Candlebox -- 'Alive in Seattle' [review]

Candlebox - Alive in Seattle
Image Entertainment (9/2/08)
Hard rock

Recorded in 2006, Alive in Seattle captures a band with something to prove. After more than a few years under the radar, Candlebox regrouped for this tour, and the ensuing energy is through the roof (no doubt aided by the hometown crowd).

The set opens with raucous versions of “Arrow” and “Simple Lessons”, and the electric atmosphere is tangible. Even when the band slows it down a little with “Change”, the crowd overpowers the band during the chorus in which you can’t help but smile for Candlebox, knowing so many fans are still out there.

The band tears through a bunch of hits and lesser-known tracks over the next hour. “A Stone’s Throw Away” and “Understanding” sound great, but the band really shines on the melancholic “Blossom” (the crowd is great on this track, too). And they just destroy “Best Friend”—already one of the group’s fastest, heaviest songs, bludgeoning the crowd with it (in a good way), with so much energy that Kevin Martin almost struggles to keep up with the vocals.

But it’s the hits that shine brightest here. The second the tell-tale opening riff of “You” hits, you can feel the energy shift in the room. The guitar work, which was always good on the studio version, is stellar toward the end of the song as everything starts to derail. Then, closing out the set, an intense rendition of “Far Behind” and a welcome surprise encore of “Cover Me”.

While a fair share of forgettable live albums have been released over the past decade or so, Alive in Seattle impresses in every way. The band sounds great, the set list has a nice mix from the band’s first three albums and the energy is phenomenal throughout. In addition, the release features a DVD of the set, including “Rain”, which doesn't appear on the CD.

First a fantastic new album (Into the Sun) and now a great live album—2008 is shaping up to be a great year for Candlebox.

Eyes Set to Kill -- 'The World Outside' [review]

Eyes Set to Kill - The World Outside
Break Silence Records (6/2/09)
Metalcore / Post-hardcore

Music reviewers have taken the idea of the sophomore album and turned it into a tired cliché over the past decade or so, as if a band’s follow-up album could make or break a promising career. How many acts have you read about, “avoiding the sophomore slump,” only to burn out and fade away?

The reality is that any album could make or break a band. The good ones continue to exceed from project to project. The great ones build up a strong enough fanbase so that, when the time comes to shift outside the comfort zone, a less than stellar release won’t completely destroy the goodwill that took years to stockpile.

Eyes Set to Kill exploded out of the gates in 2008 with Reach, a fun little album that saw the band melding rock, metal, hardcore and melody into a seething beast of emotion. And the biggest thing the album had going for it was the raw passion that each band member brought to the table. There was this slight air of inexperience hovering throughout the proceedings that brought an added sense of urgency to each song.

Now, just a year and a half (or thereabout) since that full-length debut, Eyes Set to Kill returns with a vengeance. One wouldn’t think so much could change in that short amount of time, but on The World Outside the band hits each peak, each emotional high, each beat with such precision that you’d think this was its fifth or sixth album. Bands this young aren’t supposed to sound this good, are they?

This time around, Eyes Set to Kill have utilized a more balanced use of the melodic female vocals balanced out with the harsher, screamed male vocals. The listener is almost taken aback as album opener “Heights” unfolds without singer Alexia Rodriguez’s familiar tones being front and center.

It would appear that the band front-loaded this album with the more aggressive material, as the aforementioned “Heights”, “Hourglass” and “Deadly Weapons” show the band still drawing inspiration from the likes of Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold, at least in some regards.

After that hard-hitting trio, the band flexes their genre-bending muscle, first with the haunting, piano-based “Interlude”, which bleeds into the title track. (The use of a piano interlude shows up again, later, on “The Hollow Pt. 1”.)

The beauty of the music that Eyes Set to Kill are beginning to craft is in the juxtaposition of the various elements continues to mature. Whether it’s the dual-vocal approach, the quieter piano moments sandwiched between stutter-stop riffing and thunderous groove, or when the parts pull into one mass attack (executed to perfection on “The Hollow”), the band never seems to get lost or overdo it with the individual elements.

And the most striking improvement over Reach is the lyrical content hidden on The World Outside. The band bares its collective soul, so to speak, on the album’s strongest tracks, to great effect. From the title-track’s homage to life on the stage (“The world outside; its changing me, changing me; to whom I’m afraid of / I can’t confide in anything”), to tales of broken love on “Wake Me Up” (“It’s not my fault that I dug a grave so deep / Lying at the bottom, and I’m looking up; She’s all I see”), to the crushing letter to an absent father on album closer “Come Home” ("There’s never an ounce that I breathe without thinking about who I could have been with you").

Eyes Set to Kill had a hit with Reach. So make it two-for-two with The World Outside, which is easily one of the year’s best...

Sigh -- 'Imaginary Sonicscape' reissue [review]

Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape [Reissue]
The End Records (1/20/09)
Heavily orchestrated metal / Hard rock / Classic rock / Jazz, etc.

Japanese metal outfit Sigh is most often billed as a black-metal band. Sure, 2007’s fantastic Hangman’s Hymn could easily be compared to, say, Dimmu Borgir, but the band is far from a one-trick pony. In 2001, they released a sonic stew of various metal elements, heavily orchestrated with elements of several other genres thrown in for good measure. There’s jazz, hard rock, ’80s thrash, pseudo-disco beats, synthesizers galore, classic rock...

That album was called Imaginary Sonicscape, and perhaps an album title has never been quite so apropos. This reissue of the 2001 underground classic, courtesy of The End Records, includes bonus tracks not available on the original release, including an extended version of “Bring Back the Dead”.

There’s really no way to truly do this album justice in a review. Instead, here are some tidbits of what the band has to offer:

- The album kicks off innocently enough, with "Corpsecry/Angelfall", a straight-ahead thrasher, chock-full of enough synth riffs to make Dragonforce jealous. But the track abruptly cuts out to give way to gorgeous, epic orchestration that sounds more like a score to some Oscar-contending movie.

