Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom is a great record. And it has surpased my expectations which were very low. Not because I consider KISS a bad band at all, but although we have no Love Gun II, material is solid enough and made me go th the shop (yes) and buy it the 2CD + DVD, of course.
Songs like Say Yeah, When lightning strikes (in which i see great vocals from Tommy), all for the glory, with again great vocals but this time from Eric. Modern day Delilah is a strange song to me, but catchy anyway...

So it is a nice third coming back

9/10 great to have

1987 - 20th anniversary

A cd+dvd. Special edition which was a real bargain. including:
-1987
-live in the hadow of the blues 4 tracks
-the videos trilogy (4 videos)
-live in the sill of the night (4 videos)
-nice and extensive booklet

Great to get. I will not say anything about this record, but if you like music and you havent heard this record, mark my words, make you a favour and you'll never forget the advise :-)

10/10 classic status

Sanctuary

And finally... :-)

It is not easy to write a complete review of this record. Still i am listening into it, and still i am appreciating every time new things.
Though it does not top their master opus (Forever in time) it is a great record. Forever, maybe, it is written so much in my head that I can't help loving it so much.
OK, after one week i have to say that i love Turn the tide (the best power ballad), the opener In Time, the mind poignant Playing God and the title epic song so-complicated-built-in, but fantastic anyway...
So high has a great vocals too and is a great speeder, curiously?
And now Touch the rainbow, a great rocker which was not instant hit...
I am very happy to see that vocals fit perfectly into Mantis. Though I do not consider Chris or Tino's having bad vocals, Mike has done a great job. I loved Tony's but Mike's are as good as Tony's.
Definetly it has Mantis signature and rest of bands need to do a great effort so i do not consider this one the record of the year :-)

...
3 months after...

beyond any classification. classic timeless

Showtime

The Tour from You are Here record. The tour i finally went, and ended in the concert of my life.

An a nice way to celebrate it, making a 2 DVD with new recordings (with a little orchestra -a string quartet-: Profession of Violence, Love to Love, Try me...)... Impressive
The live part was recorded in Bochum (i think) and set list is nearly all Strangers in the night plus new songs from last records. I'd had pick others but overall, not bad...

Please more DVD like this one, with nice extras (interviews and so...)!!!

9/10 Great to live

Livin the dream

Great DVD which was almost impossible to find. And a double one. With old promo videos. And playing live On a storyteller's night complete. What more can you ask for?

Track List (DVD 1):
1. intro
2. brand new morning
3. backstreet kid
4. need a lot of love
5. soldier of the line
6. we all run
7. vigilante
8. kingdom of madness
9. sacred hour
10. how far jerusalem
11. just like an arrow

12. on a storyteller´s night
13. before first light
14. les morts dansant
15. endless love
16. two hearts
17. steal your heart
18. all england´s eyes
19. the last dance

Promo Video Tracklist (DVD 2):
1. ROCKIN` CHAIR
2. LONELY NIGHTS
3. IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE
4. DAYS OF NO TRUST
5. START TALKIN LOVE
6. JUST LIKE AN ARROW
7. HEART BROKE AND BUSTED
8. MIDNIGHT

to enjoy :-)

Into the Valley of the Moonking

At last It is mine. With a DVD with nice content (some live recordings) it was a great offer! That's the way we like it. Yeah!!

Now for the songs: I like mostly opener Cry to your self, If i ever lose my mind -great hypnotic rythm-, Noone knows his name and A face in the crowd. But Title track is very melodic, and the best song of the record... along with lose my mind

Honestly i expected more but truth be told i am more and more digging into it, and easily it will slip into the 2nd-3rd place of best records of this year along with Doro's Fear no Evil.

Negative point is booklet with no lyrics, but in DVD. My question, who will sit in the sofa reading the lyrics through the TV???

Now, just waiting to see them live and have a great selection on this one, Storyteller's and Princess Alice ... i have great expectations :-)

9/10 great to have

TMG I

Nice artwork, good guitars, great vocals.
This work from Matsumoto, Jack Blades on Bass and Eric Martin on Vocals is kind of supergroup.

