Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me
What Are You Listening To???
- Thread starter DerAdlerIstGelandet
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Thorlifter
Captain
Kamelot - Center of the universe (Live)
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
Thorlifter
Captain
For the most part, my favorite music is 80's big hair metal bands. I thought I would critique some of the newest albums out.
Night Ranger newest release is Hole in the Sun. The band went through a change by firing co-lead guitarist Jeff Watson and getting Joel Hoekstra. Now, I am extra critical of Night Ranger as they are my ALL TIME favorite band and I expect great things from them. I know it may not be fair, but it's my review and I can do what I want!!!!
Here is where I would rank this CD.
1. Midnight Madness
2. Dawn Patrol
3. 7 Wishes
4. Big Life
(big drop off from here)
5. Man In Motion
6. Neverland
7. Hole in the Sun
8. Seven
9. Hits, Acoustic and Rarities
Pretty bad when Neverland ranks higher. Yeah there are a couple good guitar licks and a couple decent songs.
Tracks and comments:
1. Tell Your Vision - good guitar licks, would fit into the bottom of the Midnight Madness album.
2. Drama Queen - Sounds like it came off of Seven if that tells you anything
3. Your Gonna Hear It from Me - good guitar. This would be the 2nd best song on Neverland (Kong)
4. Whatever Happened - bleck, retch, gag
5. There Is Life - Sucky balled. What has happened to the best ballad rock band????
6. Rock Star - Song starts with such promise, then <groan>.
7. Hole in the Sun - Ok, this is the title track so you expect it to be good. Yet here is another song that would be good on Seven.
8. Fool In Me - See comments of track 5.
9. White Knuckle Ride - Decent power licks, not a bad song.
10. Revelation 4 AM - I was starting to hate it until the chorus started. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
11. Wrap it Up - Best guitar licks and 2nd best song on this CD.
12. Being - Too bad I'll never hear this CD again, because after this song I was jabbing sharp pencils in my ears.
Night Ranger newest release is Hole in the Sun. The band went through a change by firing co-lead guitarist Jeff Watson and getting Joel Hoekstra. Now, I am extra critical of Night Ranger as they are my ALL TIME favorite band and I expect great things from them. I know it may not be fair, but it's my review and I can do what I want!!!!
Here is where I would rank this CD.
1. Midnight Madness
2. Dawn Patrol
3. 7 Wishes
4. Big Life
(big drop off from here)
5. Man In Motion
6. Neverland
7. Hole in the Sun
8. Seven
9. Hits, Acoustic and Rarities
Pretty bad when Neverland ranks higher. Yeah there are a couple good guitar licks and a couple decent songs.
Tracks and comments:
1. Tell Your Vision - good guitar licks, would fit into the bottom of the Midnight Madness album.
2. Drama Queen - Sounds like it came off of Seven if that tells you anything
3. Your Gonna Hear It from Me - good guitar. This would be the 2nd best song on Neverland (Kong)
4. Whatever Happened - bleck, retch, gag
5. There Is Life - Sucky balled. What has happened to the best ballad rock band????
6. Rock Star - Song starts with such promise, then <groan>.
7. Hole in the Sun - Ok, this is the title track so you expect it to be good. Yet here is another song that would be good on Seven.
8. Fool In Me - See comments of track 5.
9. White Knuckle Ride - Decent power licks, not a bad song.
10. Revelation 4 AM - I was starting to hate it until the chorus started. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
11. Wrap it Up - Best guitar licks and 2nd best song on this CD.
12. Being - Too bad I'll never hear this CD again, because after this song I was jabbing sharp pencils in my ears.
Thorlifter
Captain
Whitesnake's newest release is called Good to be Bad. The band is currently made up like this.
David Coverdale: lead vocals
Doug Aldrich: lead rhythm guitars
Reb Beach: lead rhythm guitars (Reb was temporarily filling in with Night Ranger after they fired Jeff Watson, but left to work with Whitesnake)
Uriah Duffy: bass
Timothy Drury: keyboards
Chris Frazier: drums
1. Best Years - To me, the song is a mess. It just doesn't blend well.
2. Can you hear the Wind Blow - Now this was good. Good mix of vocals, power cords, a decent riffs.
3. Call on me - Kickin riffs. Pretty damn good song.
4. All I want All I need - CLASSIC COVERDALE. The first ballad on the album.
5. Good to be Bad - This is the title track and it's easily the best song on the album. Very good song.
6. All for love - Ok, I'm really starting to like this CD. Good song
7. Summer rain - 2nd ballad on CD. It's ok. Done accoustically like Poison's Every Rose has it's Thorns.
8. Lay Down Your Love - Reb and Doug are feeling it on this song. Tight dual guitars.
9. A Fool in Love - Good song.
10. Got What you Need - Eh, not bad. Suffers only due to comparison of the other songs on this CD.
11. 'til the End of Time - 3rd ballad. They should have stopped at 10 songs.