- "Nietzschean Conspiracy" relies heavily on sampling and sound effects, with the lead singer channeling the soul of Rammstein as he barks over (or perhaps under) atmospheric, spacey beats and jazzy keyboarding.

- What better to break up two genre-bending songs than with a killer piano solo? It would appear nothing, as the one-and-a-half minute "Impromptu" makes a quick little appearance before giving way to the opening riffs of "Dreamsphere" (right out of the mid-’80s, I might add).

- The heavily orchestrated "Voices" is a new track this time around, and once again Sigh explores a more score-based approach, with some nice piano work closing out the seven-plus minutes.

There are a few tracks in which the band pushes, or in one case exceeds, the 10-minute mark, and for the most part, that’s where Sigh really shines. Using five or six different elements in a three- or five-minute song can come across as forced, but on a song like "Bring Back the Dead", the band can meander a little without losing overall focus. On the other hand, on the behemoth "Slaughtergarden Suite" (five parts stretching to almost 11 minutes in length), the band almost doesn’t do enough to vary things up. In actually listening to the song, it's surprising just how fast it passes, but the closing minutes are a bit of a grind, with some nice keyboarding playing under the hiss of vinyl.

Overall, this is pretty avant-garde music. It’s much less schizophrenic than, say, Between the Buried and Me, and much less abrasive to that end, as well. No, this is much more accessible, provided the listener is willing to throw any preconceived notions out the window. Imaginary Sonicscape is an enjoyable journey through sound, and one of those rare "experience" albums where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. Not quite as off-the-wall as some other reviewers would have you believe, a lot of music fans can find something to love on here. Don’t let that "black metal" stamp scare you off. (Oh, and by the way, despite the band hailing from Japan, all lyrics are sung in English.)

Filter -- 'Remixes for the Damned' [review]

Filter - Remixes for the Damned
Pulse Records (11/4/08)
Hard rock (Industrial rock) / Electronic

Hot on the heels of Anthems for the Damned, Richard Patrick has put together a Web-exclusive album of remixes offering what he calls a more industrial take on Filter’s first new album in five years.

Rather than sounding more industrial, however, most of the tracks have a "dance party remix" feel to them, if for no other real reason than the repetitive club beats and expanded tracks with little "edge."

Sure, there are moments, like the mid-way point of "I Keep the Flowers Around (Love's Labor's Lost)", which features a haunting, driving guitar playing over this expansive, spacey beat, but for the most part, these tracks feel ultimately forgettable.

But there are a few high points where the songs exceed their original counterparts. The mellower take on "Soldiers of Misfortune" (The Justin Eyerly Version), which focuses on a backing string section and acoustic guitar to accompany Patrick’s vocals, is a real gem. Stripping away the pop sheen gives the song an added dimension of complexity and seriousness that really works well with the subject matter.

This toned-down approach also works well on the stripped versions of "Only You" and "Lie After Lie", too, which aren't remixes as much as acoustic versions of the songs. Nonetheless, the simplistic approach works so well that you can't help but wonder if an acoustic album of Filter material is in the works.

For a different take on "Soldiers of Misfortune", the "Turning Blood into Oil" mix has a steady drum beat, which gives the song a militaristic feel, but during the choruses a haunting synth riff kicks in, adding an ethereal element to the track.

That particular tone is present on "Cold (Desert Sky)" as well. Once again, with the pop sheen stripped off, the song takes on a new dimension (though the programmed backing could have been toned down a little). The best part of the song is where the female backing vocals, which are hardly noticeable on the studio version, spring to the forefront this time around.

The multiple takes of "The Take" aren't too bad, either. The "Rumsfeld Torture Party" version is more frantic and high-energy, while the "Declanator" mix is a little more low-key but somehow manages to be more urgent as a result.

There are two versions of "What's Next", and both probably could have benefited from being combined into one track. And the third version of "Soldiers of Misfortune" (the "10 hits of X in Baghdad" mix) comes across as overkill. The version is a far cry from the other takes on the collection (much more aggressive and club-sounding) and adds nothing to the song or the album.

The weakest moments on the collection come about when the tracks just sort of meander with no direction. "Kill The Day (Gonzo in the Club)" or the aforementioned reworking of "Soldiers" could have been any song mixed for clubbing purposes, with layered, never-ending beats looping to no clear purpose.

This was supposed to be a return to Filter's industrial roots, but much like the proper studio version of Anthems for the Damned, nothing on this set touches the intensity of "Hey Man Nice Shot" or the Crystal Method collaboration "(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do".

In the end, Remixes for the Damned offers up a mixed bag of new takes on the songs. Ironically it's the quieter moments that really shine on here, but one wouldn't normally think "quiet" when thinking of industrial remixes. Of course, being a download exclusive, you're able to download your choice of tracks as opposed to the entire set, so feel free to create the best album you can.

Candlebox -- 'Alive in Seattle' [review]

Candlebox - Alive in Seattle
Image Entertainment (9/2/08)
Hard rock

Recorded in 2006, Alive in Seattle captures a band with something to prove. After more than a few years under the radar, Candlebox regrouped for this tour, and the ensuing energy is through the roof (no doubt aided by the hometown crowd).

The set opens with raucous versions of “Arrow” and “Simple Lessons”, and the electric atmosphere is tangible. Even when the band slows it down a little with “Change”, the crowd overpowers the band during the chorus in which you can’t help but smile for Candlebox, knowing so many fans are still out there.

The band tears through a bunch of hits and lesser-known tracks over the next hour. “A Stone’s Throw Away” and “Understanding” sound great, but the band really shines on the melancholic “Blossom” (the crowd is great on this track, too). And they just destroy “Best Friend”—already one of the group’s fastest, heaviest songs, bludgeoning the crowd with it (in a good way), with so much energy that Kevin Martin almost struggles to keep up with the vocals.

