What's coming up?

I was watching a lot of F-troop episodes this week plus I saw the movie Hooper for the first time in years. It's a fun movie with about the world of stunt people and it has a fine supporting cast. I got some CDs with 2009 release dates on them. It was the upcoming solo album from Ross the boss and the new Sinner album.

Here is what I hope to have out this coming week.

Reviews of...
Rush-Live Snakes and Arrows DVD
V-Project-New Machine
Viking Skull-Doom, gloom, heartache and whiskey
Dragon-Sacrifice and Horde of Gog (Hopefully on the same day)
Lordi-Deadache
Dark Funeral-Attera Orbis Terrarum Part 2 DVD

Interview with Cry Wolf

-plus on Thanksgiving day stop by for my annual "Big Turkey of the year award" and five things in music that I am thankful for.

***Have a great week.

Sammy Hagar-Cosmic Universal Fashion

Roadrunner
2008



Sammy Hagar has had a long and varied career. Of course he really hit the big time in some ways when he replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen. However I always thought his greatest moments were during that first Montrose album and some of his solo releases like VOA. Through it all he has always been fairly consistent as a singer and he established his own vocal style a quite some time ago and has building upon it over the years. So I wasn't sure what to expect from him some thirty-five plus years into his career. This album certainly does not a cohesive feel to it, but that's okay. The title track pops on and it's a slightly surprising approach as the style of choice here is light industrial. However don't get sold on style because Sammy hops around through much of the album. "Loud" like it could have been about twenty some years. Then you get a decent rendition of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for your right to party" which of course was originally done twenty plus years ago. He tries his hand at different styles, but never gets too far away from his comfort zone. That approach results in an album that's safe, but enjoyable enough. Perhaps not his best or most creative work, but he obviously had fun making it and that shines through in the majority of the songs.

Tank-Honour and blood

Metal Mind
1984/2008



Tank were plugging along as they released their fourth album "Honour and blood". Not too much had changed as they were grinding forward playing the same slightly bare bones style of metal that defined their previous three releases. Having a slightly underproduced sound had been part of their trademark as well in 82-83, but the sound this time around is quite a bit sharper. Maybe they were even a little heavier particularly on tracks like "The war drags on" and "When all hell freezes over". However other songs don't fair as well like their awkward cover "Chain of fools" and the "W.M.L.A." which wanders around for far too long and features some bland vocals. The main strength of Tank was always their gritty attitude and their straight forward approach and other than a few moments all of that is still very much in place. The closer "Kill" might be my favorite track on this album as it plows onward with plenty of ripping riffs peeling off left and right. Obviously they believed in the sound that they started with so they stuck to their guns. Unfortunately much of the metal world around them was changing by 1984. Like a number of the hopefuls of the NWOBHM they were being left behind because they didn't try to progress. Most of the songs are solid and stand up even well today, but they are even a little dated by 1984 standards. I think this was the first album where the cracks in Tank's armor were starting to show. Metal Mind does their usual fine job with this re-release as it includes a bonus track and a nice lyric booklet.

Elder-s/t

Meteor City
2008


This is the first official full-length release from Boston's Elder and it's heavy-duty monster for sure. My initial response that it reminds me a lof Sleep's Holy Mountain. Perhaps it's more like an album that would have followed had Sleep became heavier and gone a more progressive route. I dare say that Elder have a greater knack for subtlety than Sleep and they be a little less self-aware as well. From the opening notes of "White Walls" I could feel my self being sucked in by the thick, dark sludge being created. They take a basic approach to their music, but that works wonders as they just dip down low and start hammering out the skull-crunching rhythms. Each track just seems to get better as Elder summon up slabs of Sabbath style doom and when needed they call forth some fuzzed out type grooves reminiscent of early Electric Wizard. Yes, indeed this album is a virtual doom paradise that roughly grabs you and drags you ever so slowly down a dark and winding path. Each song has it's own personality the band seem to gain momentum as the move along. The riffs are mainly slow and deliberate, but you can feel parts multiplying as they move along and become more and more comfortable with what they are constructing. Everything is very deliberate, but they have a strong grasp on how to create and manipulate these massive grooves. This year hasn't had as many good doom albums as I was hoping for, but the Elder's self-titled release does a lot to fill that gap.



http://www.myspace.com/beholdtheelder

Interview with Maxine Petrucci

Guitarist Maxine Petrucci has played Madam X and other acts. I recently got to check in with to find more about her past and what she is currently up to.


MM-So what are you currently working on?


MP-I'm currently rehearsing with my band to do live shows here in the Metro Detroit area to promote my new record entitled 'Don't Hate Me'.

MM-How old were you when you started playing guitar? What or who motivated you to want to play?



