:55Z

Would you believe that part one of this review got nearly a thousand views yesterday? I have never had this much reaction from a simple review in my decades (yeah, I'm old) of covering music this way. In the 12 noon hour we had 255 visits to the review alone! Why? Some might say that it could have something to do with today being Ann Wilson's birthday? I don't think so. It's freakin' Heart! This band resonates with people like no other. Why not? Two women that are as talented as they are stunningly beautiful (even on their 62nd birthday). They never dumb it down in hopes the mainstream public can handle them either. Because they have stayed true as artists, a collection like this is best consumed like a fine wine (or for me a craft beer) and a perfectly cooked steak. This is what happens when an artist stays true to their art for half a century.

So on to my review of disc one of this awesome collection! One of the things that amazes me about this collection is the demo tracks. Most of the time when I see demo tracks in a collection like this I find it interesting to hear a part of the history of how some legendary song developed, but it's never something I listen to over and over again. It's never as good as that final version, right? Not here! The demo tracks here are as good as the final versions. In fact there are songs on here like "Crazy On You" that I think are better than the versions we are more familiar with! The more well known version is so full of slick production that after hearing the demo it feels like the spirit and passion of the song was produced out of it. The demo version now comes off as more personal and intimate. With the demo version of "Magic Man" I was left feeling like I was hearing the song for the first time all over again. Demo's? WRONG! These are not demos! These versions just leave the artists soul bare and naked and creates more of a spiritual journey. Yes, it is THAT good! You really need to hear these so called demos to understand.

The infamous "Dreamboat Annie" is an very strange and unique mash up of some kind. To be honest I am not really sure what they did here but I do know I love it. The liner notes say that it is two (sounds like three) versions blended as one. Not sure I have ever heard a band do this before, but it works extremely well here. Of course they picked a live recording of their most covered song "Barracuda", because this is where this song comes alive. The recording is stellar and sounds best on a good pair of headphones. Although I am sure young female artists like Amanda Hardy are plagued with requests to play "Barracuda", I would like to hear her and her band play "Kick It Out" instead. "Straight On" is the one track I find entertaining for all the wrong reasons. Disco? Ok, even Heart has a mistake in their past, but they get cred for not trying to hide it. Song after song also reminds me of how many Heart songs I already love! "Dog & Butterfly" for example. If you walked up randomly to someone with a Heart shirt and asked them to name their top ten Heart songs, I am willing to bet very few would name "Dog & Butterfly", but that song is more amazing than many of their more popular songs. Collections like this are great for three reasons. 1. To re-visit your favorites 2. To rediscover that you love ten times more songs from a legendary band than you thought("they sing that song too!?"). 3. To discover new favorites like "Nada One". Disc one kicks this collection of to a great start and turned out way better than most will expect.

I hope you all are enjoying this week long detailed review of this great new Box Set as much as I am enjoying the adventure. Stay tuned to tomarrow as I dig into the 2nd disc!

For part one where I talk in depth about the packaging and art work go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/cd-reviews/2012/6/17/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-review-part-1.html

For part 3 where I talk about disc 2 go to :

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/21/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-2-part-3.html

Heart - Strange Euphoria Box Set Review: Part 1

2012-06-18T01:40:30Z

Alright, let's get the negatives out of the way right off the bat. There are only two small ones. The packaging is more about looking really awesome than it is about being efficient. Sure having the cd's in little slits behind a fold out mural looks better than any other method, but it makes it a pain in the ass to get the cd's in and out. Collections like this will have the cd's pulled in and out so often that it will make the quality of the package deteriorate quickly. Collectors who would buy this would rather have something that holds up better. Plastic isn't "eco friendly", but this isn't something that will end up in a landfill is it? A mixture of the standard plastic case and the cardboard "digipack" would have been better. Of course the solution to that would be to pull them out once to rip them, and listen to the music in digital form only. Pull them out again only when you need to re-rip them when a hard drive fails (which is one of the best reason to always buy a physical form of your music). The problem is that the discs have zero meta-data on them! You have to type that all in by hand. LAME!