But it’s the hits that shine brightest here. The second the tell-tale opening riff of “You” hits, you can feel the energy shift in the room. The guitar work, which was always good on the studio version, is stellar toward the end of the song as everything starts to derail. Then, closing out the set, an intense rendition of “Far Behind” and a welcome surprise encore of “Cover Me”.

While a fair share of forgettable live albums have been released over the past decade or so, Alive in Seattle impresses in every way. The band sounds great, the set list has a nice mix from the band’s first three albums and the energy is phenomenal throughout. In addition, the release features a DVD of the set, including “Rain”, which doesn't appear on the CD.

First a fantastic new album (Into the Sun) and now a great live album—2008 is shaping up to be a great year for Candlebox.

Sound and Fury -- 'Sound and Fury' [review]

Sound and Fury - Sound and Fury
Megaforce / Rebel Youth Records (6/24/08)
Hard rock / Punk

If you’re patient and willing to give the latest Sound and Fury album a couple of listens, the set might just grow on you, as the band melds straight-forward hard rock (think AC/DC) with an old-school punk approach (though I hate to say it, think the Misfits circa-1985), creating a bluesy party-rocker with a raw aesthetic.

The problem is, the lead vocals are pretty one-dimensional (a little too whiny) and the lyrics aren’t particularly creative. Instead, the band manages to win you over with its energy and dedication to grinding through each song, looking for anything to stick. And there are a least a handful of good songs on this self-titled effort.

The album kicks off with two very lukewarm tracks: “School’s Out” has enough energy but feels ultimately forgettable (except for the catchy chorus that will definitely get stuck in your head after a few spins), and “Teenage Rampage” suffers from weak lyrics more than anything else.

But then “Can’t Get Enough” comes along and just blows you away. The band seems to be hitting on all cylinders, letting the song unfold as a powerful dirge and throwing in plenty of solos mid-way through the track to change things up. They do a similarly good job with “Night of the Ghouls”, which feels like it could’ve been pulled off AC/DC’s Razor’s Edge. And album-closer “Hellhound” has a great, slow-burn riffing that gives way to a more explosive chorus. It’s too bad the band couldn’t capture this kind of magic three or four more times, as that may have actually saved the album.

Ultimately, Sound and Fury relies too much on its influences for its own good. Sure, a song like “Night of the Ghouls” might sound like an AC/DC castoff, but the band does a good job of making it its own. But the same can’t be said for songs like “Supercharged” or “Runaway Love” or “18” or even “Bad Touch” (except for the fantastic guitar work). If the lyrics were stronger or there were a twist to the music, or anything, that would be one thing. But when those things are lacking, and, to top it off, you essentially sound like nothing more than a bad cover band, well...

Sound and Fury shows a lot of potential, but just falls short on this outing. “Can’t Get Enough” and “Night of the Ghouls” are solid tracks, but the rest ends up being nothing more than filler.

Mötley Crüe -- 'Saints of Los Angeles' [review]

Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles
Eleven Seven Music (6/24/08)
Hard rock

It might have taken upwards of 19 years to do, but the original members of Mötley Crüe finally got together and crafted the album no one thought they had left in them—a proper follow-up to Dr. Feelgood.

Some are talking about the autobiographical nature of the album; the "concept" nature of proceedings. But truthfully, this is the album fans were waiting for back in '91 or '92. And that's not to say this is a retro album, or that it sounds out-of-place in today's musical landscape. It's quite the contrary. Crüe bassist and mastermind Nikki Sixx has always continued to grow and develop over the years, from his work with the Brides of Destruction to the Sixx A.M. project, and has strived to remain relevant over the years. If anything, it was that, coupled with the fact singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee stayed busy through the years, too, that made the band able to slip back into a comfortable situation. Mick Mars might have had his own problems (health, etc.), but it's not like the Crüe was lying dormant, either.

One Way Mirror -- 'One Way Mirror' [review]

One Way Mirror - One Way Mirror
Metal Blade Records (7/22/08)
Hard rock / Metal / Industrial rock

Side projects and super-groups are nothing new. It's usually just a bunch of friends drawn together by the desire to create a certain type of music that might not necessarily fit into what the individual members do in their respective bands. In this case, One Way Mirror looks to combine metal and rock into a fiery concoction, turgid with melody and anything else into which the band seems willing to sink its teeth.

A super-group of sorts, featuring members of Soilwork (drummer Dirk Verbeuren), Lyzanxia (guitarists David and Frank Potvin), Scarve (Loic Colin on bass) and Mnemic (frontman Guillaume), the band tackles this rock-metal goliath blending the best of both genres, leaning toward the heavier end of the spectrum.

Of course, it's not an entirely new approach, and throughout this self-titled album, One Way Mirror draws similarities to the likes of Atreyu or older Powerman 5000 (without the funk) and a bunch of turn-of-the-millennium one-hit wonders more than a few times while also throwing in hefty doses of industrial influence, heavy (as hell) metal and other melodic nuances for good measure.

There are plenty of killer guitar solos (check out the ending of "ReDream" or "Danger Calling"), and the band isn't afraid to let the bass work take center stage (opener "Destination Device" or "Sockracer"). One Way Mirror is happy to attempt to recast itself as an industrial beast, even if only for a few moments (check out the aforementioned opener or “Keeping Me Away”), though that usually means using distorted singing techniques more than anything else.

One Way Mirror also isn't afraid to infuse plenty of melody into the tracks, creating some truly catchy tunes in the process. The aforementioned "ReDream" is instantly infectious, and could probably find a home on plenty of modern-rock radio stations. The same goes for "21st Century", though it's refreshing to see a band take that approach without turning its back on what got it to the dance, so to speak—with plenty of screams, double-bass drumming and chunky riffs splattered throughout this album to keep metalheads happy.