Overall, if you like Whitesnake, you will love this CD. If you love Whitesnake, you will be happy with your purchase.
David Coverdale: lead vocals
Doug Aldrich: lead rhythm guitars
Reb Beach: lead rhythm guitars (Reb was temporarily filling in with Night Ranger after they fired Jeff Watson, but left to work with Whitesnake)
Uriah Duffy: bass
Timothy Drury: keyboards
Chris Frazier: drums
1. Best Years - To me, the song is a mess. It just doesn't blend well.
2. Can you hear the Wind Blow - Now this was good. Good mix of vocals, power cords, a decent riffs.
3. Call on me - Kickin riffs. Pretty damn good song.
4. All I want All I need - CLASSIC COVERDALE. The first ballad on the album.
5. Good to be Bad - This is the title track and it's easily the best song on the album. Very good song.
6. All for love - Ok, I'm really starting to like this CD. Good song
7. Summer rain - 2nd ballad on CD. It's ok. Done accoustically like Poison's Every Rose has it's Thorns.
8. Lay Down Your Love - Reb and Doug are feeling it on this song. Tight dual guitars.
9. A Fool in Love - Good song.
10. Got What you Need - Eh, not bad. Suffers only due to comparison of the other songs on this CD.
11. 'til the End of Time - 3rd ballad. They should have stopped at 10 songs.
Overall, if you like Whitesnake, you will love this CD. If you love Whitesnake, you will be happy with your purchase.
Thorlifter
Captain
Dokken has a new release called Lightning Strikes Again.
I read a review online that I thought was so good, I will just steal his because I agree with just about every word he wrote!!!
Dokken released some of the 80's best Melodic Metal albums, including Breaking the Chains, Tooth and Nail, and Under Lock and Key, and released one more good album in Back for the Attack before tensions in the band split them apart.
In the 90's they got back together and released the fantastic Dysfunctional album. That was an album that saw their 80's style updated to fit better in the grungy 90's without sacrificing the basic elements of their sound. Following that album they released the puzzling Shadowlife - and album of dark, grungy, alternative leaning songs that turned off many of their fans. Guitarist George Lynch parted ways with the band and they hired former Winger guitar player Reb Beach and released the much heralded Erase the Slate. Erase the Slate was much closer in style to their 80's sound than either of it's predecessors, and the album went a long way towards recapturing the fans turned off by Shadowlife.
Reb Beach's stay in the band didn't last long, and he was replaced in turn by former Europe guitarist (and solo act) John Norum for the album Long Way Home. Long Way Home was an album that had many good songs, but ultimately suffered from the too many ballads syndrome. John Norum's songwriting contributions were fantastic, as his songs were darker and heavier but still based in the Melodic Metal stylings of his biggest influences (Thin Lizzy, UFO, Deep Purple), the only problem was that there were only four songs co-written by Norum, and the rest of the album was somewhat lackluster. Norum left the band not too long after the album's release.
Enter Jon Levin. An unknown guitar player that most of Dokken's fans were skeptical could live up to the standards of George Lynch and Reb Beach. His first album with Dokken, Hell to Pay, wasn't the killer album that fans wanted (and it featured an absolutely horrible album cover). Sure, there are a few great songs, just like it's predecessor, Long Way Home, but there is also some filler and not enough HEAVY material overall (the first half of the album is great, the 2nd half is mediocre). Confidence that Jon Levin was the right guy for the job wasn't exactly high. It wasn't really all that low, either, as Don Dokken took most of the heat for the less heavy material on the last two albums.
All of which leads to this. Lightning Strikes Again.
The pre-release statements from Don Dokken were that this was the album where Dokken would once again return to their 80's style that long time fans had missed on the previous two releases. The album title, Lightning Strikes Again was picked out before songwriting for the album was even completed. Named after one of their more popular heavy songs from the 80's, Lightning Strikes Again had a lot of high expectations to live up to. Originally slated for a Summer 2007 release the album was delayed 9 months, creating more anticipation - and even higher expectations to live up to.
So does Lightning Strikes Again live up to all the pre-release hype?
Yes. And no.