My instant favourites are first track: Oh Japan our time is now, and the most impressive Everything passes away with dual alternate vocals from Eric and Jack, simple awesome.

Rest are good songs, with only one 'calmy' moment for the ballad 'Two of a kind'

My version includes DVD extra a couple of videos

8/10 nice to have

plug me in

i got of course, the 3dvd collector package. i understand there is no reason in this time in buying the normal package, if the special one is not prohibitive. so... . so much material to analyze.
but this has to be great! i cant understand why kissology should be Region 1, instead of doing like ACDC, Region 0. You can download it. There is no issue. But you will like to own it :-D

1st DVD, bon scott time
2nd DVD, brian johnson time

3rd DVD, addons

Visions of the Beast

I am not closed to the die hard Maiden. Even though, i have some favourites from this group, and getting all videos in 2 dvd for 12€ decided me to buy this one.
All singles, with all videos, and some numbers live as well.

Nearly 3 hours in the package.

The trooper is the one i like most. But lately I begin liking Dance of death, 2 minutes to midnight, aces high (thanks to a Children of Bodom cover) ...

Anyway, it is a nice package, missing a booklet :-(, but nice to have even for non-essential fans..

8/10 nice to have

Fear no evil

Great record from our beloved teutonic. This one will be mine shortly :-)
It is a 80s record, and to my taste much much better than Warrior Soul. Maybe I prefer summer red to blue winter ;-)
Anyway, songs as on the run, celebrate, the night of the warlock, i lay my head upon my sword, long lost for love are great rock anthems. Also mid tempos, as Scorpions, are great too.
And of course, the ballads, Walking with the angels -not to confuse with the magnific dueto with UDO -, which I prefer to Herzblut (heart blood), which in the single Celebrate is sung within in 4 languages. Good point to mrs. Doro.

Did i say it is a great cover art too? :-)

10/10 brilliant

100M BJ fans can't be wrong

I remember when it was released, i thought ... naahh ... horrible art work. Horrible title. And these must be demos not finished.

But as always I liked Bon Jovi, I got it as xmas present.

And I am highly surprised. :-)) .. I did not expect it could had so many good songs. Let's go for the ones i am more impressed:

-if I can't have your love (RS on vocals): great lament ballad with Richie's at his best
-Only in my dreams (TT on vocals): great song, nice voice, nice lyrics, awesome performance... maybe the one I am more impressed of.
-Good guys dont always wear white: great rock song heard it long time ago, from a bso
-Memphis lives in me (DB on vocals): another nice piano ballad. Not a bad voice, adding feeling... but a little too short..
-Always (demo): not as spectacular and more intimate but good as well.
-Last man standing: this actually could had made any record perfectly, good song!

8/10 indispensable for Jovi fans, but not essential for the rest

Gambling with the Devil

Everybody that i know thinks Helloween = Keepers and that the best voice was Michael Kiske. ok. Not true.
Andi Deris has a tremendous voice and although he does not reaches so high, it is great enough.
What about compositions?. Of course keepers are awesome records, but Helloween are able to make good records as well. This one, Gambling with the Devil is, to my surprise a quite strong melodic one. My favourites are As long as I fall, I can do it, fallen to pieces and above them all Heaven tells no lies. Other songs are not bad, just these ones are the ones I like the most.
So it is quite enjoable that in this time in which it is not clear old dinosaurs can survive, Helloween does!




9/10 great to have

The Legacy

How Helloween could top (or even worst, compare) the mythical Keepers of the 7 keys by releasing a part III.
Sure a marketing mouvement. But how the fans were expecting this?
Very reluctant was I. This was my chance to see Helloween live and i had to listen the record. After reading several reviews, it was clear it was not a bad record, though not comparable at all.
However, in my opinion, part III has the best epic song within the whole 3 parts. Sacrilege??? I love Halloween and Keeper of the 7 keys. They are both awesome, really. But king of 1000 years is re-awesome. And they did performe it live the same way. It was incredible.

I know your secrets
I see the hidden without light
I am your sickness
Bitting you right behind your eyes
Don't try to kill me
I cannot die, a death you know
You and I will be
Heaven above and hell below

Soft part comes with light the universe, a beautiful ballad with candice, and the funny part, mrs. god -see the video, it is a funny story :-)

If all the songs were like king of 1000 years it would have been the record of the decade.



