Stephen 'In The Spotlight' marks a fresh start of the new sleaze metal sensation from Sweden, BABY JANE. Carrying the torch together with the likes of CRASHDIET, DYNAZTY, and HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, the awakening of these bands in the last few years made your head spin and think 'was Sunset Strip eventually relocated to Europe?'

'Raise Your Fist' kicks the door with such a gigantic riffs and massive chorus. 'My Behavior' slows down the tempo but not the quality. The band pumped up the momentum even further with another crazy track, 'Face Against The Wall'. If you pay attention to the vocal part, you may spot a little accent trouble, but talking about how he handles the screaming and singing style, Freddie deserved two glasses of beer here.

'Upside Down' is a piano ballad attempt to ease the assaulting waves of aggressive tunes, and it's a perfect insertion before they cracked up high with the best tune of the album, 'In The Spotlight'. The next tracks such as 'Next In Line' and 'Adrenaline' are as great as the rest but 'Night Explodes' might be the closest contender to the title track. The production is awesome and this album creates a surprising blast from start to finish!

UMUR "G N' R Lies" is the 2nd full-length studio/live album by US hard rock/metal act Guns N´ Roses. The album was released through Geffen Records in November 1988 in the US and December 1988 in the UK. While "G N' R Lies" is considered the band´s 2nd album, it´s actually more of a compilation. On the original vinyl version, side 1 featured the four live tracks from the "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide (1986)" EP, while side 2 featured four semi-acoustic new recordings. It´s a rather short album with it´s 33:32 minutes long playing time, but at the time of release, Guns N´ Roses fans swallowed it up as there seemed to be an insatiable appetite for new material by the band following the great success of "Appetite For Destruction (1987)". The album has sold over 5 million copies in the US alone.

It´s probably needless to say, but as a cohesive album "G N' R Lies" doesn´t work very well. The mix of live tracks with semi-acoustic rockers make the album a fragmented listen. That doesn´t mean the tracks aren´t top notch though, because that´s certainly the case. I remember I wasn´t too fond of the live tracks when I listened to "G N' R Lies" the first time about 20 years ago, but boy do they rock hard when I listen to the album today. The sound quality is excellent and the material is filled with the snarling "Fuck You" attitude that would make the band so famous a couple of years later. The covers of "Mama Kin" by Aerosmith and "Nice Boys" by Rose Tatoo have been given a shot of adrenaline and Guns N´ Roses perfectly manage to make the songs their own. The two original live tracks "Reckless Life" and "Move to the City" are also raw and powerful rockers.

Out of the four semi-acoustic tracks on side 2, "Patience" is without a doubt the most famous one. It was also the only single released from the album. The video for the track received heavy rotation on MTV and undoubtedly further helped sales of the album. "Used to Love Her" is enjoyable but more in the silly department, while the equally strong "One in a Million" is quite the controversial track, with lyrics bashing minority groups like homosexuals and immigrants. "You're Crazy", which was originally released in a harder rocking and fully electric version on "Appetite For Destruction (1987)", is delivered here in a semi-acoustic version, which the band say was how it was originally intended.

Maybe I´m being a bit too generous with my rating here but I really enjoy "G N' R Lies" and while it´s certainly not perfect or cohesive as an album, a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Lynx33 The album Killers was released in June, 1982. Since then it has become an album that most people see as a useless compilation album by a band that wants to balance the commercial disappointments by their previous albums, trying to bring glory days back. However, I don't see it like that. This album is very special to me, always has been and will always be. I remember those days in the late eighties when I listened to it all the time, I fell asleep to it, I woke up to it, listening to it before and after school. I especially recall those days when I was very sick lying at home reading Alan Dean Foster's adapted book Aliens, listening to Killers meanwhile all the time on cassette, having it taken out and put back if one side was over, playing it again and again non-stop. Very sadly, I have lost the cassette copy I had since then, but the memories the album gave me can never be forgotten. I especially liked the new songs with the unique guitar sound provided by Bob Kulick, brother of the band's future guitarist Bruce Kulick, and the guitarist on Paul Stanley's club tour along with Eric Singer. I liked the old songs too, Love Gun, Cold Gin, Sure Know Something for instance, although I have always much preferred Stanley-Simmons-Carr-Kulick Kiss, I was a big fan of this line up Kiss back in the eighties and nineties. I have never understood why the band didn't release an official live album in the eighties, because they were so good live, as you can see and hear on the lot of bootleg videos and concerts. Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick (though, Bruce is not on this album), in my opinion, were much better musicians than the ones in the classic line up, though in the last fifteen years, it has been so popular to say the old line up is the bestest because they're the originals. The band was very much lucky that they were able to find a superb drummer, Eric Singer, to replace Eric Carr. The album Killers itself in structure and atmosphere has a lot in common with the band's other compilation called Smashes, Thrashes and Hits, which I also had on cassette back in those days liking it too. My favourite song on Killers is I'm Legend Tonight, into which I remember I deleted a two second break accidentally having pushed the record button once. Everytime I hear the album ever since I know where the break was in the song on my old cassette. It's so strange. The other fantastic song is Sure Know Something, of course. So, not to make it too long, this album to me is not a useless compilation at all, but something very special, deserving to be given four stars.

Stephen STALA & SO, a name that might have been more fitted in a train company or gold stores, but despite that weird pick, this Finnish poppish glam outfit unleashed a set of enjoyable and uplifting songs in 'It Is So'. One thing that bothers me is the singer. His singing style and timbre isn't my fave but I'm not saying he's bad here, it's just that probably one of the troubling part of this album is him.

'Got To Believe' is a nice opener. An energetic melodic rock with a catchy chorus but shamefully was followed by two average songs. '(Won't Let You) Down Again' is back on track but 'Pamela' stood out as the champion. What an astonishing song! 'Bye Bye' is a great acoustical power ballad tune, 'Happy Day' is more of an easy listening tune and perhaps the last strong track of the album.

The band derived influences from 70s glam rock and combined it with modern power pop. The unusual mix reminds me of ENUFF ZNUFF where late 60s style can be put together with 80s glam. Pretty good album, and fun. 70% isn't too much I guess

Stephen I bought this blindly from a friend without any information at all except a hint that they're sounding like SKID ROW meets SPREAD EAGLE, now that's some really interesting combo. At a first glance, I did agree with that comparison, only I will add that they also have the LILLIAN AXE element, especially from the early days. Rob Creek's vocal reminds me a lot to Phil Lewis from L.A.GUNS, so it's a completely sleaze / hard rock style and I dig it a lot.

'Saved By Grace', which is also the album's title, is a brilliant tune. The chorus is awesome, but however the next two tracks were a bit sloppy, even though I still think both are good. 'Emotional Suicide' is a unique acoustical ballad piece, again, the chorus is awesome and sounds very different than the typical slow song from a regular glam band. 'Just Like The Blues' shows their bluesy side with some chugging riffs. George Karl and Ray Rodriguez proved to be a lethal guitar combo here.

'Eyes' is another winner, highly addictive hard rock piece with fantastic riffs. 'Your Light' is a nice and smooth acoustical ballad and 'Best of Me' is a beautiful southern rock song. The production is good and I'm glad I took this over for quite a cheap bargain. If you love sleaze and glam, I bet you'll like this one a lot. 80%

Stephen BRASS KITTEN was revived by Perris in 2001 for a blitzing glam release, 'Across America' and I'm going to say, judging by the year of its release, this is definitely an oasis in the desert. Steve Philbrook has an amazing vocal and a wide range, the songs are mostly energetic, very melodic, and right in-your-face. 'Crossfire' is a mindblowing opener; 'Can't Hold Back The Young' is reminiscent of PRETTY BOY FLOYD style; 'Too Far Gone' is a nice and simple ballad; and 'Bite The Bullet' is a great no-frills hard rock tune.

