Stephen

Stephen
MMA Special Collaborator · Glam metal & Hard rock teams
Registered 780 days ago · Last visit 17 hours ago

Favorite Metal Artists

All Reviews/Ratings

551 reviews/ratings
DEF LEPPARD - Adrenalize Hard Rock | review permalink
EXTREME - Extreme II: Pornograffitti Hard Rock | review permalink
IRON MAIDEN - The Number of the Beast NWoBHM | review permalink
MÖTLEY CRÜE - Shout at the Devil Glam Metal | review permalink
HAREM SCAREM - Harem Scarem Hard Rock | review permalink
WINGER - Karma Glam Metal | review permalink
L.A. GUNS - L.A. Guns Glam Metal | review permalink
MCAULEY-SCHENKER GROUP - MSG Glam Metal | review permalink
CRASHDÏET - Rest in Sleaze Glam Metal | review permalink
SEPULTURA - Arise Thrash Metal | review permalink
RATT - Out Of The Cellar Glam Metal | review permalink
H.E.A.T - H.E.A.T Hard Rock | review permalink
WHITESNAKE - Whitesnake Glam Metal | review permalink
METALLICA - Ride the Lightning Thrash Metal | review permalink
OVERKILL - Ironbound Thrash Metal | review permalink
TESLA - Mechanical Resonance Hard Rock | review permalink
HELLOWEEN - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II Power Metal | review permalink
RIVERSIDE - Second Life Syndrome Progressive Metal | review permalink
RED DAWN - Never Say Surrender Hard Rock | review permalink
CRAZY LIXX - New Religion Glam Metal | review permalink

See all reviews/ratings

Metal Genre Nb. Rated Avg. rating
1 Hard Rock 191 3.81
2 Glam Metal 167 3.84
3 Traditional heavy metal 61 3.67
4 Thrash Metal 39 3.86
5 Power Metal 34 3.46
6 Progressive Metal 32 3.53
7 NWoBHM 15 3.60
8 Proto-Metal 5 4.20
9 Symphonic Metal 4 3.25
10 Gothic Metal 1 3.50
11 Metalcore 1 3.50
12 Doom Metal 1 3.50

Latest Albums Reviews

WILD RIDE Tension and Desire

Album · 1993 · Hard Rock
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Year 1993 was a bad year for classic rock as grunge swept off many bands from the board but WILD RIDE was among the survivors of melodic hard rock and I'm glad they made 'Tension and Desire', which even though not many remember or know this band, this little historical piece has special place in many fans heart.

The opening tune, 'If You Don't Want My Love' is beautiful yet heavy and definitely among the best track here. Together with 'This Time' which is a flawless and the greatest song they ever made and also the awesome closing power ballad, 'Stop The Fighting', made this album worth the purchase. Another brilliant songs they crafted here are 'Steal My Heart', what a splendid chorus!, the anthemic and another hard-hitting song, 'Too Late To Stop', and also the uptempo tune, 'Don't Save Your Life', with an excellent riffs.

Couple of weaker songs but nothing's troubling at all. Also if you spotted a little accent trouble on Fred Pieters singing might be another low point of this album, but overall, 'Tension and Desire' is still a very solid release and deserved at least 85% from me.

VENGEANCE Crystal Eye

Album · 2012 · Traditional heavy metal
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'Crystal Eye' continues VENGEANCE's career and marks their tenth album to date. What you'll get here is pretty basic mix of classic hard rock and 80s metal, without any trace of modern influence at all. The setlist was built in a very balance way, listeners were given a comprehensive style, from the fast-paced metallic piece, to midtempo hard rock, and also slow ballads. A smart decision from the band to avoid a quick boredom after couple of spins, however if only some songs are better or at least share the same strength as 'Me and You', 'Shock Me Now', or 'Whole Lotta Metal', I would have given this album a higher rating.

I don't think there's a filler here, but maybe the title track is kinda blunt but not really in a very bad way. It's slow and dragged too long, probably 2 minutes shorter could have been a better idea. Several songs that can be considered a lower part of this album are 'Five Knuckle Shuffle', 'Barbeque', and the ballad, 'Missing'. But 'Desperate Women' is simply brilliant that it has the potential to become their single, after 'Whole Lotta Metal' of course, which is the best song here. The other ballad, 'Promise Me', is also a great candidate to be their radio hit.

All in all, not a perfect album but quite good and enjoyable. Perhaps not many heavy metal tunes here and they played more in the hard rock territory, but VENGEANCE always ended up in the middle so you know what to expect from the start. 75%

DESTINE Illuminate

Album · 2012 · Hard Rock
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I'm completely stunned with DESTINE's latest album, 'Illuminate', that really throws the blinding spark of enchanting melodic rock outfit with a twist of modern element. They build a perfect bridge to accommodate both fans from the 80s and also the young generation of the 2000s. The balance composition of uptempo and energetic tracks to the ethereal ballads, from the midtempo sing-along tunes all the way to the crashing upbeat monsters made 'Illuminate' a strong contender to stay on top of the mind of this genre's fans.