MP-I was 12 years old. My father bought me a guitar for my birthday and I started taking guitar lessons. My dad loved classical guitar and the famous country guitar player 'Roy Clark', and he hoped that I would play like that. Growing up in Detroit Rock City, I was exposed to serious rock music and I knew that was my destiny!



MM-Now I believe you come from a musical family, right? Did you play any other instruments when you were growing up?



MP-I started playing flute first in 5th grade. I was performing symphonic music through out my school years.



MM-Did you and your sister Roxy start playing in bands together as soon as you started playing instruments?



MP-We played in the symphonic bands during the day and had our rock band stuff at night.



MM-So were you any bands before Madam X? If so then what were the band names and what was the music like?


MP-We were in an all girl band with 2 other jammin' sisters Denise and Laura LaTourelle in a band called 'Pantagruel' a name that came from a band we loved called 'Gentle Giant'. At that time we did covers from Queen, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath etc. After that we formed a band called 'Black Lace' with 2 guys and we played rock covers too and started to write originals.


MM-How and when did Madam X form?


MP-We formed Madam X in 1982 with Chris Doliber on bass and Jamie Groesjian on lead vocals and we decided to do some dates on the east coast and while we were in playing a club in Long Island a band called Cheetah opened for us and we were so blown away hearing Bret Kaiser sing and perform and we knew he was our match and he felt the same about us and the rest is history.

MM-What do you remember about writing and recording “We reserve the right”?

MP-It was really exciting cuz we were signed by Jet Records who also had Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Lita, and ELO. So we figured we really made it, we were so young and dumb and listened to everything they told us to do, which they rushed us recording that album and told us what kind of songs they wanted us to write, that's called artist control. If we were able to do what we wanted, it would have been heavier and not rushed. I did all that guitar work in three days, Roxy did her drums in 2 days.



MM-Now in Madam X all of you had huge hair and the wild glam look. Did each of you just form your own look or did you discuss how the band should look as a whole?


MP-We all naturally had tons of hair and by the way we all still do, only Bret cut his but he's still got a full head of hair. Only Roxy and I did the glam thing cuz that's what girls do, Chris looked monstery and Bret was forced by Jet to die his hair half black and half blond and dress glam, and Bret was pissed and really fought that but Jet got there way. We liked Bret's new look though he didn't.



MM-What was it like being in a band with your sister? What were the best parts about it and were the most difficult aspects about that kind of situation?



MP-It wasn't anything new to us cuz we always played together like school band, duets, trios,etc., so it felt natural. The most difficult parts are when we would get mad at each for whatever the reason was and we would fight like I punched her once on stage, and verbal fights cuz we knew we could do that to each other and still be sisters forever.



MM-How did you meet Sebastian Bach and how did you come to get him in Madam X? What was he like to work with?



MP-After Madam X with Bret Kaiser and my sister Roxy broke up, The bass player Chris and I decided to reform the band and a agent friend of ours from Toronto told us about a potential great singer and sent us his promo pak and we thought he definitely looked great but we needed to hear him live so we went to Toronto and picked him up, brought him to Detroit and started trying to mold him into a great singer and performer which that put us through serious hell with his personality and attitude, and I don't even know where we as a band got anything positive from that experience, maybe Skid Row can tell you more about that trippie experience. Sebastian seems to have humbled some in his older years and we've exchanged some emails and he's been real cool to me, so I don't have any hard feelings and wish him the best.

MM-Madam X was on Jet records for your one album. Were you dropped by Jet or was it just a one album deal?

MP-It was a 5 album deal, again how dumb of us to sign a 5 album deal. Jet went out of business do to some kind of tax crap that Don Arden was going through.



MM-Did you ever get any other label interest after? If so then who and why were you not able to get signed?



MP-We had broken up shortly after, and that's when Sebastian joined the band and we were trying to get our shit together before we were to showcase the band to any label.

MM-What were you doing in the 1990’s?

MP-We did a Madam X reunion with original members at the Roxy in Hollywood, we were great but nobody really cared, The Seattle scene was breaking at that time.



MM-You came into a scene that was hugely dominated by men. Is it easier for women to break into today as compared to when you were starting out? If so then why do you think that is?



MP-It's easier if you crotch pop like Madonna, Britney, and Aguelera. As far as metal and hard rock go, girls have to really be able to play and be believable at what they do cuz rockers are hard core and unforgiving and don't care about gender. You got to be real and believable!



MM-What have you not accomplished in your music career that you still hope to achieve?


MP-I just want to make great music. I don't even know the definition of 'making it' anymore, all these bands I talk to are obsessed with getting a record deal. Now with technology as it is, you can cut a killer record in your own basement. Who needs an advance for making a record, they forget you have to pay that back. I gave myself my own record deal and I think I have a great record now and I'll make sure my next one will be at another level of greatness.

