CD Reviews

Dio at Donnington UK pt 1: 1983

2010-11-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

"It's been a while since I've done that one, thanks for remembering it!"

These are the words spoken by the late great Ronnie James Dio in 1983 as his then brand new band finished an abridged version of Rainbow's 1976 classic "Starstruck" which was released when Ronnie fronted the Ritchie Blackmore led band. After a quick pause to catch their breath, this original incarnation of the Dio band (Ronnie on vocals, Jimmy Bain on bass, Viv Campbell on guitar, and Vinny Appice on drums) rips into the second half an amazing arrangement of another Rainbow song "Man on the Silver Mountain".

That marked the end of the concert, but left the screaming crowd at Monsters of Rock '83 wanting more. Now, those fans who were there, and the others around the world can now experience an official release from Niji Entertainment ( the record label started by the late Ronnie and his wife, Wendy shortly before RJD's death).

This 2 disc set also includes the Donnington show from '87, which I'll review later.

The CD opens with an original Dio song 'Stand Up and Shout' from the debut album of that year 'Holy Diver', which is fantastic. The rest of the set is a mix of many early Dio songs, along with Ronnie-era Black Sabbath and Rainbow tunes which are fantastic. If you listen to this performance, you can't tell the difference from his voice on his final performance, which is why, I believe, that Ronnie James Dio is the greatest vocalist of all time. And that's it.

5 out of 5

Black Label Society-Order of the Black

2010-10-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know BLS, it's the side project (and now full time project) of (former) guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde. Zakk is able to blend the perfect elements of heavy guitar riffs and blistering solos with Elton John-esque piano ballads. The album opens with the droning monster of 'Crazy Horse' , which is sure to please fans of the bands and new-comers alike. After several standout tracks(ie 'Overlord' & 'Parade of the Dead'), the album moves to the slower ballads (ie 'January' & 'Time Waits for No One'). Both sides of the songs on the album are excellent. The only thing I personally didn't like was 'Chupacatra', a flamenco guitar piece clocking in at 50 seconds. I think it should have been placed at the beginning of another song, and spent the time used on that song with a full length piece. Overall, this album shreds! I love it, so, it's an easy 4.8 out of 5

Neil Young-Le Noise

2010-09-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time! Neil Young is set to release a new album, 'Le Noise', on September 28th. However thanks to the generous Neil, fans are able to preview it on NPR.com. I took the opportunity to listen to 'Le Noise' in its entirety. Good thing I did. First of all, before I go any further, I forgot to mention a major part of this album: it's Neil Young and his guitar. Nothing else. If that immediately turned you off, please continue to read! Initially, I was skeptical, but, I'm glad I gave it a chance. If you go past the music, and truly listen, you hear the beauty of Neil's lyrics, and even if you don't agree with his opinion of the 'Angry World', you will be truly mesmerized by it. I'd recommend this album to people not looking for good music, but good poetry. Overall, I'll have to give it a 4 out of 5, only because I think the guitar is kind of repetitive, but everything else is great.

Primus- June 2010 Rehearsal (FREE DOWNLOAD!)

2010-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Though technically it's not new music, the four song EP released from PrimusVille captures classic Primus being performed by the new lineup of the band, which now features original drummer Jay Lane (RatDog, Furthur), who was in the lineup before the band even released an album. Basically, there's not much to say about this EP, but, if you're a fan of Primus, it's awesome! 5 out of 5! If your not a fan, but are into other jam bands, still a 4 out of 5. If your neither, odds are you'll find it sort of weird, but, if you can appreciate talent, it's probably a 2 or 3 out of 5. (Please choose rating that applies to you.)