In fact, the only misfire on the disc would have to be the questionable cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax". If ever there was a song that was not screaming for a do-over, it would be this one. And you can't even enjoy it from a "wow, that was unique" standpoint since Powerman 5000 did the same thing several years earlier. They try their damnedest, but the entire track falls way short.

Of course, one out of eleven ain't too bad—the other ten tracks are raucous affairs that are sure to satisfy plenty of metal and rock lovers out there. One Way Mirror isn't trying anything new, but you don't always have to reinvent the wheel to make a good album.

Candlebox -- 'Into the Sun' [review]

Candlebox - Into the Sun
Silent Majority (7/22/08)
Rock

Almost a decade to the day since its last release (Happy Pills, 7/21/98), Candlebox has risen again and produced an album to equal its self-titled debut album.

Bursting onto the scene in 1993, the band may have found itself in the middle of a win-lose situation; the right-place, right-time story was both a blessing and a curse. Hailing from Seattle, label mismanagement attempted to capitalize on this fact and the band found itself lumped in with the grunge scene. This may have garnered the group a little extra attention, but as the music landscape shifted in the mid-'90s, the band unfortunately got lost in the shuffle (releasing the overlooked-yet-superior Lucy in 1995 and the weaker Happy Pills three years later). As the world welcomed a new millennium, the band was pretty much forgotten.

Into the Sun reminds listeners how missed Kevin Martin's soulful vocals have been in the rock scene. The album is immediately comfortable, and the band manages to string together a collection of songs to rival its best effort. For a moment, the group seems to channel "You" in opener "Stand", the familiar riffs giving way to a more modern explosion of rock. Candlebox also channels the intensity of earlier tracks like "Simple Lessons", offering up a nice blend of riff-heavy rock and roll with just the right amount of blues influence. The band shifts from louder material (the aforementioned "Stand") to a more laid-back rock-blues approach ("Bitches Brewin'") but really shines the brightest when it gets melancholic ("Surrendering", "Miss You" and the title-track). Of note are the aforementioned and much-missed vocals from Martin and the fantastic guitar work from Peter Klett (check out the solos on "Bitches Brewin'", "Underneath it All" and especially "Surrendering").

Of particular note is the blues-heavy, eight-minute-plus "Breath Me In" (which, for some reason, is split into two separate tracks on the album—an intro and the actual song), but truth be told, there isn't a weak track on here. Managing to channel the ghost of Mother Love Bone, the band just rocks out in every way imaginable.

The best part of this entire album is that Candlebox never sounds dated, and the band was never so huge that the effort might reek of a nostalgia trip. Instead, the group puts forth one of this year's strongest rock releases. Longtime fans can rejoice, and those new to the table can enjoy the ride.

Saving Abel -- 'Saving Abel' [review]

Saving Abel - Saving Abel
Virgin Records (3/11/08)
Hard rock / Alternative / Post-grunge

It's pretty easy to sum up Saving Abel's new album: plain and simple, straight-ahead rock.

The band could draw comparisons to everyone from Mötley Crüe to Buckcherry to Nickelback to 3 Doors Down—the riffs are lush, the song structure simple, and the mood fun and, well, rocking.

The self-titled debut shoots out of the gate with "New Tattoo", full of screaming guitars, crushing bass and explosive drumming. Sure, it may not be rocket science, but the band is tight and smart (in song structure and lyrics), and is crafting some fun rock music. Just take a look at a band like Puddle of Mudd; it's obviously not as easy as some people make it look, and Saving Abel makes it look easy.

Seven Mary Three -- 'Day&Nightdriving' [review]

Seven Mary Three - Day&Nightdriving
Bellum Records (02/19/08)
Rock / Alternative

"Remember you said you'd rather be scared then bored to death with one another / You’d rather be broke and trying than sit still dying"
—From "Break the Spell"

It's never easy to feel like you are constantly being measured against your first big hit. Such may have been the case for Seven Mary Three. The band's first hit, "Cumbersome", still finds its way into many rock radio playlists to this day. But it was never an adequate representation of what the band had to offer. So, rather than re-writing the same album over and over, the band chose its own road, and in the process crafted some of the most criminally overlooked albums of the last decade. And like each album that preceded it, the band’s latest, Day& Nightdriving is chock-full of great rock music.

Sure, the blistering opener "Last Kiss" might not match the ferocity and emotion of, say, "Water's Edge" or "My My" (both off the band's debut, American Standard), and the melancholic appeal of "Hammer & a Stone" or "She Wants Results" doesn’t quite measure up to "Lucky" or "Make Up Your Mind" (off Rock Crown), but all are a solid addition to the band's catalogue.

Queensryche -- 'Take Cover' [review]

Queensryche - Take Cover
Rhino Records (11/13/07)
Metal / Rock



In what has become the "trendy" thing to do with established rock acts, Queensrÿche has put together an album of cover songs—presumably songs from bands that have influenced or otherwise had some sort of effect on the group.

Make no mistake, Take Cover is one of the stronger cover albums to come out over the past decade or so. And given the fact that Queensrÿche's last few albums of original material have been lacking, it doesn't hurt for the band to put something out with established songs so fans can focus, once again, on the musical craftsmanship of the group.

What you have here is basically a mixed bag of sorts—there's a couple of gems, some fairly good material, a few surprises and, unfortunately, a few head-scratchers, too.

The band does a great job with album opener, Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" — everything, from the music to the vocals, just clicks on all levels. Lead singer Geoff Tate sounds like he's legitimately having fun here, so it's a good way to start things off. The band also does a hell of a job with Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain" (one of the strongest songs on the album, and a real surprise as Tate seems content to take a more subdued approach as opposed to forcing his voice to soar), and ends things off with a fairly honorable recreation of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" (recorded live in concert).

As for the good, the band does a surprisingly good job with "Synchronicity II" (The Police) and "Almost Cut My Hair" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), the latter with some killer guitar work.