MM-What kind of music are you listening to these days?



MP-Been listening to 60's and 70's music cuz the bands were all different from one another and had talent and great songs! Also they don't have that covered up digital hissy sound on there mixes.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?

MP-Please be patient about my playing live cuz it took me some time to find the right bassist to play my music. We're rehearsing and will be playing shows here in the metro Detroit area real soon. I don't have any wild tour support so I have to stay local. Check out my new killer CD entitled 'Don't Hate Me' and you can buy it at http://www.maxattacks.com/, http://cdbaby.com/, and http://www.amazon.com/ and check me out at http://www.myspace.com/maxinepetrucci

Thanx for your support and keepin metal alive!

ARMOURY RECORDS WISHES YOU A METAL XMAS

ARMOURY RECORDS WISHES YOU A METAL XMAS
~And A Headbanging New Year~
New York, NY—

On October 14, Armoury Records, distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment, released one mighty molten metal blast of good CD cheer: We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year [pre-book date September 24, Retail Sales Price $15.98]. It’s an all-star assemblage as members of such great hard rock bands as Foo Fighters, Queensryche, Dio, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Dokken, KISS, L.A. Guns, Marilyn Manson, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, King’s X, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Ratt, Styx, Toto, Shadows Fall and more all jam out together on some of the most beloved holiday songs of all time (including “Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer”).. The kick is in the chemistry between the musicians as members of different bands perform together on the material to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience! Motorhead’s Lemmy, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, for instance, team up on “Run Rudolph Run,” a song popularized by Chuck Berry. This is just one of 12 such irresistible pairings. “This is a metal CD you will want to listen to all year round,” says Wendy Dio, who put the project together with Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen. “It has been a very exciting and exhausting project, but we have managed to get an allstar cast together.” Ironically, the hardest person to get was Dio himself as he doesn’t sing Christmas songs. Wendy hounded him for days, finally getting him to listen to Kulick’s arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Dio liked it, added a few bits, recorded it at Kulick’s studio, and got Tony Iommi to add his signature guitar sound. The result is a very Sabbath Christmas song. Rounding out the circle of familiar characters on this track are Dio bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Simon Wright. “The Metal Xmas album was a great opportunity to pay homage to my least favorite holiday,” says Dio, “and what a lineup of musicians to do it with! The arrangements of the classic noel songs are fresh and heavy with rock’n’roll, and the performances are equally classic. It’s a magical way to change your holiday listening.”

Track Listing
1) We Wish You A Merry Xmas (Jeff Scott Soto / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Chris Wyse / Ray Luzier)
2) Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Alice Cooper / John 5 / Billy Sheehan / Vinny Appice)
3) Run Rudolph Run (Lemmy / Billy F. Gibbons / Dave Grohl)
4) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Ronnie James Dio / Tony Iommi / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright)
5) Little Drummer Boy (Dug Pinnick / George Lynch / Billy Sheehan / Simon Phillips)
6) Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Tim “Ripper” Owens / Steve Morse / Juan Garcia / Marco Mendoza / Vinny Appice)
7) Silent Night (Chuck Billy / Scott Ian / Jon Donais / Chris Wyse / John Tempesta)
8) Silver Bells (Geoff Tate / Carlos Cavazo / James Lomenzo / Ray Luzier)
9) Deck the Halls (Oni Logan / Craig Goldy / Tony Franklin / John Tempesta)
10) Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer (Stephen Pearcy / Tracii Guns / Bob Kulick / Billy Sheehan / Greg Bissonette)
11) Rocking Around the Xmas Tree (Joe Lynn Turner / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright)
12) Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Tommy Shaw / Steve Lukather / Marco Mendoza / Kenny Aronoff)

Eagle Rock Entertainment develops, acquires and produces music programming for a wide range of notable and high profile artists, which the company distributes on a worldwide basis. Eagle Rock Entertainment, Eagle Vision and Eagle Eye Media are wholly owned divisions of Eagle Rock Group, LTD.

Clash of the album covers

This times it is.....


Faster Pussycat-Wake me when it's over

vs.