Gov't Mule-Mulennium CD Review

2010-08-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

If the title didn't give it away, this release by Gov't Mule is their live New Year's Eve show from 1999-2000. The relatively cheap [$9.99 on Amazon] set of three Cds, including one with blues legend Little Milton, you really get some bang for your buck. Including popular Mule cuts like Blind Man in the Dark and Towering Fool, you also get to hear some strange live cuts like the title track of their upcoming "Life Before Insanity" album. Also in the first CD, after a strange jam out of Towering Fool we get to here the short excitement of the new millennium in the crowd, Mule breaks into a cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man". Also a set closing "Dazed and Confused" Jam. Onto the second CD. This is the set with Little Milton, and most of the songs are relatively unknown blues songs written by Milton, though the most notable song of the set is "I Can't Quit You Baby". The third set has some goodies in the form of covers of "Helter Skelter" and "30 Days in the Hole". This one gets 4.5 out of 5.

Jimi Hendrix-Valleys of Neptune

2010-06-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Arguably the most influential and inspiring guitarists of all time, Jimi Hendrix's estate has recently released a compilation of some amazing new songs that were never released. These include songs written as far back as 1966. The album includes about 8 new songs and 3 or 4 reworkings of old classics. Amazing, buy it NOW!

Charred Walls of the Damned

2010-03-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

To all of you who don't know this band... CHECK THEM OUT! Consisting of Death/ex-Iced Earth/Control Denied drummer Richard Christy, ex-Judas Priest/ex-Iced Earth vocalist Tim "The Ripper" Owens, metal producer Jason Suecof, and ex-Death bassist Steve Digirgio, Charred Walls of the Damned blends power metal elements of Judas Priest,with high pitch screaming-for-vengeance vocals, and speed metal to create a perfect blend of extreme metal. The first single, "Ghost Town", has such a fast drum intro, it makes you feel as though you have gone to Hell and back in 2 and a half seconds! An amazing album overall, a couple songs don't stick out, so I'll have to give it a 4.3 out of 5.

Slayer- World Painted Blood

2010-03-06T09:35:00.001-08:00

If you do not know Slayer, obviously, from the album title, you can tell they are a HEAVY band. Their lastest effort is pretty good. It captures Slayer's speed metal elements and gorey lyrics with some crappy production. There's not much to say about the album, but I would recommend, but ONLY IF YOU ARE A FAN! IF YOU ARE NOT A FAN YOU WILL MOST LIKELY HATE IT! If you are not a fan, check out "Reign in Blood" and "South of Heaven" before you dig any deeper, as you would have to know what the band is about. 3.9 out of 5.

Megadeth- Endgame

2010-03-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Megadeth, the thrash metal giants, have recently released a new album titled "Endgame" (fitting, as Megadeth founder, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine says he only has one more album and a couple of tours before he calls it quits). I loved this CD so much, I would put up against most new metal bands, and even against Megadeth's own 1990 masterpiece, "Rust In Peace". Dave Mustaine unleashes some of his most furious leads since 1986's "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?", along with the newest member, Chris Broderick on guitar, who has enough speed and precision, he could give former virtuoso guitarist of Megadeth, Marty Friedman, a fun for his money. This album holds, what I believe, perfect balance between Megadeth's original hardcore thrash metal of "Peace Sells", with "progressive" elements of "Rust In Peace". I would recommend "44 Minutes", "Head Crusher", and "The Hardest Part of Letting Go" as the highlights of the album. I'll give it a 4.6 of 5.

Alice in Chains-Black Gives Way to Blue

2010-03-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

Alice in Chains is back on a high note with a new singer and awesome comeback album. After Layne Staley's death in 2002, Alice had been on hiatus and had no plans. So now, after a decade or so without any new material from the band, they have released this, which is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the past year. Staying true to the grunge-metal sound of classic Alice, Jerry Cantrell and Co. bust out heavy rockin' , chilling vocal harmony laden songs (Check My Brain, Last Of My Kind, All Secrets Known) and several slower, darker, and sometimes, a little bit scary songs (Private Hell, the title track). Overall, I would recommend this album to fans of old Alice in Chains, or anyone who wants to listen to some awesome new music. TC2 rating: 4 out of 5.