There are some fillers scattered here such as the second track, 'Sweet Love Affair' or the eight track, 'Can't Get Enough', but that's only the weakest songs I spotted. 'Fit To Be Tied' and 'Wait Another Day' are still pretty good. 'Country Song' is an easy listening acoustical piece, I love this track and 'Quit Your Bitchin' is an ass-kicker sleazy thing similar to DANGEROUS TOYS.

Unfortunately the volume level is quite low but the production isn't bad considering it's an indie recording. This album isn't going to win any award, but for fans of glam that's yearning for some serious rock and roll salvo, BRASS KITTEN is a neat catch.

Stephen What a great comeback of a glam metal legend, KEEL. 'Streets of Rock & Roll' contained most of things that you like from the band. Soaring vocal, roaring guitars, heavy and energetic riffs, killer solos, pounding drums, that kind of stuffs that probably will remind you a lot to the heyday of the 80s. The opening title track pumps up the heat; 'Hit The Ground Running' is a good track but the next one is even better, 'Come Hell or High Water', I don't believe if this track can't move your toe and shake your head. I spotted a little volatility in this disc, meaning there are several weaker tracks like 'Gimme That' or 'Hold Steady', but there are also few winners such as 'Does Anybody Believe', 'No More Lonely Nights', and 'Live'.

Ron's vocal isn't as great as it used to be, but 20 years has passed so that's totally expected. The performance is tight and I'll gladly say this again, a very nice come back by the band that created a big hit of 'The Right To Rock' and 'The Final Frontier'. Deserved at least 80% and I'm sure this will receive a frequent spins by many!

Stephen A strange combination of HANOI ROCKS and JUNKYARD with a little GNR touch, so what we've got here is a mix of classic glam, aggressive punk element, and southern roll, definitely not for everybody, but I must admit they do have some nice tunes here. The title track is a winner, I'm impressed with the tense riffs and awesome chorus; 'Bumville Judge' is punkish and the riffs also are very nice; 'I'll Be In Your Way' and 'Asshole, Bastard' are full of GNR flavor.

There are several low points such as 'A Mess' and 'Oh No!', 'Get Off My Back' is a good track but the rappin' part isn't working well for me and 'Sadat Bloody Sadat' could have been better. I'm not sure about Kelly Morgue's vocal, I don't think he's really a strong singer but the rest of the gang played their instruments tight and fine.

Other fave tracks here are 'No Good', 'Gag Me, Cuff Me', and 'Rob The Bank'. The production is surprisingly great for an indie band, but sadly you can only find this in CDR format and not silver pressed. Good and satisfying and a harmless 75% type of album.

Stephen I swear I heard Axl-style singing here and not to mention some Appetite-For-Destruction's influenced riffs and rhythm in many of the songs here, but I can safely say that KIK TRACEE is a poor man's GUNS N' ROSES. Without the originality and came out too late, the band was shuffled out quickly without a trace and after this single album, they're gone off to nowhere. But I can tell you that this ain't bad at all, yeah they should have cut the duration to 45 minutes and left out several fillers, but if you play it loud as suggested, the effect is quite dramatic and somehow it's still enjoyable, well if you do like some good ol sleaze rock of course.

Several outstanding songs for me here are 'Mrs.Robinson', the acoustical ballad of 'Big Western Sky' which weirdly reminds me to L.A.GUNS big hit, 'The Ballad of Jayne' in some ways; 'Tangerine Man' and 'Rattlesnake Eyes are pretty nice; and 'Lost' is also a nice ballad. Other tracks are quite okay like 'Don't Need Rules', 'You're So Good', and 'Trash City', but I think I'm fine without 'Generation Express', 'Soul Shaker' that ripped off 'Mr.Brownstone', or 'Velvet Crush'.

It's an okay release, usually you can find it pretty cheap in the nearest pawn shop, just make sure you don't overpay it, it kinda fits nicely into your sleaze collection, and works much better if you dig GNR or L.A.GUNS. 70%

Stephen The first album in ten years, 'On The Line' is highly anticipated by their cult followers and it's also a surprising move because VAIN decided to went back to their debut style. This is a similar approach with their latest album, 'Enough Rope', but the difference is 'Enough Rope' is clearly identical with 'No Respect' while 'On The Line' is a bit varied, probably a slight cross with 'Fade' and with some other elements too.

Every single song is just enjoyable, but as far as I recall, nothing really stood out like in 'No Respect' or 'Enough Rope'. The best tracks here are 'Drag Me', which strangely also reminds me of GOO GOO DOLLS; 'On The Line' is catchy and dark; the atmospheric ballad, 'Turn To Stand'; and two other uptempo songs, 'Lie For Love' and 'Keep Shining On'.

Two weaker songs are 'Last Sin' and 'Cover Me', both are slower tunes but I won't call em filler though. 'So Free Now' is melodic and 'Slave' has some nice grooves. All in all, this is a very good release by a very good and underrated band. The production is also great. One of those albums you desperately need to buy especially if you're a fan of VAIN.

Stephen If there's something bad in the mind of TWISTED SISTER's fans regarding this album is that apart from a difference in style compared to their earlier albums, two days after its release date, Dee Snider announced that he's no longer a part of the band. Beau Hill was behind the production desk and at first, 'Love Is For Suckers' was intended to be Dee's solo album but the label scrap the idea and asked them to release under TWISTED SISTER brand.

Considering that 1986 is a year full of commercial hits from the fellow glam bands, this album tried to adapt with the climate, producing several songs that are potential for airplay such as 'Hot Love', the title track, 'Tonight', and the ballad, 'You're All That I Need'. I understand if some fans didn't like this at all, because they expect the band to keep playing the raw and wicked hard rock like the old days, but I'm one of the few who enjoyed it a lot.

'Me And The Boys' is another fun track, sounds anthemic and even though slightly sloppy at chorus, this is truly a strong track. 'One Bad Habit' is addictive and as great as 'Hot Love', these two are the best on this album. 'Yeah Right' is probably the worst filler, if only they replace it with a better song. Having the remastered version is nice, especially for the four bonus tracks alone.

Beware that if you prefer the olden days, this might not suitable for you, otherwise, it's a solid underrated album and I think deserved to have around 80%.

Stephen 2002 is surely a bad year to produce a glam album, I mean, who's going to buy that when nu-metal still rule the world, but thumbs up to Phil Lewis and the gang to deliver such a classy release in the midst of a horrible heavy metal year. 'Waking The Dead' shows L.A.GUNS try to revive their early days sound, but also attempt to adapt with the current climate, resulting in a 75% classic style and 25% modern touch.

Hits for me here are the opening song, 'Don't Look At Me That Way'; the melodic hard rock 'Revolution' and 'Lost In The City of Angels'; 'The Ballad' which is quite obvious, is the ballad of this album; the sleazy 'Hellraisers Ball'; and the fast-paced closer, 'Don't You Cry'. 'OK, Let's Roll' and 'Waking The Dead' are okay, the latter has almost-growly vocal which I believe they never tried before, and 'Frequency' could be the worst song here.

I know lots of fans dig this but I also know that many of the 80s generation missed this because they think by 1993, the game is over, but if you can find this, I strongly recommend you to buy it. It has that punchy riffs they used to have, Lewis scream crazily good here, and the songs are mostly enjoyable. A great criminally-underrated album!

Stephen Eonian seems to frequently found a hidden gem especially in the Chicago area where the label was based, and this time, PISTOL DAWN popped out of nowhere and gave an enjoyable entertainment to me. Think of POISON with a hint of L.A.GUNS and you'll get the idea of how they sound. Produced by Chip Z'Nuff, the sound output is suprisingly good when it supposed to be only a vaulted demos.