8/10 great to have

Good to be Bad

Not a bad record the last one from Whitesnake. I actually expected nothing, nothing really good.
But this is a solid piece of hard rock :-)
From the opener best years, the riff-melodic can you hear the wind blow, the ballad all i want all i need, the more accoustics summer rain and til the end of time.

Mr. Coverdale shows he is not in the best years, but after 20 years from 1987, he still is able to produce good enough material.

8/10 great to have

Bounce

I confess i bought it for only 3€, because when I first heard it, I did not have paid proper attention, so I guess, here is another chance...
Now I have to say I like it a bit more: everyday, misunderstood, open all night, right side from wrong are good songs... quite different from Bon Jovi style -to my taste- , even Bon Jovi ballads ... but good songs! it is another kind of feeling, but at least I still recognise they are good... just was not expecting them.

And I am glad I did another listening!

Big rock up-tempo song is the title one: bounce!



8/10 nice to have

Fires at Midnight

Third one from Mr. Blackmore and Mrs. Night. And it seems the formula works.
Written in the stars and Fires at midnight are the best tunes from this again 16 medieval oriented tracks.
I do not undestand much the Bob Dylan cover, but, it is the privilege from the artists to choose which tunes do they want to play ...
I will continue buying these records as long as they keep on with the good music ...
They can not do a bad record, they'll just make another record.

8/10 nice to have

Under a violet moon

After shadow of the moon another folk with renaissance features.
It is not as good as shadow of the moon, but certainly does the trick. Under a violet moon and spanish nights are the best ones, but all of them nice tunes.

Silent she rose
From the cold desert sands
Painted in shadows
A dark caravan...

It is not Deep Purple. It is not Rainbow. However it is as good as these 'sacred cows' :-D
16 fantastic medieval-oriented tunes with spanish guitar.
And, of course, as Shadow of the moon, credit to this great voice from candice night, which I find one of the best female voices I've heard, credit also that she composes as well!

8/10 nice to have

Red, White and Crue

I am not big fan of compilations though I have several. But this one has 2cd + dvd. It was expensive. however it was well worth. The new single 'if I die tomorrow' was amongst the best songs in year 2005 for me. Also, I did not have anything from them except 'Shout'.

The dvd with the videos and extra stuff (videos are commented by Nikky and Tommy - even with subtitles ... record companies, learn!!) is my favorite.
In this cases I do not mind expending the money, since the thing I got in return is awesome...

Moreover this is the tour I went to see 'carnival of sins', and Ii bought the 2DVD as well -this one was 14€ reasonable- ... again, where is piracy here? one of the best startings of a concert, setting the stage on fire :-D

9/10 great to have

Revelation

And here we have a new journey vocalist. Arnel Pineda. It may seem you are hearing Steve Perry, it is unbelievable.
It is a record that made me forget 'generations'. I do not have anything personal against JSS, but honestly, the ones who love classical journey period can see clearly that voice didn't suit ...
New classics: where did i lose your love, after all these years and maybe what i needed.
These are the 3 songs for what is worth buying the record. My version is the nicest package, not only has the bonus CD with classics re-recorded, but the Live DVD (region 1 :-( ) with Las Vegas Concert... so it is well worth, and a steal price :-D ...

Somebody to explain me why in US, 11,88$ (2cd+dvd) and in europe 18€ (2cd) only ... :-(

Although for me it will not reach Trial by fire or Arrival, it is a nice recover from Generations.

9/10 great to have. Nice compilation.

Vox in excelso

Any saracen record is at least a very good one. Main guitar player composer Rob Bendelow and the strong Steve Bettney vocals are always awesome for me..
Can they top Heroes, sains and fools?... maybe one day.. Vox in excelso is a concept opus and although songs are independent they sing a story (of the templar knights). Some parts are spoken and that may lose some fans, but ... It is original, and in my opinion is nearly as good as Red sky.
Best song for me is title track and the rendition from meet me at midnight, but the whole record is a great one.

9/10 nice to have