The band takes a couple of chances on unique songs, to mixed results. "Heaven on Their Minds" (from Jesus Christ Superstar) is fantastic — Tate was born to do this kind of song. Queen's "Innuendo" works, but barely, and seems more than a little forced at times. There was at least 10 better, off-the-wall Queen songs to attempt, but Queensrÿche makes a go of it nonetheless. However, the Italian-language "Odissa" comes off as a nothing more than a masturbatory excuse for Tate to "go opera," and it completely falls flat. The same with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" — the band tries to make the song its own, but ruins all the nuance and hook that drew people to the original.

The rest is what it is, not really filler, but not really noteworthy, either. From the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" to Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights", the band gives the effort, but the result is just sort of there.

This isn't Queensrÿche's best album, but it certainly isn't its worst. In the end, the best thing Take Cover does is remind people of what the band could be. Listening to "Almost Cut My Hair" or "Red Rain" takes you back to the glory-days of Operation: Mindcrime and Empire. Sadly, there's still some material on here that could remind you of Q2K. I recommend this album, but then, for those of you not familiar with the band, I'd tell you to go pick up Operation: Mindcrime instead.

AC/DC -- 'Plug Me In' [DVD review]

AC/DC - Plug Me In [2-DVD set; also available in 3-disc special ed.]
Columbia Records (10/16/07)
Unrated
300 minutes



Plug Me In isn't a documentary or biography, but it does offer a glimpse into the history of one of the world's most notorious heavy metal bands. The DVD set is an anthology of live performances, organized chronologically and separated by AC/DC's two most notable eras: the Bon Scott years, and the band's current and longest line-up with Brian Johnson on vocals. And spanning almost 30 years of the band's touring, there's more than enough footage to keep fans entertained.

The first disc features performances from 1975 through 1979. Most of the video is clear, though there are more than a few grainy shots. The sound is always clear (if not always crisp), and there's a nice mix of classic songs sprinkled throughout.


The second disc, with footage from 1981 through 2003, is the longer of the two. The video progressively gets better in quality the closer the material gets to present time (which makes sense).

The beauty of this set is watching a band go from underground sensation to world-wide phenomenon. The growth of Scott as a frontman, the development of guitarist Angus Young into the face of the band, Johnson finding a place in the band and successfully filling Scott's role and making it his own in the process—it's all here in its gritty glory.


The bonus features aren't half-bad either. There's a handful of classic interviews that probably haven't seen the light of day since the '70s when they were first recorded (some great stuff with Young and Scott from the early years). There's a good interview with Young and Johnson addressing the latter's place with the band following Scott's death. There's a nice sound check of "Gone Shootin'" from the band's VH1 Studios performance in London from 1996. There's even a crazy clip of the band performing with the Rolling Stones from a 2003 tour, along with a Beavis & Butthead animated opening from the band's 1996 tour.

The video: Everything seems pretty clean, considering some of the source material. It isn't so polished that it looks out of place, but not so raw where it's hard to watch. Out of the 40-plus performances, only one stood out for particularly poor video. The best of the bunch might be a three-song set from the Entertainment Center in Sydney (1996) where the video is taken directly from the live screens at the venue (the footage broadcast above the stage for those in attendance). Everything is presented in full-frame (except possibly for two songs from Germany in 2003 that were letterboxed).

Sound: Nothing special as everything is forced through in stereo, but it all sounds great.

Extras: The set is designed with a video game theme, which looks pretty cool, especially the opening menus. Each disc features a sort-of scrapbook of old newspaper clippings and concert paraphernalia. The most interesting feature is the "create-your-own playlist" that lets you pick the order and amount of songs you want to view, and then watch your creation.

There's only a couple of problems with this set. Apart from a place and date, there's no way to know, at least from the information provided, why each set was selected for this collection. "T.N.T." comes from the band's notorious performance at St. Albans High School in Australia (pretty rare footage). The 1979 performance of "Highway to Hell" was the first time it was performed live in concert. The set from 1979 was one of Scott's last shows with the band. There are a couple of intros with the later material to set the stage for the performance (like the Moscow show). There's also a couple of times where the timing of a particular song's performance could be questioned (most notably the "Thunderstruck" performance from 2003; there had to be a better shot at this song from the early- or mid-'90s when Johnson's voice was a little more powerful).

Other than that, there are plenty of classics on here: multiple versions of "Highway to Hell", "Whole Lotta Rosie", "Live Wire", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Back in Black", "Stiff Upper Lip", "Hells Bells" and so on and so on. Add in some amazing Young solos, and more than enough bluesy rock 'n' roll to fill a jukebox, and you get an idea of what this set has to offer. Plug Me In is a great collection for longtime fans, or good for someone interested in seeing one of metal's strongest outfits proving its worth decade after decade after decade after decade

Puddle of Mudd -- 'Famous' [review]

Puddle of Mudd - Famous
Flawless/Geffen Records (10/09/07)
Hard rock



Inconsistent.

That pretty much sums up Puddle of Mudd's latest release, Famous. Actually, it sums up the band's entire career.

On its third album, the band shows little signs of growth, development, or any signs of moving forward. Famous is just another version of the group's last two efforts, which is even more of a surprise when you take into account that half of the band is new members.

The band has never had a problem crafting a simple modern rock track. Famous follows the tried-and-true blueprint Puddle of Mudd has been working with since 2001 -- three or four rock songs, one or two really hard songs, a handful of mellower songs, maybe even a ballad, and finish it all off with a couple of goofy songs.


The problem is, the dumb luck that made a song like "Control" or "Blurry" a hit can only work for so long. And while "Blurry" may have hit a note with listeners, when you look back at "Control," the music stands up but the lyrics just aren't strong enough. And that, in a nutshell, sums up the problem permeating Famous.