Aside from many great songs, PISTOL DAWN has a strong line-up with Freddy Brecht as the stand-out personnel. His singing style is awesome and the rest of the band provided a tight rhythm and harmonies as well. The first three tracks can be explained in one simple word : stunning! The title track has great chorus and superb solos, 'Dreams Come True' is ultra-melodic as in POISON's hits, and 'Be My Girl' is a big commercial tune.

'Hard Way', again sound like POISON and this is definitely the best song they had here. Two mandatory ballads here are pretty good too, 'Gone Away' and 'Wish Upon A Star', but I favor the latter one more. 'Stocks and Blonds' pumped out an incinerating riff, struggling a bit with the verse but the chorus is pure heaven. 'Talk of The Town' is the sleaziest track, unique and kinda different from the rest, another great song here.

All in all, a very fun disc, easy listening, non-complex, and straight forward party vibe album. Recommended for fans of melodic glam, 85% and kudos for another great Eonian discovery.

Stephen 'Royalty Sux' is one of Demon Dolls' product highlight of 2011. They dusted this off from an old recording that go way back in 1989 where glam metal movement reached its peak, but sadly, the talents and songs of WICKED JESTER here don't fit the year where label required a more commercial approach. The same thing happened to other underrated bands like VAIN, MAXIMUM, or TORA TORA that's quickly lost in the shuffle because they aren't accessible as the others.

If only this was released in 1984, I think the band will gain a more lucrative achievement, because songs like 'Ways To Be Wicked', 'Screamin', or 'Hollywood Slide' are just plain nasty, raw, and aggressive, just like the early days of DOKKEN and MOTLEY CRUE. Actually, they also have a commercial track here, 'In Need of Love', but a single track isn't enough to catapult their position and beside this song is too short and the chorus lacks of chord variety, even though it's still a great song overall.

The strength of the band is clearly on the furious tracks. Check out 'Glitter In The Gutter' and 'Get Back Mother Fucker' which reminds me of SKID ROW's offensive attitude, and also 'Web of Desire', a glam metal gem right near the end of the album. 'Champage In The Rain' is a mandatory ballad but shame that it's too similar with 'Home Sweet Home' meets 'Never Say Goodbye'.

I love this album, I like the rawness and heaviness the band carried, and the production is great considering this is a forgotten album of the late 80s. Great stuff if you want something that reminds you of the mid-80s!

Stephen Vain has always been considered a second-rate glam act but in reality, they have more talents than what really appears on the outside. Davy hasn't left the building since their late-coming, 'No Respect', in 1989, that's hailed by many as one of the most prolific underrated record of the 80s. Vain has also split opinions, mainly because some people just can't stand Davy's nasal and whiny singing style, but the dark vibe and his enigmatic charm on 'No Respect' planted a good nostalgic memory in my mind of how great that album is.

'Enough Rope' tried to bring back that feeling and in my opinion, it's a superb come back and successfully took you back to their prime era. Not only Davy's vocal is still as strong as ever, the whole album is definitely identical to 'No Respect'. The difference is 'Enough Rope' lean more on the hard rock/heavy metal side while the debut sounds sleazier, but the songs are solid on both albums.

'Greener' is an awesome start, and the chorus is totally addictive. 'Triple X' is a heavy metal monster with splendid riffs display. The perfect track here along with the title track and 'Vain'. Rumor has it that around 4-5 songs were actually taken from old demos while I suspect maybe at least 5-6 songs, and that's why the vibe is so similar. Reason why it didn't make to 'No Respect' is perhaps those songs are less-sleazier and that explains. 'Cindy's intro riff reminds me to Maiden's 'Wasted Years'. A good song anyway!

'Treasure Girl' is an awesome acoustical ballad, 'Distance of Love' has that creepy feeling that Vain has on the debut. 'Worship You' is similar to 'Beat The Bullet', definitely a perfect closer. The production is great especially when considered it's an indie album. It's hard to pick which one's better, but many will choose 'No Respect' only because they've played it more than 1000 times. In the end, I might prefer 'Enough Rope' a bit better. A superior release and eventually climbed to my top 5 of 2011!

Mjöllnir When I discovered this band, I was sure that this album was the tip of the iceberg and there was greater heights to reach with them. Sadly for me this turned out not to be the case. What we have here is a competent 80s, typically US album with some touches that push it above the regular. One of these is clearly vocalist Ann Boleyn with her cat like howling and searing vocal delivery. You can’t accuse her of sounding like anyone else. The other is guitarist Chet Thompson (allegedly a student of Randy Rhoads) whose flashy lead work gives it some flavour.

Sometimes this album wants to be all edgy and “true metal”, as on the title track and “The Hand”, and other times it wants to be stadium rocky and glam as on “Bad Attitude" and “Easy Action". It also tries its hand, quite effectively, at the atmospheric and moody on the final “The Tower of Air”. The beginning and end are the peak of my interest in this album, though there’s good stuff pattered through most songs, though “Easy Action” and “Explode” are generally a little stale. One thing I find interesting is that despite all the individual elements they have working in their favour, it never really comes together to become anything special.

Finally, a few words about the other two albums I’ve heard by them. “The Black Book” had some promise, touting itself as a proper metal album flying in the face of the early 90s trends and this is quite true. However, I found it just plain ordinary and burdened with an awful concept. “Will Not Go Quietly” is far more aggressive and holds moments of interest, but I find it wanting in terms of plain good songs.

Stephen Steel Panther is always going to be a love/hate type of band - the way they go offensive on their lyrics, bringing up the classic theme of sex, drugs, and rock and roll can't be appreciated by everyone. Some call them a parodical clown, some call them a modern day glam heroes, but whatever it is, Steel Panther was built for fun, that's the spirit that they want people to catch and don't take anything too seriously, a motto that listeners should bear in mind while venturing to the adventure land of 'Balls Out'.

Opened up with a funny intro, Panther launched a great riffs on 'Supersonic Sex Machine'. You can't deny that Michael Starr has some serious awesome vocals and check out Satchel's stunning solo. This is a band with seasoned musicians and they knew how to handle their roles pretty well. 'Just Like Tiger Woods' is a semi-ballad track with Def Leppard touch while '17 Girls In A Row' has that sleazy naughty riffs that reminds me of Poison's 'Unskinny Bop' meets Motley Crue's 'Slice of Your Pie'.

Panther might not sound original but who does these days when all the great hooks were already invented in the past? All those influences from Crue, Dokken, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and any 80s major act were piled up inside, but they mixed it to form a unique Panther style. 'It Won't Suck Itself', probably the coolest song title, is a heavy metal tendency track and also my fave. 'Tomorrow Night' is big on riffs and huge on chorus. 'Why Can't You Trust Me' is a superb ballad, the best here and much better than the first single, 'If You Really, Really Love Me' which is quite average.

'That's What Girls Are For' was raised on Def Leppard and it's also fun to magically cast the spell G-O-L-D-D-I-G-G-I-N-G-W-H-O-R-E at their gig. 'I Like Drugs' is a party track, the chorus reminds me to Kiss' 'I Just Wanna' a bit, I love it along with 'Critter', another uptempo monster. 'Weenie Ride' is a soothing piano ballad with a totally LoL lyric.

Overall, I still prefer the debut over this one, but this is somehow heavier and riffs-oriented. Need at least 2-3 intensive spins to enjoy the arrangement, but overall a fun ride from start to finish, although you do need a good sense of humor to enjoy. At least, it's a music for everyone, and you might be surprised to see that even John Petrucci listed this in his top ten albums of 2011. I guess he found the massive slogan of "three holes are better than hole-in-one" are useful when he's about to go golfing.

Warthur I'm not too thrilled about Trash. Sure, I'm glad it was a major comeback album for Cooper which put his fortunes back on track, but it's not fun to see the guy who came up with so many of the hallmarks of the trashier end of glam rock resorting to imitating the younger and more successful glam metal acts who had sprung up in the meantime. Jon Bon Jovi has a guest appearance on this album, but the Bon Jovi sound is a constant presence on all tracks. It's a pleasant enough listen if you like that sort of thing, I suppose, but it's still the sound of an innovator who's turned into a follower.