Tigertailz-Bezerk


***Which cover do you prefer?

Fiftywatthead-Fogcutter

Signed by force
2008



On some occasions you can actually tell what a band will sound like just by the band name and/or album title. Here we have Fiftywatthead from Canada so the moniker sounds large and heavy. The album title they chose is "Fogcutter" which to me sounds powerful and even a little mysterious. All of the above are definitely characteristic of this album, but they only begin to describe this massive monster that Fiftywatthead have unleashed. The opener "Whiteout" came flying out my speakers as it launched a battering assault on my eardrums. It's a noisy, rambler of a song that makes no apologies as just pushes and punches forward. It reminds me some of Mastodon, but a little less chaotic. However the opener doesn't define the album because after that the pace slows down, but it doesn't let up. They pull into heavy waters and they begin a slow and rough journey that churns around with steely precision. Fiftywatthead churn ahead cranking out massive chunky riffs for us to take in. When I listen to many of the songs served up here I imagine being in a valley and viewing rock slides coming down from mountains on both sides only in slow motion. This band manages to hit near deafening levels of heaviness and have you begging for more. The final track "Thunder" reminds me of a similar style to "Whiteout", but most of the six tracks in between are far more doom based. There is a lot to soak in on this album so when you do just make sure you sit back, give it room and let the voyage begin.

http://www.myspace.com/fiftywatthead

The Answer-Never too late

The End
2008

Ireland's The Answer are about set to become a household name on this side of the Atlantic as they get ready to open for AC/DC on their current tour. The band released "Rise" in 2006 and immediately gained a great deal of notice in the UK. They have released this four track EP to initiate U.S. audiences to their music and likely to tide fans over until their next full length comes out in 2009. The Answer play blues based hard rock with a 1970's influence being immediately evident in their style. Obviously they love Led Zeppelin a lot and their music echoes a similar approach. The title track of this EP is from Rise and it's a good introduction to the band for those that missed the album's original release. The second track “Highwater Or Hell” from the forthcoming second album. The slow, blues soaked "The Doctor” previously appeared on the two disc bonus version of "Rise". The EP ends with an inspired live version of “Come Follow Me” that was recorded in Japan. Now they have their chops down and they definitely sound like a band who is ready to bring their act to the big stage. Are they doing anything new and different? Not really, but they do very well at playing this type of hard rock and they bring a great deal of excitement with them.

Cyanide 4-Complex

Self-produced
2008

Cyanide 4 are a glam outfit from Athens, Greece who at times remind me of some bands from Sweden and Crashdiet are the main one that come to mind. Cyanide 4 have the older hard rock style down, but there is bit more pop and polish to the sound as well. The first three songs are all of the mid-tempo variety. The opener "Hide in the shadow" opens with a big groove and they bring in some catchy melodies as well. Next is "Bad Love Parade" which is a quite a bit heavier and it has kind of a Motley Crue by way of Crashdiet sound. Still they show a good control of the pace and the vocals are even better here than on the opener. "Temptation failed" blasts on with a slightly offbeat riff that drew my attention in right away. This is the best played song on the album and also the one where I think Cyanide 4 show the most hints of defining their own sound. The closer is a "Cyanide" which has the band slowing things down at first, but it soon becomes heavier. This one reminds me some of Loud 'N Nasty and maybe even early LA Guns. Again they do a fine job of managing the pace on this song. The playing and the vocals are certainly strong plus they bring a healthy dose of attitude to the mix. They also have the ability to really bring out the big hooks in their songs. The only real problem I see is that in the crowded glam field of today these are going to have to find a way to really define their own sound in order to rise above the pack. "Temptation failed" certainly showed that they have the talent and ideas to move to the next level. I know that this band has not been around for very long, but they are certainly on their way to potentially promising career.

http://www.myspace.com/cyani4de

Blackrain-License to thrill

Thundering
2008

One thing about 2008 is that there has been a greater outpouring of glam releases from countries other than Sweden. Blackrain are from France and their roots go back to 2002 when vocalist/guitarist Swan and guitarist Max 2 begin playing covers of Motley Crue, WASP and others. They went through some bassplayers and drummers before landing a solid line-up. A few months I heard a three song sampler from Blackrain and as it turns out those songs are the first three tracks on this album. So it wasn't until track four that I got to hear something that was new to my ears. This is a big, fun slab of 1980's influenced glam/sleaze rock. The sound has a definite early Motley Crue sound and I hear some LA Guns, WASP and others as well. They are big on anthems and group choruses and they use those very well to their advantage. Granted that describes a lot of younger bands who have bitten by the 80's glam bug, but they guys are a little better than a number of other young glam acts. The guitarists are definitely capable of propelling the music beyond the usual fluff that many glam bands settle for. Swan has a slightly higher voice than some other vocalists, but it works because he knows how to use and it is just different enough to help set them apart. However I will say that songs like "Party War" and "Kill 'em all" appealed to more than some of the other songs just because it's Blackrain getting away from just their influences and trying to strike out on their own some. "Kill 'em all" particularly shows the real potential of this band. It's a rocker that clocks in around 5:20 in length and it's the heaviest track on the album. I think this album is grower and it's already grown on me. Yet for others who didn't have the benefit of hearing their "Innocent Rosie" EP; you may have to give it a few plays before it sinks in. Certainly an album that appealed to me and here's hoping that Blackrain keep pushing and progressing.

http://www.myspace.com/blackfuckinrain