Now those two very minor and nit picky things mentioned above are really overshadowed by all the great things about this collection. Although this collection does not have every hit, it does have most of them. For the hardcore fans of HEART, this collection would be a must have. Some collections are made for the casual fan with nothing but pristine studio versions of nothing but the biggest hits. This however has previously unreleased recordings, demo versions of the songs we love, and live recordings scattered throughout. Maybe sometime later the band will release a collection with just the studio versions of the biggest hits for you casual fans. This is for the HEART fan who wants to dig a little deeper.

Although there are plenty of their hit songs in all forms, there are also songs by The Lovemongers, solo songs by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, a recording from the pre-HEART group Ann Wilson & The Daybreaks, an appearance by John Paul Jones, and so much more. If you buy the box set from Amazon you even get a bonus CD containing covers of five Led Zeppelin songs, entitled Heart Zeppish! But I will get more into the music later as this review will be more about the packaging.

The collection comes with a 56 page book. This is not the standard box set book though. Instead of just a bunch of photos that you will look at once and never open again, this book works as almost a reference manual for HEART fans. This book will bring you back to the day when you had to read every word of the liner notes on the first listen of that new cd you waited in line to buy on the same day of release. With each song Ann and Nancy will guide the listener through the history of the band and what inspired the song to be created. This book gives you the basic story behind the songs that you have loved. The entire collection is protected by a decorative sleeve with a heart that shows a photo of the infamous sisters. I love that both the fold out mural that holds the discs and the book that holds the written history of the music slides out with ease, but never falls out on accident. It took some good planing to make this set so that it fits nicely on any book shelf so you're not hunting for a place to keep it all safe from dust, sun, pets, or any other damaging elements that have destroyed so many box sets before. Using the flaps of the fold out cd holder and mural as a place to showcase the history of the bands logo was pretty cool too. Lastly, the collage/mural was a really nice touch as well.

This is a very worthwhile boxset. Amazon has it for under $35. With the 3 audio discs and the live concert dvd that makes it less than $10 for each cd. If you actually buy it from Amazon it is less than $7 per disc! So I would recommend this to any fan of HEART. Notice how this review was mostly about the packaging? Tomorrow I start digging into the actual music! Stay tuned!

For Part 2 where I review disc 1 go to:

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/19/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-1-part-2.html

For part 3 where I talk about disc 2 go to :

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/news/2012/6/21/heart-strange-euphoria-box-set-disc-2-part-3.html

Threat Signal - New World Order

2012-05-07T06:26:00Z

My third review for RMM and by far my favorite band thus far. I haven't listened to Threat Signal enough yet to know if I'm going to really like them or not for the long term, but my first impressions are positive, very positive. These guys have just about everything I love. Super heavy, a mixture of singing (heavy singing) and screaming (high and low register), a talented guitar player that rips some leads, a solid drummer and bass player to lock up the rhythm section. The singer at times reminds me of In Flames singer with his tone, but overall he's a lot heavier, but he does use that same tone a little, which is cool by me since I like In Flames.

To me Threat Signal is almost the total package. Only time will tell for me personally. If I still like them next year then I'll know, but for now I recommend Threat Signal and their new cd New World Order. Threat Signal, New World Order. I don't know who I can compare the guitar work to. It's original to me. He has a tone I haven't quite heard before, though I'm sure it's out there somewhere. His style is tried and true and also very talented. I've heard they have or had a guy from Fear Factory, but with a couple lineup changes I don't know who's with them right now. But he's good, better than most, very clear and melodic. He's really a good player.

Threat Signal is a solid band that I recommend. Heavy and talented, one of the best first impressions I've had in quite a while.

Threat Signal Kicks Ass!!!

\m/
Terry