Warthur I have to step in here and agree with Time Signature - whilst Cold Lake is certainly not representative of Celtic Frost's work overall, and is undoubtedly their most commercially accessible and musically mainstream releases, I certainly wouldn't call it a bad album. Whilst you can hear a snatch of glam metal influence here or there, I think calling it an outright glam metal album is a gross exaggeration - though I can understand why you might be tempted to do it coming to this directly from Into the Pandemonium or To Mega Therion.

In fact, the sound is more reminiscent of a head-on collision between the more mainstream-leaning thrash bands of the era and Judas Priest - and the end result is much more appealing than Priest's own Ram It Down from the same period. Is it a brilliant work of inspiring genius? Not in the slightest. Is it a well-performed and entertaining metal album which will get your head banging? Most definitely.

Mjöllnir I'll be kinder with this one, as I feel they put in a real big effort. They go a bit nuts with the CD format and stuff too many tracks on, but with 5 or 6 very solid hard rock tunes it acquits itself smoothly. It's easy to look back at now and enjoy it with a modern sense of nostalgia but this probably sank like a rock on its initial release in 1992. Instead of putting on a tougher attitude and cranking the heaviness up as Skid Row and Kiss tried on early 90s albums to postpone extinction, Danger Danger stuck to their guns with the same overblown pop choruses and relaxed catchy rhythms. It's still wildly generic, and its dated qualities are off-putting but this time it seems to work in their favour. The sheer fun of tracks like "Slipped Her the Big One", "Everybody Wants Some" and "Don't Blame It on Love" (the equivalent shining pop diamond to the first albums Bang Bang) make me want to revisit the album a few more times. They simply have the ingredients and a touch of variety that the first album lacked, while retaining the standard format: raunchy hard rockers melding with big sounding ballads but peppered with some small interludes and different tempos.

I find it drags considerably towards the end, with some of the tracks feeling like they were made out of leftover parts from when they were trying to come up with the earlier songs. Topped off with an electronic "experiment" at the end that makes me want to listen to Guns n' Roses "My World" off Illusion II instead(!) means this is hardly a well rounded album. They were enjoying it and Andy Timmons is of course, real good on his instrument but still, it's bitty and I never did get into too many albums like this anyway.

Mjöllnir Essentially a second-rate Bon Jovi style band with a few more dollops of cheese and an intense hair metal aesthetic, Danger Danger's first album is highly polished but forgettable disc. Very much a late comer to this scene, which was on the cusp of being overrun by grunge and the turned backs of an unforgiving public. I just find a lot of the songs very ho-hum and by numbers with a lack of the essential hooks that this music thrives on. Opener "Naughty Naughty" and "Bang Bang" are obviously the potential hits and stick in the mind most, being well done but wincingly formulaic nonetheless. Even songs where the chorus is memorable such as "Rock America" seem very flat in their execution despite the obvious enthusiasm of the band.

I don't have much else to say on this one really, but it highlights the big problems these sorts of semi imitation bands face and accentuates the strengths of forerunners such as (again) Bon Jovi. The second album I found to be much more enjoyable, even by that time this music was virtually dead and buried in the mainstream.

Mjöllnir Surely one of the most well known relics of the rock side of the embarassing 80s™. Of course I'm only making fun of decade stereotypes but Bon Jovi did capture much of the cliché of the commercial hard rock at the time but managed not to take the brunt of the backlash on its dramatic fall from grace. As for me, I'm glad as I think there's some cracking tunes on offer here. Shamelessly radio friendly and wanting to reach the big time so bad as they were, its fun and vibrant with a sound that many tried to emulate after. Not particuarly metallic but loud guitars, bass and drums form the base of the songs, with mild keyboard "dressing", wrapped up in a crystal clear production and making sure they're always catchy. The hits are what people remember, but Let It Rock and Raise Your Hands I find quite fun too. The others I can happily leave.

UMUR "Chinese Democracy" is the 6th full-length studio album by US glam/alternative rock/metal act Guns N' Roses. The album was released in November 2008 by Geffen. "Chinese Democracy" was recorded in the period 1998–2007 and it´s the first album featuring original material since "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" from 1991. The band did release "The Spaghetti Incident?" in 1993 but it´s a cover tunes album. Allthough not universally highly praised by neither critics nor fans, "Chinese Democracy" has sold fairly well by today´s standards and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has sold over one million copies in Europe.

I fail to think of another hard rock/metal album this talked about and this hyped. To understand this (most of you of course already know) you have to understand how big Guns N' Roses were in the late eighties/early nineties. They were simply THE hard rock/glam metal act of that period and sold millions of millions of albums. They were idolized like few. The succeess took a toll on their egos though and internal fighting and lack of work ethics because of a massive drug and alcohol abuse among the members, resulted in all members, but lead vocalist Axl Rose, leaving the band in 1996. So the incarnation of the band that recorded "Chinese Democracy" is basically Axl Rose plus various session members who have been involved with the band in the years 1998 - 2007.

So what do we get after 15 years of waiting for a new release? Well...first of all you get 14 tracks distributed over 71:26 minutes of playing time, so you get quantity. That´s a check. The music on the album is unmistakably the sound of Guns N' Roses allthough quite a few alternative rock/metal elements have sneaked into the sound (tracks like "Catcher in the Rye" and "Scraped" remind me quite a bit about a less metallic Avenged Sevenfold). Axl Rose has a distinct voice though and that, more than anything else, ensures that you´ll always identify the music on the album as the sound of Guns N' Roses. The material is not as sleazy or filthy hard rocking as the early material by the band but if you think about it they had already left some of the sleaze behind on the "Use Your Illusion" albums, so it´s really not that surprising. The main focus is more on epic orchestrated rockers rather than attitude filled hard rocking tracks and if you´re looking for a hard rocking album you´ve for the most part come to the wrong place. That´s not all bad though as the vocal melodies are generally pretty strong and memorable and Axl Rose delivers the goods. His performance here is actually his most diverse yet. Just take a listen to his vocal performance on "If the World". A bit odd sounding at first, but it´s nice to hear that he´s not afraid to try out new things.

Overall the album sticks in too many directions and the sterile sound production, the use of synths which at times give the tracks a new wave elements that softens the sound (don´t take the rock out of a rock band), the fact that there are few really hard rocking tracks on the album and the too long playing time results in "Chinese Democracy" not exactly being a triumphant return. I won´t join the choir that says that the album is terrible, because I partially enjoyed listening to the album and found it much more interesting than I had expected, but I won´t call it excellent either. A 2.5 - 3 star rating is fair.

Warthur A rush-released compilation intended to try and scrape back some commercial success after Music From the Elder bombed, Killers is notable for including four songs recorded especially to it - but alas, none of them are particularly diverting. I'm a Legend Tonight is a decent idea weighed down by dated production and a lack of spark, as well as the band's inability to pull off the really over the top Meat Loaf operatic rendition the album really demanded. Down On Your Knees is yet another juvenile Kiss song about sex, Nowhere to Run is an utterly pedestrian "my woman done me wrong" rock lament, and Partners In Crime threatens to break out into the sort of disco beat that marred Dynasty. As for the old classics, as always they're better heard in the context of the Alive! albums. In short, Killers is utterly needless.

Warthur After Unmasked flopped, Kiss needed to pull out something special. Initially planning to create a heavy rock album harking back to their glory days, the group soon hit upon a more ambitious idea: a prog rock concept album - no, make that a TRILOGY of prog rock concept albums, if Bob Ezrin's recollections are correct - associated with an epic fantasy movie based on their narrative.