It is VERY similar in style to parts of Under Lock and Key, as well as having bits vaguely reminiscent of Tooth and Nail and Back for the Attack, but there are also elements of Dysfunctional, Erase the Slate, Long Way Home, and even Hell to Pay. It's not 1986, so to expect Don, Jon, Mick, and Barry to be able to completely recapture the mindset of the mid-80's was perhaps a bit unrealistic.
However...
Lightning Strikes Again does come very close to recapturing the mid 80's style that Dokken played so well. Part of the problem is that Don's voice has taken a beating over the last 25 years and his vocal range is noticeably smaller than it was back in the mid 80's. That creates a bit of a problem in recreating that era musically, but it also leads to one of the album's strengths - a VERY strong melodic sensability.
The other main strength of the album is Jon Levin's songwriting and performance. On Lightning Strikes Again Levin is clearly channelling George Lynch. He's not so much ripping off George's style as he gets into the mindset that fits this type of music best - as Lynch did in the 80's. This is the album where Jon Levin proves that Don Dokken's confidence in him was well founded.
1. Standing on the Outside - leads off the album in style. With a riff that is more than a little similar to "It's Not Love," there is a welcome familiarity to the song, and the fantastic vocal melodies and hooks also help give this one a familiar feel. There are also more than a couple similarities to "Dream Warriors," in this one (the chugging riff and overall mid tempo groove). This is a great song that would have been a big hit in 1986.
2. Give Me a Reason - is just as good as the opening track. A Tooth and Nail-ish riff ("Into the Fire," by way of Back for the Attack) with a more melodic vocal where Don Dokken sounds like HE is channelling someone - in this case former Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino. In a couple of spots you could be forgiven for thinking that it WAS Shortino. This is a very, very strong song, and would have made for another hit back in the 80's.
3. Heart to Stone - would fit in perfectly on Under Lock and Key, and maybe even on Back for the Attack. A solid mid-tempo rocker with more great vocal hooks this is further proof that Dokken is one of the very best at what they do.
4. Disease - This is Dokken in the 90's, more or less. Taking equally from Dysfunctional, Shadowlife, and Erase the Slate, "Disease," is heavy, syncopated, and fairly dark. And just really good. It's one of those songs that gets stuck in your head for hours. The first deviation from the mid 80's theme is a good one. A really good one.
5. How I Miss Your Smile - This barely qualifies as a POWER ballad as it's not all that powerful, but it is well written and has a nice melody and a sweet chorus that almost sounds like something ripped out of a 70's song and thrown in an 80's Power Ballad.
6. Oasis - Again borrows a bit from their 90's material melding the 80's and 90's versions of Dokken seamlessly in this moody mid-tempo song with another great chorus.
7. Point of No Return - is the fastest song on the album, and it recalls Tooth and Nail (the album) a bit, but it also sounds a bit like Mindcrime-era Queensryche with the guitar lick in the chorus. Lots of hanging chords and a focus on the vocal melody without a killer riff keep this from being a great track, but it is still good and a burst of energy that the album needs, so that can be forgiven.
8. I Remember - has an acoustic guitar part that starts off eerily similar to the recent "It's Been Awhile," by Staind, but the rest of the song is pure Dokken in the "Alone Again," or "Slippin' Away," mode. Not as good, but close.
9. Judgment Day - which has a riff and vocal melodies that again would fit right in on Under Lock and Key. It's another album highlight.
10. It Means - starts off with a "When Heaven Comes Down," type riff and maintains that slow grind throughout the verse, while the chorus has a very melodic vocal melody (of course). A solid album track.
11. Release Me - is another mid-tempo song, this one more melodic and less heavy than the rest, though. It's not quite a ballad, but it isn't a real, "Rocker," either. It's a tweener. It should come as no surprise that this more 90's leaning song is very strong melodically with yet another strong chorus vocal hook. A heavier, faster song in place of this one might have been a better idea, though (which would have led to a slightly different track listing arrangement in all likelihood).
12. This Fire - Unlike a lot of Dokken's "fast and heavy," songs, this one relies on vocal melody and harmonies in the chorus rather than an aggressive vocal from Don. Again, Don's voice isn't as strong as it was 20 years ago, and his range isn't what it was back then so that may be a big part of the reason for his lack of aggressiveness vocally throughout the album. This is a strong track, though, and the melody and harmonies work extremely well and are very effective.