The title-track is solid musically, but the lyrics are borderline. Songs like "Psycho," "Moonshine" and "Merry-Go-Round" are laughable at best. And songs that seem to have it musically, like "Livin' on Borrowed Time" or "I'm So Sure" or pretty much everything else on the album, either suffer from ridiculously poor lyrics, over-repetition, an over-reliance on the wrong hook, or complete banality.

The only saving moment, "We Don't Have to Look Back Now", is shockingly the only song not written by the band ... maybe they should look into going this route more in the future.

Puddle of Mudd was fun in the beginning. But given the extended hiatus the band took, along with the state of the music industry in general, it's surprising the band still has a record deal in 2007. Perhaps the constant delays in the release of Famous was a telling sign. This album does a good job of masquerading as a solid rock release, but there's hardly anything under the surface.

Foo Fighters -- 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace' [review]

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
RCA Records (9/25/07)
Hard rock / Alternative



Long gone are the days when Dave Grohl crafted quirky, catchy anthems like the ones on the Foo Fighters' 1995 self-titled debut. Over the next 12 years, through sheer force of will and talent, Grohl turned from Nirvana drummer to frontman of one of the best hard rock bands on the scene today.

From its impressive body of work, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is bound to be the band's most focused and mature effort to date. It's as if Grohl knew that 2005's In Your Honor was a little too bloated and overreaching, and so the band aimed to craft an album that attempted all the bombast and beauty of its two-disc predecessor and condense it to its basest form.

And that's what the Foo Fighters do time and time again, with tracks like "The Pretender", "Let It Die" and "Erase/Replace", each of which is explosive in its hook-laden delivery. "The Pretender" creates a false sense of security with a mellow, acoustic drone before drummer Taylor Hawkins destroys the moment and the band unleashes the intense guitar interplay. There's a thick riff that Grohl pulls out mid-way through the song that's destined to become a rock classic, which makes this song actually eclipse "Best of You" (off the Honor set) as one of the band's hardest rocking anthems.

"Let It Die" attempts the same trick as the opener, but Grohl actually draws the melody out a lot longer, making for a much fuller experience.

The tempo builds with each verse of "Erase/Replace" before the crescendo of the chorus acts as a release; a slow, deliberate delivery each time. In this case, the beauty comes in the bridges later in the song.

It's not all hard rock. "Long Road to Ruin" is a fantastic, catchy modern rock number, while "Come Alive" perfectly builds in its intensity, starting off as a haunting ballad before exploding into pure rock fury by the end. "Summer's End" could find a home on a classic rock or Top 40 radio station, and then there's the bluegrass-influenced instrumental, "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners." The piano-driven "Statues", and the acoustic "Stranger Things Have Happened" and “But Honestly" (two of the album's strongest tracks) close out an impressive set. The hits, varied though they may be, just keep coming.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is a slow-burn album; aside from "The Pretender", "But Honestly" and perhaps "Erase/Replace", nothing immediately jumps up and grabs your attention. But after a spin or two, it's clear that the Foo Fighters crafted a classic album. Everything is twice what it should be: the melody twice as haunting, the rock twice as bombastic. By the time the piano ballad "Home" pops up to close the set, you can't help but shake your head at exactly what this album represents and want to immediately start it again. When all is said and done, this is bound to become "the album" for the band.

Atreyu -- 'Lead Sails Paper Anchors' [review]

Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Hollywood Records (8/28/07)
Rock / Metalcore / Post-Hardcore



This is the album that Atreyu needed as a follow-up to The Curse. While 2006's A Death-Grip on Yesterday wasn't a terrible release, the band seemed like it was still searching for an identity. On Lead Sails, it sounds quite comfortable and very explosive.

Atreyu do a great job of updating an '80s hard-rock groove with a modern metal sensibility, while sprinkling in the slightest amount of hardcore growls (a nod to the genre that got them to the dance, so to speak). The band is turning into a less aggressive Trivium. And while last year's release was light on the hooks, this album is chock-full of them.

Exploding out of the gate with "Doomsday", the band unleashes a barrage of thick riffs and assaulting rhythm that continues throughout the album. Recalling a bygone era, songs like "Honor", "Becoming the Bull" and "Slow Burn" would sound perfect pouring out of the PA at a huge stadium. Add to that the progression of the band's sound, most notably the killer guitar solos that litter the album, most notably on "Falling Down", "Can't Happen Here" and "When Two Are One". And if the band wasn't wearing its influences on its sleeves enough for you, throw in a sick cover of Faith No More's "Epic" (which closes out the album as a hidden track) for good measure.

And that's not even the best Atreyu has to offer. Check out "Blow", with Josh Todd (of Buckcherry) on guest vocals. Apart from Velvet Revolver on rare occasions, or perhaps Buckcherry, no band has better captured that gritty L.A.-scene, sleazy rock sound reminiscent of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction.

Even when the band manages to slow things down a few times -- on the title-track or on "Lose It" -- there's still an air of urgency to the sound.

What a great release. The shift to Hollywood Records from Victory did little to slow down or shift the band's progression. It instead focused the group into creating probably the best album of its short career. It's fun, it's unbelievably catchy and it's raw and turgid with everything there is to love about the rock and metal genres. A fantastic album for fans of metal or rock. A top-five release of the year, easily.

Kiss -- 'Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 - 1978-1991' [DVD review]

Kiss - Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 - 1978-1991 [4-DVD set]
VH1 Classic Records (7/14/07)
Unrated
407 minutes



Kiss's second Kissology DVD collection takes a look at what most people consider to be the band's most turbulent years. It acts as an almost-documentary of the band, but instead of interviews (though there are a couple on here), it tells a story though clips of TV appearances, news items, concerts and music videos. Through the three-disc set is told a story of a band on the edge. The trials that plagued Kiss from the late '70s through the early '90s -- multiple shifts in the line-up, career missteps and an image makeover -- would be enough to cripple any other band, but if this set shows nothing else, it shows a band that prides itself on consistency and professionalism, at least when it came to "the show."