Of course, the movie never manifested and nor did the two sequel albums. Gene Simmons has described the resulting album as a bad Kiss album, but would give it two stars as a "bad Genesis record". The description is rather apt; the album sounds absolutely nothing like Kiss, and it doesn't really sound much like prog rock or art rock either. It seems that whilst the band liked the idea of producing an arty concept album, they didn't really have much idea of what such a thing might sound like and didn't feel particularly inclined to do much research; the album sounds like someone's attempt to recreate a classic concept album by the likes of Genesis, Gentle Giant or Pink Floyd based on a fuzzy and not particularly detailed written summary of what the music sort-of kind-of sounds like.

So, what you have is the odd medieval flourish, some slower-tempo songs than Kiss usually make, a ballad or two... and one really confusing concept. The story is about some kid who is recruited by a secret society to do... something. We don't know what the purpose of this secret society is, or the role the villainous Mr Blackwell plays in anything, or what the hell Escape from the Island is about (said song being an instrumental, and said island and the escape attempt from it not being mentioned in any of the other songs), and we have no idea where the story was going to go because, of course, the album only represents the first act of a three-act story. Boiled down to its essentials, the story goes like this: Morpheus, the Order of the Rose's recruiter, asks the hero if he wants to join up. The boy says "yes." The Order leaders ask him to swear an oath. He does so. Everyone is glad he is a member of the club. The end.

Following the plot is even harder on some editions because in some releases the running order was meddled with; you can tell if you have one of these editions because The Oath, the lead single from the album, is at the start rather than its proper place in the running order. Actually, the best song on here is A World Without Heroes, which approaches interesting; the band dispense with pretensions towards art rock and provide a melancholy, low-key number about how miserable the world would get if nobody stepped up to the plate and did some heroing. But to clutch to it as an example of a really great song of the album is to clutch at straws; the fact is, this album consists of Kiss trying their hardest not to be Kiss, at a point in time when they were neither particularly good at being Kiss nor good at whatever the hell it was they were trying to be.

Warthur With Peter Criss a band member in name only by this point - and Anton Fig, his secret in-studio replacement, on the verge of being replaced by official replacement Eric Carr - Unmasked is an album recorded by a band in turmoil. (No, despite the title this wasn't the point where Kiss got rid of their makeup - that would come three years later with Lick It Up.) Boasting a rawer hard rock sound than the preceding Dynasty as a bid to win back those fans put off by that album's disco flirtations, the album doesn't really present any ideas which weren't executed better on previous Kiss albums - right down to the standard Kiss ballad (this time it's called Shandi, on Destroyer it was called Beth...). Tedious, cliched, and not really worth it when there are plenty of livelier and more energetic hard rock bands from the same era you could be listening to - or, indeed, when there are livelier and more energetic Kiss albums from earlier in their career to enjoy.

Stephen With twenty-five albums under their sleeve definitely made Loudness the most productive Japanese heavy metal band ever, and 'Eve To Dawn' represents the 2011 version of Loudness, where even though they're still sound very modern, I sense a hint of coming back to the traditional heavy metal style. It's a good sign, but still not enough to drag my interest back like when Vescera is still on board. I long for a melodic-but-heavy record, commercial-but-subtle release, and 'Eve To Dawn' has couple of great tracks to please my appetite, but shame that's just about all.

'Come Alive Again' is a pure heavy metal beast, the riffs are fantastic and Takasaki is awesome as usual. 'Survivor' is more furious, leaping to the power metal territory, somehow reminds me of X Japan, another good track, and 'Keep You Burning' is also nice. The chaotic intro which turns quickly into a superb track, topped with Takasaki's firey solos. If I have the option to grab only these three tracks and created an EP, I'll gladly do it as the rest are disposable.

'The Power of Truth' is too modern even though the chorus is melodic and 'Gonna Do It My Way' is averagely okay, but 'Hang Tough' and 'Emotions' are weak, and came 'Pandora', the worst of the bunch, it ripped off any good mood I have on the first half. Stripping down the modern element and throwing back to their real heavy metal roots is actually the best path for them but I don't understand what they are trying to achieve with this. Idealism is good but this is clearly not the fans wanted, and if you want express the freedom of creativity, solo albums could be better.

I just hope that Loudness will veer back to its glorious days in the next effort, otherwise, it might be wise to call it a day.

Warthur OK, you know there's a problem with the album when the best track on it is a sleazy disco cash-in that's a full three minutes longer than it really needs to be, and the hardest rocking track is a cover of one of the Rolling Stones' least distinguished or interesting songs. With Peter Criss' drumming sufficiently failing to come up to par, the anonymous and undistinguished Anton Fig took up the drummer's stool for most of the album but does absolutely nothing special with it, though the official members of Kiss don't exactly cover themselves with glory this time around. Not quite a total disaster - most of the songs are inoffensive and forgettable as opposed to outright bad - but very, very close to disaster.

Time Signature Triple X

Genre: glam metal / hard rock

Vain is a glam metal band who entered the scene a little late in the game and never really rose to the fame they deserved, as they were washed away from the spotlight as the grunge wave happened in the 1990s, but returned to the limelight in the mid noughties.

They may have been a sleazy looking glam band at some point, but their music on this album does not feature many of the elements that generated animosity on a lot of metalheads and other rock music lovers. For instance, there really are no pop elements as such on the album, and only very little sleaze 'n' cheese. Actually, I would consider this an all out hard rock album, as the music definitely has a harder edge than a lot of glam metal bands had in the golden age of glam.

Full of strong riffs and catchy vocal lines, there is a certain rawness to the album which captures true rock 'n' roll spirit. The production itself is not polished, and I like the squeaky and kind of raw vocals of main man Davy Vain's – the singing really suits the music and has a sort of unique and almost cheeky quality to it. Guitar fans can also look forward to some nice twin guitar leads every now and then and some cool and classic lead guitar licks.

Fans of hard edged glam metal and hard rock should definitely check out this this album; it's hard rocking, it's riff-strong, it's perfect for rocking out on a cold winter's day.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Stephen So after the thunder had come to town in 2009, if you fear Dynazty will suffered from a sophomore flop, you'll be shockingly surprised that this time, you'll be knocked down with a set of sublime masterful piece of sleazy hard rock that will take you back with an exciting nostalgic ride to the 80s where vocal and guitar screaming were the essence of a song.

Dynazty really has accomplished a difficult task here, developing their talent and simultaneously created a more mature and sophisticated album which is still based on their hard rock roots without getting trapped in a monotonous composition. They boiled a hot and aggressive tempo on 'Sleeping With The Enemy', 'Wild Nights', and 'The Great Delusion', wrapped up with nice and fantastic riffs and sing-along choruses, yet they can play with ease in some brilliant midtempo melodic gems such as 'Hunger For Love', 'Get It On', or 'New Sensation'.

I can guarantee, not a single bad track at all in this album, even some non-usual groovy track like 'Brand New Day' will get you pumped up, but this track probably is the weakest, say if compared to the other goodie thing like 'The Devil's Playground' or 'Mr.Money'. And what outstanding as well are the bonus tracks, especially on the Japanese version. 'Too Much Is Not Enough' is an acoustic perfection and with 'One In A Million' and 'Stand As One', these tracks are essential to have if you can get a hold onto that release.

The production is great, only somehow if you crank up the volume too high, I found it's too piercing, but the detail and vibe is awesome. After more than four spins, I'll gladly rate this as high as 90% and Dynazty is a serious threat to the other competitors. Couple more albums like this and these guys are ready to conquer the world!

Stephen If you ever imagine how will XYZ meets Lynch Mob and tops out with some classic Skid Row elements sound then I don't think there's a better example than Dynazty. Nils Molin, the singer, even reminds you of Bach's glorious days, from his look and his voice, and at some point, Molin can crack the sky with a tenor scream a la James Labrie. With a renown producer like Chris Laney, Dynazty enjoyed a bombastic production and if you missed this Perris release back in 2009, it's time to grab yourself one unless you want to skip something huge.