As a whole Lightning Strikes Again pretty much achieves what Dokken set out to accomplish - returning to their roots and recapturing a sound that they had strayed from a little over the last 15 years. This is an album that likely would have been very successful in 1986. In 2008 it's likely only going to recapture a relatively small number of fans who haven't bought a new Dokken album since Back for the Attack, but those who do buy it will be very pleased with the results.
I read a review online that I thought was so good, I will just steal his because I agree with just about every word he wrote!!!
Dokken released some of the 80's best Melodic Metal albums, including Breaking the Chains, Tooth and Nail, and Under Lock and Key, and released one more good album in Back for the Attack before tensions in the band split them apart.
In the 90's they got back together and released the fantastic Dysfunctional album. That was an album that saw their 80's style updated to fit better in the grungy 90's without sacrificing the basic elements of their sound. Following that album they released the puzzling Shadowlife - and album of dark, grungy, alternative leaning songs that turned off many of their fans. Guitarist George Lynch parted ways with the band and they hired former Winger guitar player Reb Beach and released the much heralded Erase the Slate. Erase the Slate was much closer in style to their 80's sound than either of it's predecessors, and the album went a long way towards recapturing the fans turned off by Shadowlife.
Reb Beach's stay in the band didn't last long, and he was replaced in turn by former Europe guitarist (and solo act) John Norum for the album Long Way Home. Long Way Home was an album that had many good songs, but ultimately suffered from the too many ballads syndrome. John Norum's songwriting contributions were fantastic, as his songs were darker and heavier but still based in the Melodic Metal stylings of his biggest influences (Thin Lizzy, UFO, Deep Purple), the only problem was that there were only four songs co-written by Norum, and the rest of the album was somewhat lackluster. Norum left the band not too long after the album's release.
Enter Jon Levin. An unknown guitar player that most of Dokken's fans were skeptical could live up to the standards of George Lynch and Reb Beach. His first album with Dokken, Hell to Pay, wasn't the killer album that fans wanted (and it featured an absolutely horrible album cover). Sure, there are a few great songs, just like it's predecessor, Long Way Home, but there is also some filler and not enough HEAVY material overall (the first half of the album is great, the 2nd half is mediocre). Confidence that Jon Levin was the right guy for the job wasn't exactly high. It wasn't really all that low, either, as Don Dokken took most of the heat for the less heavy material on the last two albums.
All of which leads to this. Lightning Strikes Again.
The pre-release statements from Don Dokken were that this was the album where Dokken would once again return to their 80's style that long time fans had missed on the previous two releases. The album title, Lightning Strikes Again was picked out before songwriting for the album was even completed. Named after one of their more popular heavy songs from the 80's, Lightning Strikes Again had a lot of high expectations to live up to. Originally slated for a Summer 2007 release the album was delayed 9 months, creating more anticipation - and even higher expectations to live up to.
So does Lightning Strikes Again live up to all the pre-release hype?
Yes. And no.
It is VERY similar in style to parts of Under Lock and Key, as well as having bits vaguely reminiscent of Tooth and Nail and Back for the Attack, but there are also elements of Dysfunctional, Erase the Slate, Long Way Home, and even Hell to Pay. It's not 1986, so to expect Don, Jon, Mick, and Barry to be able to completely recapture the mindset of the mid-80's was perhaps a bit unrealistic.
However...
Lightning Strikes Again does come very close to recapturing the mid 80's style that Dokken played so well. Part of the problem is that Don's voice has taken a beating over the last 25 years and his vocal range is noticeably smaller than it was back in the mid 80's. That creates a bit of a problem in recreating that era musically, but it also leads to one of the album's strengths - a VERY strong melodic sensability.
The other main strength of the album is Jon Levin's songwriting and performance. On Lightning Strikes Again Levin is clearly channelling George Lynch. He's not so much ripping off George's style as he gets into the mindset that fits this type of music best - as Lynch did in the 80's. This is the album where Jon Levin proves that Don Dokken's confidence in him was well founded.
1. Standing on the Outside - leads off the album in style. With a riff that is more than a little similar to "It's Not Love," there is a welcome familiarity to the song, and the fantastic vocal melodies and hooks also help give this one a familiar feel. There are also more than a couple similarities to "Dream Warriors," in this one (the chugging riff and overall mid tempo groove). This is a great song that would have been a big hit in 1986.
2. Give Me a Reason - is just as good as the opening track. A Tooth and Nail-ish riff ("Into the Fire," by way of Back for the Attack) with a more melodic vocal where Don Dokken sounds like HE is channelling someone - in this case former Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino. In a couple of spots you could be forgiven for thinking that it WAS Shortino. This is a very, very strong song, and would have made for another hit back in the 80's.