'Four Leaf Clover' is a massive start but 'Stay' even kick the ball higher. The band swayed into a slower territory at 'All The People', a beautiful downtempo moment, not really their best offering but I find it's quite satisfying. 'Wait Forever' is flawlessly brilliant. I love everything from the splendid intro to the bombastic chorus. 'Thousand Miles' is another ballad pick and I think it's better than 'All The People'.

Onto the second half, I'm seeing an even better game played by the band. 'Unbreakable' is a solid fast-paced track, 'Best Kept Secret' has different vibe with a slow start before erupted with an awesome beat, and the last two tracks are definitely winners. The production is also great and some folks might think this band is too young and light for their taste, but sweet melodies are the main attraction here and if you're into that thing, 'Illuminate' is one of the best pick of this year!

CASABLANCA Apocalyptic Youth

Album · 2012 · Hard Rock
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Another fresh band from Sweden and this time they're playing with a good mix of classic melodic rock and 80s power pop. That may not sound very metallic but I think it's interesting to see how they blend the heaviness of the usual rock style with a sweet flavor of the pop element. For example, the opening track, 'Apocalyptic Youth', both Roxie and Stenemo put up a solid riffs and the chorus chant is just lovable. The follow-up track, 'Deliberately Wasted', is energetic, punchy, and incredibly uplifting.

Perhaps one thing that can bug some people's mind is the simple arrangement, but if you're in this for the fun, I guess songs like 'The Juggler' and 'Rich Girl' are worth the price. 'Love and Desperation' reminds me of MUSE's stampeding riffs that can be found in their latest album. However, despite of the great production, CASABLANCA suffered with a weaker second half. From 'Secret Agent of Lust' all the way to 'A Lifetime On The Run', you might agree that it just can't beat the hits from the earlier part of this album.

This album, even though only carries the torch from the past without any groundbreaking inventive sound, is very entertaining. Light, but didn't fall deep into the blandness of the average modern pop rock stuffs, and quite different from the rest of Sweden sleaze metal gang.

BABY JANE In The Spotlight

Album · 2012 · Glam Metal
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'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!

Latest Forum Topic Posts

  • Posted 29 days ago in DREAM THEATER - live in Jakarta [Apr 21st, 2012]
    well if by not amazing, you mean the songs, it might be a subjective matter, but by skills, they're all quite superior I guess
  • Posted 33 days ago in DREAM THEATER - live in Jakarta [Apr 21st, 2012]
    Andy McKee, an acoustic guitarist, was opening for them but the crowd didn't really pay attention I guess, they just want the headline to come out quickly :)
  • Posted 34 days ago in DREAM THEATER - live in Jakarta [Apr 21st, 2012]
    DREAM THEATER - A Dramatic Tour of Events : Live in JakartaApril 21st, 2012 at Mata Elang Indoor StadiumSo the buzz about Dream Theater finally make it to Jakarta was quite loud since last year, but I'm being skeptical about it since beside the fee must be too high for the organizers here, the plan to invite them about 3 years ago was cancelled. But then it's quite surprising to see that the event is real and the ticket price is insanely high ($100-$150) but the crowd eat em all and probably around 10.000 people showed up that night, so that must be one of the most successful moment for Dream Theater themselves I guess.The show is spectacular in terms of lighting and sound. All the details are comin' out, and to see how Petrucci and Rudess performed at their highest level are simply stunning. The instrumental wizardry from all rhythm section is applauding, kudos also to Mangini for his splendid 15 minutes solo drum. The setlist is carefully picked and very balance, but if only I can pick, I think 6 new songs is quite overwhelming. Probably 'Bridges' and 'Build' can be switched with 'Metropolis' and 'Fatal Tragedy', and since I don't really like 6DOiT, I think if they go with 'Caught In A Web' and 'Peruvian Skies', sounds like an even stronger list, but overall it's quite satisfying, especially on the acoustical interlude of 'The Silent Man / Beneath The Surface', pure magical. The lengthy duel intro of Petrucci / Rudess at 'The Spirit Carries On' is also dropping many jaws, beautiful!Overall, after the encore of 'Pull Me Under', the crowd didn't want to leave and expect one more surprising song, I can hear many chant 'Metropolis', but perhaps they didn't rehearse that song and it's quite tiring after 2.5 hours of show. Excellent show and you don't want to miss this band if they're in town :)Setlist :1.  Dream Is Collapsing (Hans Zimmer song)2.  Bridges in the Sky (ADToE #5)3.  6:00 (Awake #1)4.  Build Me Up, Break Me Down (ADToE #2)5.  Surrounded (I&W #4)6.  The Root of All Evil (Octavarium #1)7.  Drum Solo8.  A Fortune in Lies (WDaDU #1)9.  Outcry (ADToE #6)10. The Silent Man (Awake #6)11. Beneath the Surface (ADToE #9)12. On the Backs of Angels (ADToE #1)13. War Inside My Head (6DoIT Disc #2 - 1.3)14. The Test that Stumped Them All (6DoIT Disc #2 - 1.4)15. Petrucci / Ruddess Solo Intro16. The Spirit Carries On (SFaM #11)17. Breaking All Illusions (ADToE #8)Encore:18. Pull Me Under (I&W #1)

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MMA Collaborator's Album of 2011

Special thanks to special collaborator Any Colour You Like & Triceratopsoil Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance
Sympathetic Resonance Progressive Metal
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