The first two tracks are very 80s and will put a smile to your face and you might even want to look at calendar to make sure that it's 2009 and not 1989. 'Lights Out In Candyland' is a better and I like this one a lot. The next three are pretty good and hooky, and 'Monkey Wants, Monkey Needs', how sleaze could that title be, but 'Adrenaline' is what set the fire ablaze. After some mid-paced tracks, Dynazty jump up high with this beast, definitely this seventh track is the greatest part of 'Bring The Thunder'.

'The Devil's Shake' heavily reminds me of Skid Row and that's a good thing because Dynazty sounds more Skid Row than the band itself. And I can't believe 'Sail Away' is merely a bonus track, because boy that's probably as strong as 'Adrenaline', and the riffs are unbelievably amazing! This is raw glam and heavy, the vocal is very good, the rhythm section is tight, but despite of some average songs, Dynazty isn't kidding of bringing down the thunder to town. Recommended!

Warthur Kiss' second live album is probably the best way to sample the material from Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over and Love Gun, all of which is presented in a more energetic format here, but there's no doubt that this album lacks the flair and sheer unstoppable energy of its predecessor. Part of this is that the material just isn't as good - the songs all blend together and start to sound the same, the band's songwriting having settled into a very comfortable rut at this point in their career - and it certainly doesn't help that the studio side of the album (the last five tracks) is rather forgettable.

But then again, Alive II is still the best way to experience the material presented here. It's a document of the latter half of Kiss' golden age - the point where their schtick started to get really, really old, but they hadn't yet descended into misjudged experiments in disco or prog rock. (Well, I've a soft spot for Music From the Elder, but I'd be the first to admit it's not for everyone and certainly isn't representative of the Kiss sound.)

Warthur This is one of a great number of Kiss albums where the production and the band's performances in the studio let them down. Like Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, and others before it, Love Gun mostly fails to capture the power and intensity that Kiss regularly brought to their live shows; like so many Kiss albums, a little more time in the studio and a little more care and attention all round could have yielded a great album, but they simply rushed it in their habitual headlong dash to produce more product. I Stole Your Love and Love Gun are the better tracks on here, but once again you'd be better off getting a compilation or Alive II than this one.

Stephen 'Love Catastrophe' is the follow-up to the eponymous debut of Greek melodic rock outfit, Outloud, and to strengthen the spirit of the opening title 'We Came To Rock', Outloud is really coming back to rock and wreck hard with a set of uplifting tunes, full of ferocious riffs yet accessible, full of massive hooks and memorable lines.

Commercially, this album contains many radio potential hits such as 'Falling Rain' with a brilliant sing-along chorus and the solos are pure magnificent. The other thing is 'Waiting For Your Love', sounded very 80s, a bit similar to the pattern of Swedish rising star, H.E.A.T, which is a good thing for me, the chorus is infectious, and these two tracks are definitely the best here. The title track is also a huge masterpiece, a perfect closer, but plenty of other lovable tracks here so no need to worry about fillers.

If you're into heavier stuffs, 'Live Again' could be a great choice to start. This one rocks hard from the start to the end, and still packed with subtle melodies as well. Ironically, the opening track isn't really that great, in fact, I've heard many folks is disappointed by this album just because they only listen to the first track, but honestly to me, it's pretty awesome, even though you've read my best picks of the album.

There are couples of duds which I think are passable. 'Someday' is the first, a very average ballad, and 'Isolation Game' is the second, nice short solo though. But tracks like 'The Night That Never Ends' or 'Clean Hands' are flowing with energetic, happy vibe, very lively I must say, and totally enjoyable. The production is great and the guitars steal the spotlight. Great stuff and can't wait for the next album!

Double-D That's the way I like uncle Alice! Released in 1986 Constrictor is a great example of it's era. Back in the 80s glam rock and metal were very popular so mr. Cooper's decision to record album like this seems no surprise. And the result is fantastic! This album has all the ingredients needed to be essential. Solid rock anthems, great musicianship and production. There is no need to describe the album song by song but I have to mention Teenage Frankenstein one of the most popular Alice Cooper songs, Thrill My Gorilla with it's Judas Priest like chorus and the closing track He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask) written for Friday 13th soundtrack with it's disco like synth parts. In conclusion 25 years later in the time of hard and glam rock revival this album still sounds fresh and modern.

Warthur Somewhat more successful at capturing the band's heavier side than most previous studio albums, Rock and Roll Over still doesn't quite manage to capture the raw fury which was Kiss's live act from around this era. The songwriting seems to have suffered this time around, possibly because it was recorded so soon after Destroyer. Still, Ace Frehley's lead guitar has never sounded meatier in the studio, and Calling Doctor Love is so goofy that you can't help but like it. A decent Kiss studio album, but as usual unless you are a major Kiss fan you might be better off just getting a suitably expansive compilation or plumping for the Alive! albums.

Time Signature Bye bye...

Genre: glam metal / melodic hard rock

Stala & So. may style themselves an over the top sleazy glam band - and their image would certainly indicate that - but this release, I would say, has more to offer than your average image-centred glam band. The tunes in this album, while paying homage to glam metal in its various stages in the history of rock, have just as many hard rock, AOR, pop rock, and alternative rock elements in them, as well as a couple of more hard-hitting metal riffs every now and then. Stala & So. really know how to write catchy vocal melodies, that's for sure, and then the vocalist's voice has a quite appealing quality to it and is not marred by the sleazy cheekiness associated with a lot of glamsters. If you're looking for some uplifting glammy hard rock with broad appeal, then Stala & So.'s "This Is So" is definitely a good option.

Warthur Bob Ezrin came in to do the production job on this one, but I can't help but think he mishandled it. The drums sound off to me - at points it sounds like Pete Criss is bashing away on mushy cardboard boxes - and the sound effects and flourishes can't decide the fact that even the theoretically doomy God of Thunder lacks punch compared to, well, pretty much any track on Alive! And once again there's the perennial problem with Kiss studio albums, which is that there's usually far superior versions of the better songs conveniently available on a live album for your enjoyment. (The version of God of Thunder on Alive! 2 is absolutely apocalyptic, and shows up the Destroyer version as being the ponderous, shambolic, and misproduced mess it is.)

Warthur The peak of Kiss' early career, Alive! might have been the victim of some mud-slinging about overdubs - completely unjustifiably, seeing how overdubs were an accepted practice in live albums of the era due to live recording technology not exactly being perfect - but it remains an irresistibly energetic live album which captures the live fury that the preceding three studio albums had only hinted at.

As well as providing riotous (and often superior) versions of the best album tracks - all killer and no filler here - the album also documents the group's rapport with their fans. Kiss are at their best when they come across as being on a god-given mission to party down and make sure every single fan in the audience has an awesome time; how sincere they are about that is of course a matter for debate, but the rabble-rousing banter with the audience certainly gives the impression that Kiss wanted their live shows to be unforgettable spectacles for their audiences - and if they performed like this at every show, their legendary live reputation is more than deserved.

All things considered, it's no surprise that this album proved to be Kiss' breakthrough - quite simply, none of their previous studio albums deserved to do as well as this monster, and Alive! is too damn good not to love. Its reputation as the first peak in the group's career is richly deserved; if you're considering buying any Kiss album, spring for this one, and if you're already a Kiss fan and don't have Alive!, what the hell are you thinking?

Warthur A substantial improvement both over the tepid Hotter than Hell and the inconsistent (but often fun) debut album, Dressed to Kill sees Kiss take a "less is more" approach - rather than producing a 35-40 minute album with filler, they decided to make a shorter than average album (it's only half an hour long) without any - an approach I wish more bands would take. Like the debut album, Dressed to Kill is an infectious party album, and whilst the best tracks would get meatier interpretations on Alive! it still deserves kudos for being the best of the three studio albums whose material gave birth to that record.