3. Heart to Stone - would fit in perfectly on Under Lock and Key, and maybe even on Back for the Attack. A solid mid-tempo rocker with more great vocal hooks this is further proof that Dokken is one of the very best at what they do.
4. Disease - This is Dokken in the 90's, more or less. Taking equally from Dysfunctional, Shadowlife, and Erase the Slate, "Disease," is heavy, syncopated, and fairly dark. And just really good. It's one of those songs that gets stuck in your head for hours. The first deviation from the mid 80's theme is a good one. A really good one.
5. How I Miss Your Smile - This barely qualifies as a POWER ballad as it's not all that powerful, but it is well written and has a nice melody and a sweet chorus that almost sounds like something ripped out of a 70's song and thrown in an 80's Power Ballad.
6. Oasis - Again borrows a bit from their 90's material melding the 80's and 90's versions of Dokken seamlessly in this moody mid-tempo song with another great chorus.
7. Point of No Return - is the fastest song on the album, and it recalls Tooth and Nail (the album) a bit, but it also sounds a bit like Mindcrime-era Queensryche with the guitar lick in the chorus. Lots of hanging chords and a focus on the vocal melody without a killer riff keep this from being a great track, but it is still good and a burst of energy that the album needs, so that can be forgiven.
8. I Remember - has an acoustic guitar part that starts off eerily similar to the recent "It's Been Awhile," by Staind, but the rest of the song is pure Dokken in the "Alone Again," or "Slippin' Away," mode. Not as good, but close.
9. Judgment Day - which has a riff and vocal melodies that again would fit right in on Under Lock and Key. It's another album highlight.
10. It Means - starts off with a "When Heaven Comes Down," type riff and maintains that slow grind throughout the verse, while the chorus has a very melodic vocal melody (of course). A solid album track.
11. Release Me - is another mid-tempo song, this one more melodic and less heavy than the rest, though. It's not quite a ballad, but it isn't a real, "Rocker," either. It's a tweener. It should come as no surprise that this more 90's leaning song is very strong melodically with yet another strong chorus vocal hook. A heavier, faster song in place of this one might have been a better idea, though (which would have led to a slightly different track listing arrangement in all likelihood).
12. This Fire - Unlike a lot of Dokken's "fast and heavy," songs, this one relies on vocal melody and harmonies in the chorus rather than an aggressive vocal from Don. Again, Don's voice isn't as strong as it was 20 years ago, and his range isn't what it was back then so that may be a big part of the reason for his lack of aggressiveness vocally throughout the album. This is a strong track, though, and the melody and harmonies work extremely well and are very effective.
As a whole Lightning Strikes Again pretty much achieves what Dokken set out to accomplish - returning to their roots and recapturing a sound that they had strayed from a little over the last 15 years. This is an album that likely would have been very successful in 1986. In 2008 it's likely only going to recapture a relatively small number of fans who haven't bought a new Dokken album since Back for the Attack, but those who do buy it will be very pleased with the results.
- Thread starter
- #7
Good song
Been hooked on it for ages
Metallica-Enter Sandman
Yeah her voice is amazing! I just can not believe she is only 16. When i saw the video, I wondered how someone that young can have such a voice. If anyone does know who we are talking about here it is:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElY5Gr845Fw
I love Whitesnake. I can not wait to see them again in November when they tour Germany with Alice Cooper.
Last time I saw Whitesnake was on their "first" Farewell Tour. I met Coverdale and got the vinyl "Whitesnake" autographed.
Emon_Essex
Airman 1st Class
The Chordettes - Mr. Sandman
- Thread starter
- #9
AC/DC - Thunderstruck
I got to tickets to AC/DC in March!
I got to tickets to AC/DC in March!
Emon_Essex
Airman 1st Class
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love
Thorlifter
Captain
I'm listening to my wife b!tch and moan about something or another.
- Thread starter
- #12
AC/DC - Hells Bells
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
Screaming Eagle
Senior Master Sergeant
turn the page - metallica
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
Are you serious 16 !!!
That voice for a 16 year old is amazing
Enjoy AC/DC Adler!
Right now
watching the clip
That songs awesome Screaming
Screaming Eagle
Senior Master Sergeant
rock n roll damnation - AC/DC
- Thread starter
- #17
Benedictum - Wicca
Muse - Map of the Problematique
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
Metallica Sad but True at 6:36am ,Rock and Roll!
Emon_Essex
Airman 1st Class
Harry Chapin - Shooting Star