By 1978, Kiss was on top of the world as the biggest and most recognizable rock band on the planet. It's doubtful anyone could have imaged what the next few years would bring. Disc one offers a set of interview excerpts: one from the Land of Hype and Glory in 1978, which featured a band at the top of its game; the other, from The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1979, a band on the brink of collapse. The Snyder interview offered the first glimpse of the inner turmoil of the band, with guitarist Ace Frehley clearly inebriated and monopolizing the conversation, while Gene Simmons stewed in the corner and Paul Stanley attempted to take control (drummer Peter Criss seemed content to ride it out and have a good time).

These two interviews sandwich the meatiest portion of the whole set -- a cleaned up, widescreen version of Kiss in Attack of the Phantoms. The movie featured Kiss as superheroes holed up at an amusement park for the summer. Pitched to the band as a mix of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Star Wars, well ... it's hard to imagine how anyone believed it would be a career booster. It does show the band at its hokey best, and is a must-have for any die-hard fan.

The second disc features a wealth of concert footage and TV performances starting with the 1980 video for "Shandi" and ending with an overexposed live performance of "I Love it Loud" from Top Pop in 1982. In this short span of time, the band would lose original drummer Criss, replace him with Eric Carr, drift further away from Frehley and record The Elder, widely considered the worst of the band's catalogue. It's not all a downer, as they also enjoyed a wildly successful tour of Australia. Of note on this disc is a snippet from a CNN interview with Criss right after he left the band, and a live set from the TV show Fridays featuring "The Oath", "A World Without Heroes" and "I", all off of the aforementioned Elder album.

By disc three, Frehley had left the band, replaced by Vinnie Vincent. The disc opens with a pretty impressive set off the '83 Creatures of the Night tour, followed by the notorious unmasking interview off MTV (the first time anyone in the band was seen without his makeup). After a couple of songs from a Portugal concert later that year, the set jumps all the way to '87 and the Crazy Crazy Nights tour, with Bruce Kullick now on guitar. There's an almost complete concert from the Forever tour, and things close out with an MTV news bulletin announcing the death of Carr and the music video for "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II", Carr's last performance with the band.

This is far from a perfect collection. While all the back story is presented in this review, the details surrounding the departing band members are never addressed throughly in the actual DVDs (though the accompanying booklet, which features quotes from the band members to flush out the story, is helpful). So, rather than a documentary, this is more of a snapshot of a band from a certain window of time. There were a bunch of music videos from the Crazy Nights and Hot in the Shade albums, that could have made it on here, or at least some stuff from the Animalize release so the jump from '83 to '87 wasn't so drastic.

Still, for what it is, there are some great gems on here -- the various live versions of "Creatures of the Night", some stellar Carr drum solos, a particularly nasty Frehley solo and the "God Gave Rock ‘N' Roll To You" video in particular. The interview snippets are interesting, and the Australia tour footage is great, too.

Apart from the movie, everything is presented in full screen with a normal stereo sound. However, the concert footage is clear and the sound, while muffled at times, is more than adequate. In fact, the Top Pop performance is the only one that's difficult to watch.


If you're a huge Kiss fan, you already own this. If you're interested in getting your hands on some pretty decent live footage from the time period, this is for you. I'm not sure what this has to offer the casual fan, unless you really wanted that Kiss movie in your collection. For what it is, which seems to be an emptying of the vaults of sorts, this is a solid collection. It just lacks some of the later material (music videos, band interviews from the late '80s, etc.) to make it perfect.

Drowning Pool -- 'Full Circle' [review]

Drowning Pool - Full Circle

Eleven Seven Music (8/7/07)

Hard rock / Metal



Three albums with three front men—it would seem like an uphill battle for any band to gain a foothold and start to grow into a more cohesive unit. That certainly was the problem with Drowning Pool's last effort, Desensitized. Former lead singer Jason Jones had a great stage presence and a nice mixture of original lead singer Dave Williams' tenacity and urgency with a subtle amount of soul, but ultimately, the album seemed rushed and somewhat off-target (especially with the marketing).


On Full Circle, Drowning Pool brought in a seasoned pro in Ryan McCombs, formerly of Soil. McCombs' distinct, captivating voice melds well with the Drowning Pool sound. And for a band with an established fanbase, it didn't hurt to bring in someone with a recognizable commodity.

Constant touring prior to any studio recording seems to have paid off for the band. Full Circle presents a tight, cohesive wall of sound, which is fairly important for a band essentially re-debuting for a third time. The album opens promisingly enough with the hard-hitting title track. Mike Luce has never sounded as ferocious as the final moments of the song, and bassist Stevie Benton seems particularly inspired.

C.J. Pierce's classic Drowning Pool riff rears its head on "Enemy", one of the album's stronger tracks, and the driving guitar continues through songs like "Shame" and "Duet". Lyrically, the band has never come across better than on "Reborn", with great allusion to the band and McCombs' pasts (comments about a halo -- Soil's first break; tear away -- a Drowning Pool song; redefine -- McCombs' last album with Soil), but some great acoustic guitar and drum work, too.

And the band, and particularly McCombs, is practically channeling Alice in Chains on "Upside Down", which almost sounds like it has the late Layne Staley on guest vocals -- and that's a good thing (the Alice in Chains comparisons litter the latter half of the album).

But for all the promise, there are more than a few shallow moments. "Love" seems like a throwaway track with little to make it notable, and covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" has BAD IDEA written all over it. The group tries to catch the lightning of "Bodies" with the sing-a-long anthem "Soldiers", but it just seems to miss the mark. The message (supporting the troops) is admirable, but for some reason you want to chant along to "let the bodies hit the floor" as opposed to "(whoop, yeah) this is for the soldiers."