Isa A; In terms of the Glam Metal style, this is as good as it gets. And it gets damn good.

Here we have a hidden masterpiece of glam metal (if such a genre could ever be described with such legit terms). It pretty much follows the eighties glam-metal style, with the song structure and solos, but with some great twists and turns that make the music far more interesting than you'd expect from the less than artistic style. How many glam bands have this many modulations in one album? Virtually none. The album has some of the best melodies, riffs, layering of parts, and the epic arena sized sound and anthem-atic choruses that makes glam-metal likable to its fans. Whatever it is that makes more commercial music like this amazing, this album has it all. It's really the only eighties glam metal album I think I could ever give a full five stars, and I've heard more than my far share. Nightmare, the closing piece, is without a doubt in the top ten tracks to ever be released in the nineties, and it's a real shame that it's as undervalued and under-appreciated as it is.

Seriously, check it album out, especially if you dig the eighties metal style. This is a classically trained musician writing this review, and my scrutinous ears find little to complain.

Stephen A year after their formation, Swedish sleaze rockers, Hardcore Circus, released their first album ever, 'Wake Up Call', in 2010. Bolstered by southern hard rock hooks a la Buckcherry, twisted with sleazy attitude, and powered by enough modern melodies, the band that was led by Jorgen Bolmstad who acts as their lead singer and also rhythm guitarist brings fresh ingredients to the table. Some songs are pretty good but what lacks inside Circus camp is a prominent songwriting machine because out of ten tracks here, the band suffered with imbalance in songs quality, especially on the second half.

'She Goes Down' and 'Queen of Dirt' are acceptable openers. Both songs move smoothly into the average hard rock territory, a safe arrangement, not very risky, but still far from outstanding. 'Who I Am', no doubt is the grand champion of the album. The overflown energy and ass-kicking arrangement that this song possesses is the main reason why this track alone elevates the whole album. 'Under My Skin' is another good midtempo semi-ballad, and 'Miracle' is probably even better.

The sixth song, 'Hardcore Circus', is packed with tense riffs, fast-paced tempo, but unfortunately lack of memorable hooks. This song could be better but overall still an enjoyable one. However, tracks like 'Life' or 'Wake Up Call' are passable fillers, and 'Pain' or 'Tattooed Junkie' aren't much better at all. It's a shame because if they have at least two better tracks or more, the whole rating will be higher. A decent debut!

Stephen Cats In Boots, a short-lived sleaze act which consisted of two different countries, American with Joel Ellis and Randy Meers, and Japanese with Yasuhiro Hatae and Takashi O'Hashi. Some might know Ellis from his days with Heavy Bones, one-time band with Frankie Banali, but this time, 'Kicked and Klawed' is a totally different beast. Lots of uptempo, energetic songs, wrapped with that dirty sleaze effect, and the band also has some monstrous riffs they should be proud of.

'Shotgun Sally' is full of firey hooks, a brilliant starter, this is one of their strongest tracks and probably legendary that many knew this band only by this one song. 'Nine Lives (Save Me)' is very sleazy, the riffs are awesome, and this stayed as my other personal fave since I first heard them million years ago. 'Her Monkey' is as bluesy as Great White with fast tempo; 'Long, Long Way From Home' is a great hard rock tune; 'Coast To Coast' and 'Judas Kiss' are as huge as the first two tracks; and 'Heaven On A Heartbeat' is the most metal track of the album.

Some weak tunes are probably 'Whip It Out', 'Every Sunrise', and 'Evil Angel', but all in all, they didn't prevent this album from being a bad-ass that people mostly forgot. With many superb songs all over the place, and recently reissued by Rock Candy after being sold very expensive for a while on the market, it's a best bargain you can have out there.

Kingcrimsonprog Kiss’s Symphony: Alive IV DVD was recorded back in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, with David Campbell conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The band consists of stalwart members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanely as well as origional drummer Peter Criss and ‘new’ guitarist Tommy Thayer in place of Ace Frehly, all back in make up and costumes.

The concert is split into three sections, one with just the band playing up tempo rock songs, one with the band and a string section playing ballads and another with the band as well as the complete symphony orchestra playing hits and rock songs. There are all sorts of explosions, pyro, band members flying on wires, fake blood, special lighting and big screens making the whole thing as interesting to watch as you’d expect from Kiss and this is in addition to the whole orchestra made-up in Kiss style make up.

As a concert; this is a great success, vastly entertaining, visually stunning, well performed and great sounding. The DVD is let down largely however by a crazy and over enthusiastic editing job that flits hyper-actively around, concentrating on all the right things and rarely settling long enough for you to get into anything. I can understand how the makers wanted to convey the excitement and scale of this special concert, and wanted to keep your attention but in my opinion things have been taken too far. After all, as a home viewer most people will want to watch the band play live, not the audience members dancing or jiggling their chests.

If you can get over this larger problem as well as any personal problems you may have with track listing or general cheesiness (people have complained on various levels including Paul Stanley’s dialogue, the more syrupy songs like ‘Shandi,’ or with the orchestra being painted up etc) then you will find a fantastic DVD that is a lot of fun to watch.

In addition to the concert, there is a fairly substantial, but not astounding, making-of documentary covering the origins, practices and build up to the concert.

Newcomers or people who actively dislike mixtures of rock and orchestras may be better suited checking out the fantastic Rock The Nation or Kissology Vol. 1 DVDs; however overall, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV is a very good product, hampered by odd editing choices, but ultimately worth the time and money of most Kiss fans.

Kingcrimsonprog Kiss have a lot of DVDs on the market, all of varying quality and taken from all different eras of the band’s career. 2005′s Rock The Nation DVD is taken from their successful 2004 Rock The Nation Tour which sees the band, now with Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in the line up (as on their following ‘Sonic Boom,’ and ‘Monster,’ studio albums) replacing Peter Criss and Ace Frehly on drums and guitar after a classic-line-up reunion.

The band absolutely deliver in terms of performance, the songs are delivered in an absolutely professional and yet energetic fashion, with a set list that concentrates primarily on rock songs from the 70s as opposed to focusing more on ballads and later material. If you like Kiss mostly for their rock songs from the 70s, then pick up a copy of this DVD right away, but if you only like their 80s output then their are other Kiss DVDs out their which will serve you better.

As a DVD, Rock The Nation is excellent; with fantastic sound and mixing, as well as great camera work and editing (as opposed to the over-edited Symphony DVD) and it is really one of, if not the best looking and sounding DVDs Kiss have released.

Classics like ‘Deuce,’ ‘Shout It Out Loud,’ ‘Love Gun,’ and ‘Detroit Rock City,’ are all in evidence, as well as a few choices you wouldn’t expect like ‘Unholy,’ and ‘War Machine,’ both of which are fantastic additions. Of course you get all the pyro, smoke bombs, make up, fake blood, big screens and flying band members that make Kiss so entertaining live and Paul Stanley is very communicative with the crowd, helping the band to come across like they really appreciate being up there on stage.

In terms of extras; There is a multi-angle feature called Kiss Power Vision, where you can choose which band member you want to see, which can interrupt the screen with picture in picture scenarios, but it can be turned off. Also there is a behind the scenes documentary and set of interviews, but rather than be accessible as a complete feature separately, it is inter-cut with the main concert every few songs or so.

If these two special features potentially interrupting a complete concert don’t sound like they’d annoy you, if you like Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer in the band and if you like the track listing (They can’t play every song you like on every DVD) then get yourself a copy of Rock The Nation, otherwise content yourself with one of the many other Kiss DVDs on the market, such as Kissology Volume 1.

Kingcrimsonprog I was a little bit skeptical going into this album, the band had talked about going back to their 1970s style, they had talked about producing it to sound like a classic record, they had talked about using old guitars and amps. Still, in all honesty, I didn't think they'd be able to recapture the feel of their 70s output, or if they did, it would be a sad nostalgia fest that wouldn't be good, despite being the style that I wanted.

Luckily, Sonic Boom is a great album. The band have managed to do the impossible and create an album in 2009 that is both fresh, relevant and also containing a classic 70s feel. The thing is, despite the style and the production, the songs are just plain good again, and that is what makes the difference. It could've sounded like the glory days and still been a collection of poor songs, but it good in and of itself.

Its been two years that I've lived with this, and still I keep coming back so this isn't hype, not release day excitement. Sonic Boom is just a great album, with enduring quality. Full of good songs like the explosive single 'Modern Day Delilah,' the Thayer featuring 'When Lightning Strikes,' and the furiously catchy 'All For The Glory.'

Like all the best Kiss albums, the album mixes a good ratio of Stanely to Simmons vocals, and Thayer even gets about as much of a slot as Ace would've back in the day. This, mixed with the fact that there are no guest writers, no over-sweet ballads and just a solid collection of vital, enjoyable rock music help Sonic Boom honestly be one of the best Kiss albums. How many bands from the 70s, in all honesty, can actually say that an album they made these days is as good as something from their hey day ? Not many.

Sonic Boom is a seriously good album and you should definitely overcome your cynicism and give it a try, you won't forget it.

Warthur Although it is prized by many Kiss fans, I personally find it difficult to warm to Hotter Than Hell. Its case isn't helped by the miserably murky production job, which combined with a lifeless, plodding performance by the band causes the album to lack all of the vivacity and enthusiasm of the band's electrifying debut. When you throw in the fact that most of the album's better tracks would be released in superior and far more energetic versions on the Alive! album, there's really no compelling reason to listen to this one, unless your heart is set on listening to the band groan their way through a tasteless joke about a lecherous old codger's relationship with a barely-legal-to-outright-illegal (depending on your local laws on age of consent) girl. No thanks.

Stephen Judging by the names behind their glittery clothing, it's an easy guess that Hollywood Burnouts have been listening to Motley Crue for their entire life. A test to the water, Burnouts EP is a declaration that Germany's glam and sleaze is alive and well. Consisted of 4 solid tracks, the young guns have a lot to prove in their upcoming full length album which supposed to be out early next year.

'Tonight' is a melodic rock gem to kickstart the party. The standard setup of Verse/Chorus/Guitar Solo is perfectly done, some catchy hooks on the chorus to fill your head, and the barrage of beautiful solos crash in like a giant tidal wave hitting the wrecked-up beach. 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' is bearing the risk that can piss Bret Michaels off for pillaging the rhythm of their well-known hit, 'Unskinny Bop'.

'Roll The Dice' is rolling with a slick riffs, thunderous tempo, and sing-along hooks. 'Show Me Your Love' heavily reminds me of L.A.Guns softer track from their 1992's album, 'Hollywood Vampires'. A great acoustical ballad with a superb guitar delivery by the axeman, Chrizzy Roxx. Mike Nazzty's vocal is a bit accented but still acceptable, it's obvious that he's not coming from the west side of America, but you have to give that man a big round of applause for doin' such a good job here.

This one is a very nice and raw sleaze glam combo with late-80s melodic rock, a pleasant gift from Deutschland, and clearly deserved an 80% rating from me.

1967/ 1976 Because The Darkness please me? Read this passage that is part of The Darkness biography in this site: "Their highly retro style of music was influenced by rock bands like Queen, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Sparks, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, T. Rex, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy". Except Sparks all the other bands are present in my Metal discography with high consideration!

But for a strange combination of various factors "Permission To Land" is the only The Darkness release in my Metal discography.

The band members are good musicians: Justin Hawkins is the vocalist and keyboardist. Good vocalist with great falsetto, isn't a carbon copy of Freddy Mercury but it's clear that Freddy Mercury was a great maestro for Justin. Dan Hawkins is the axeman: Jimmy Page, Gary moore, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and Mark Bolan are Dan teachers in style. Frankie Poullain is the bassplayer. Great bassplayer for a Metal band, not invadent but not banal. Ed Graham is a powerful drummer: In a certain sense a 1970's drummer... A drummer à la John Bonham or à la Joey Kramer (just to remain among the bands that have inspired The Darkness). The style of the music is the perfect summary of the bands that have inspired The Darkness, without surprises. For 2000's this style is a perfect novelty, that, in my opinion, was perfect for creating new recruits to the Classic Metal. That, at the end, this style is Hard Rock... This is only a detail.

The sound is dominated by electric guitar and drums with technical vocals in first plan. I remember the surprise that a song called "Love Is Only A Feeling" created in me every time the video was broadcast on TV. "Finally," I said "here's a band playing what I like!" But the first song of "Permission To Land" "Black Shuck" is a mix between Aerosmith, Guns'n'Roses and Def Leppard with great feeling and poor magic. "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" is in possess of a punk dissacratory power and with a great use of falsetto voice and a not politically correct lyrics is another great song, also if not properly a song for puritans! "Growing On Me" is another song really beautiful. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Queen (1970's style), Guns'n'Roses ("appetite For Destruction" is a perfect album for this song) and Thin Lizzy stand out as if The Darkness were a clone band! But it is only a stupid detail! "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is a mix between Thin Lizzy, T-Rex and Queen. Not a perfect song "I Believe..." plays a notch below the other songs on the album. Probably because too a mix between Thin Lizzy and Queen? Mix that has not worked very well in this song. "Love Is Only A Feeling" is a perfect Aerosmith song ("Permanent Vacation"/ "Pump" period) with a tons of magic and feeling, with a great refrain and guitar soli, appropriate use of acoustic guitar, falsetto voice and chorus. In few words...: a perfect song for my soul, because a perfect and bastard mix between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal (This song, at the end is a pure Bonfire song... Because Bonfire isn't between the mentioned band for The Darkness inspiration?). "Givin' Up" is another Aerosmith/ Guns'n'Roses song with NWoBHM treatment, Queen vocals (in style) and punk shadows! "Stuck In A Rut" is a perfect song if Hanoi Rocks or Twisted Sister are your bands! Vice versa if Thin Lizzy is your band "Friday Night" is your song(!) because is a pure Phil Lynott song! "love On The Rocks With No Ice" is a song with AC/DC intro but the rest of the song is a punky Hard Rock that is good if Sparks or 1980's Hard Rock (Bonfire in first plan in my mind) are in your mind chords. "Holding My Own" is another song if you love Aerosmith but also if you not love Aerosmith's ballad this song is perfect!

In a great substance nothing new in musically field. But the mix created by The Darkness is so 1980's that was to conquer me! For 2000's Hard Rock standards "Permission To Land" is a perfect album!

AtomicCrimsonRush This surreal album has become somewhat of a guilty pleasure over the years and it was one of the last Kiss albums I bought on vinyl straight off the shelf. I was quite taken aback as most Kissaddicts were by the conceptual framework and unusaul structure of intros, narrations and progressive passages of music. Some cringe worthy material is contained such as Odyssey but this also has some excellent material. Highlights include the metallic The Oath, Dark Light, Only You/Under the Rose, and I. This also features a great instrumental with some killer riffs, Escape From The Island, that I have always adored. The single World Without Heroes is commercial tripe but it showed the diversity of the group and Simmons sounds excellent. Eric Carr is excellent on percussion and Ace actually sings well on lead. Paul is great on The Oath and Just A Boy. None of the narrative makes sense as it was fragments of an idea that never got off the gorund for a movie, but this is one of its most endearing qualities. The album is strangely compelling but has attracted many haters. I think Kiss did make a mistake on this one but it is so hugely entertaining and diverse that I can easily rate this 4 stars.