Then there's the Nikki Sixx penned "Reason I'm Alive" which couldn't sound more out of place. The pseudo-ballad seems forced and hollow, which is especially troubling as the band can and does do melancholic tracks extremely well when it wants to—"37 Stitches" and "Paralyzed" channel that great feel of the Drowning Pool classic "Tear Away" (not to mention McCombs once again channeling Staley on the latter).

What Drowning Pool really needs to do is keep a line-up in place for more than one album, and lord knows it wants to. The untimely death of Williams could have been a death knell, but the band soldiered on. Jones and the rest of the group just never meshed. McCombs seems like a perfect fit. The good on Full Circle really is good, and songs like "37 Stitches" and "Reborn" are great. That's what makes the bad stuff stick out all the more. Drowning Pool can write good material, so it's apropos that two of the weaker links are from outside sources. With more touring the band will only get better. Having McCombs stick around will show whether the band can write a follow-up without new blood in the mix. As of now, Full Circle stands as an above-average debut from a band that needs no introduction.

Velvet Revolver -- 'Libertad' [review]

Velvet Revolver - Libertad
RCA (7/03/07)
Hard rock


With all the excitement and wonder surrounding the band in 2004, it was hard for Velvet Revolver to not make an impact with Contraband. With all the hype of the project, and the expectations brought to the table, thanks to the players involved, and their affiliation with their previous bands, it was hard for Velvet Revolver not to be met with adulation. And given that the band pretty much forced the effort with most of the material in place before vocalist Scott Weiland entered the mix, it was still a hell of a debut.

After all the touring in support of Contraband and the "growing as a band," one could only imagine the home run that was in store for the sophomore effort.

Instead, what we have with Libertad is a mish-mash collection of tracks, some that hit the mark, some that offer an interesting spin on what one would assume Velvet Revolver is capable of, and a couple more that are forgettable.

Given each member's past, it's clear the band should be able to craft a hook-filled rock song. Just look at the lead-off single "She Builds Quick Machines", and the even catchier "Get Out the Door". They're subtle, but really strong rock tunes around which a band could build an album.

Mix those with the more serious fare -- the Beatles-esque "Can't Get It Out of My Head", the ballad "The Last Fight" and the closer "Gravedancer" (which may have some of the best lyrics of entire the album) -- and you have a strong foundation.

It's the songs like "Just Sixteen" (with some fantastic guitar solos) and "Spay" that are the real meat and potatoes of this album. Each song careens along with some pure rock fury, and they're the only two tracks that really seem to slink along the border of a band being almost out-of-control. That's what this band needs to be doing, not generic safe rock numbers.

Instead, the listener is left with a "trim the fat" mantra running through their head, thanks to the utterly forgettable, repetitive nature of songs like "Let it Roll" and "She Mine", and it doesn't help matters any that these two open the album.

If you were to place blame, point straight to producer Brendan O'Brien, as the band seems stripped of any urgency throughout almost the entire album (there are only slight glimmers here and there). Why is Slash not front and center, tearing it up on every song? Dave Kushner is a great guitarist, but he should really be taking a back seat here instead of sharing the spotlight at all times. Why isn't Duff doing any notable vocals besides the backing harmonies? Why isn't the band devolving at any point into blues-soaked, sleazy metal (which they are more than capable of doing)? Why is the bass so nondescript? Who picked the play list? There were at least five better ways to have sequenced this album.

Josh Abraham knew what he was doing with Contraband, and while it came off as a solid debut with little focal point, at least it had the feel of an intense album; Libertad feels like a collection of songs that didn't fit on any other albums. Velvet Revolver deserves better, especially when the bright spots shine so brightly.

So, in the end, we're left with a solid 3/4ths of an album with notable and noticeable problems. The better songs show fantastic growth beyond Contraband, so this is far from a disaster, but it smacks of below-expectations. It'll be interesting to see what the next move for Velvet Revolver will be.

Linkin Park -- 'Minutes to Midnight' [review]

Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
Warner Brothers (5/15/07)
Rock / Alternative


Minutes to Midnight is touted as the album that showcases Linkin Park's growth. Instead, it's an album which sees the band pushing the extremes of its sound further in each direction. Gone, for the most part, are the dueling vocals from Mike Shinoda (the rapping) and Chester Bennington (the singing), which used to anchor a majority of the band's sound in each song. It pops up once or twice, but is more the exception than the rule here. The music is tighter than ever and the band seems to continually meld together, which is something to be said for a six-piece.

"Given Up", the first song on the album (following a brief instrumental opener), is a nice page out of the screaming, hard-rocking Linkin Park playbook, while the melancholic "Leave Out All the Rest", is a complete 180 and it's here that the juxtaposition of the extremes becomes apparent.

The best part of Minutes to Midnight, though, is that the band is comfortable enough to not have to rely on its old standards. Sure, there are songs like "Given Up" and "No More Sorrow", which are chock-full of angst and intensity, but the greatest moments of the album are the slower tracks like "Shadow of the Day" (probably one of the best songs the band has ever recorded) and the politically charged "Hands Held High" (with some of the best lyrics the band has ever written). Then there's a song like "Valentine's Day" that does its best to merge the two ends of the spectrum.

The separating of the dual vocals has worked wonders for the band, as they've crafted a full, interesting album with plenty to prevent boredom. Even a track like "In Between" has enough melody in the background to keep it from being completely bland. Of course, there's also the up-tempo "Bleed It Out", which seems a little too forced and probably could have been cut in favor of something a little more fleshed out (the band does point out that this song was included for the "fun factor" it offers).

(As an aside, the accompanying booklet features brief explanations on the development of the album and each track, an excellent insight into the band for fans or the casual listener.)

Linkin Park's debut was a breath of fresh air back in 2000, and the band is only getting better with age and experience. It's clear the band took its time with this release, and it really shows with all the little nuances scattered throughout the album. Even if you were able to ignore all the hype and strip the Linkin Park name from this album, it would still be a contender for year-end best-of lists.