Blind Guardian's 'At the Edge of Time' is another solid effort from the German speed metallers

CD Review:
Blind Guardian
At the Edge of Time
8 out of 10

Symphonic metal is a genre bordering between being breathtakingly awesome and incredibly cheesy.

Bands like Therion and Nightwish helped formulate the style of music by combining heavy metal riffs with operatic sounds. Since then, there have been many bands, mainly from Europe and countries outside of the US, who have further explored this genre.

Blind Guardian started out as a straightforward speed metal band in 1984, then added a heavy dose of folk to create a dynamic sound that would be at home within The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

However, Blind Guardian is one of the few groups that can pull this off without inducing too much cringing, mainly because its members are so damn talented (Hansi Kursch is one of the best touring vocalists out there today).

2002’s A Night at the Opera saw the band taking on a more progressive symphonic direction, which continued on 2006’s A Twist in the Myth and the latest release At the Edge of Time.

The direction wasn’t really a surprise for Blind Guardian’s devout fan base, but every stylistic change comes with criticism.

The good news is, At the Edge of Time successfully combines Blind Guardian’s operatic sound, with its speed metal roots. The songs on the album are at times reminiscent of 1995’s Imaginations From the Otherside and most fit well into the band’s catalog of nine studio albums, although there are still a few issues holding it back from being a truly great album.

Iron Maiden Final Frontier CD Review

CD REVIEW
Iron Maiden
The Final Frontier
8 out of 10

Iron Maiden’s latest album, The Final Frontier recently made the number four slot on the Billboard Charts in the U.S., while reaching number one in a places ranging as far away as our northern neighbors in Canada to the Godzilla-fearing Japan.

So what’s America’s problem? Are we just a bunch of metal hating music snobs? Not exactly.

Sure, Iron Maiden’s 15th album is a solid offering (and kicks the ass of most anything released in the last few months), but it definitely doesn’t hold up to the classics, and isn’t even the best record the group has released in its “later years,” (that honor goes to Brave New World).

CD Review: Black Label Society's "Order of the Black" is a solid stomper

After checking out blabbermouth.net today (as I always do shortly after waking up), I noticed Black Label Society is streaming its new album, Order of the Black on AOL Music.

Part of me wanted to wait until tomorrow to check out the CD, but my curiosity got the best of me (although I mainly just skimmed the songs with a few exceptions, because I'd rather give it a full listen after picking up a copy).

So, while this is not meant to be a full review, here is my take so far.

Order of the Black is not another "classic BLS" sounding album like Sonic Brew or Stronger Than Death. It also isn't as amazing as 2002's 1919 Eternal.

However, soundwise, it is on par with The Blessed Hellride with elements of Wylde and Co.'s older and newer outputs intermixed. There's plenty of metal stompers this time around ("Crazy Horse," "Parade of the Dead," "Black Sunday," "Godspeed Hellbound," etc.), so those fans who miss the "take no prisoners" style of BLS brewtality, should be satisfied.

There are also plenty of southern-tinged ballads, which seem pretty hit-or-miss, but none are terrible (and "Darkest Days," is actually pretty damn good). There is even an acoustic instrumental entitled "Chupacabra", which is another one of Wylde's homages to Eddie Van Halen's "Spanish Fly" (think "Speedball," off 1919 Eternal).

Order of the Black feels like the album that should have came after 2003's The Blessed Hellride and fits well into the band's catalog of music.

Most impressively, Wylde has shown that a true musician doesn't need to use performance enhancers (in the form of booze or drugs) to create great art. All you need is practice, songwriting ability, and some personality to make a truly brutal album.

CD REVIEW: Ozzy Osbourne proves he is still the 'Prince of Darkness' on "Scream"

Ozzy Osbourne
"Scream"
**** out of *****

Over the years, fans have come to expect two things from a new Ozzy Osbourne album.

First, the musicianship is always going to be stellar, with an emphasis on grinding guitars and lightning-fast solos. Second, Osbourne will continue to amaze the masses by still being alive and releasing music after decades of binge drinking and drug abuse.

Album quality, however, is generally unpredictable.

Osbourne’s latest record, Scream, is actually a fair addition to the godfather of metal’s back catalogue of legendary albums, such as Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon, and No More Tears.

The first thing longtime fans will notice about Scream is the inclusion of Firewind’s Gus G. on lead guitars (no Zakk Wylde on this one, although his influence in the songwriting process is still apparent from time to time).

There is something about Osbourne and his knack for selecting amazing guitar players (the late Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Wylde) that makes for some excellent music — and Gus G. is no exception.

Some will defend Wylde’s integrity as a guitar player and refuse to acknowledge this album’s worthiness. With his overly flashy pinch harmonics and scruffy biker look, there is no question why the man is one of the last true “guitar gods.” As amazing as Wylde is, though, the best thing to happen to this album is the addition of Gus G.

Click here to read the full review.

CD REVIEW: RATT "Infestation"

CD REVIEW: RATT - "Infestation"
Rating: *** 1/2 out of *****

Randy “The Ram” Robinson: “God — they don't make ’em like they used to.”
Cassidy: “F—’ ’80s man, best s— ever.”
…
Randy “The Ram” Robinson: “Then that Cobain p— had to come around and ruin it all.”
Cassidy: “Like there’s something wrong with just wanting to have a good time?”
Randy “The Ram” Robinson: “I’ll tell you somethin’, I hate the f—’ ’90s.”

The dialogue from Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 film The Wrestler — where the two main characters are bonding over the RATT song “Round and Round” and a love of the ’80s — is the first thing that came to mind when listening to RATT’s latest album, Infestation.

While not mind-blowing, the CD (released more than 10 years after the 1999 self-titled reunion album) captures the rock ’n’ roll excess exhibited by Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Dokken, and even RATT itself, that made the ’80s so cool (albeit with some raspier vocals from founding member Stephen Pearcy and cleaner production).

From the opening metal riffs of “Eat Me Up Alive” to the album’s closer “Don’t Let Go,” there are enough memorable moments on Infestation that it may even surpass the band’s early classics, Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy, that helped spawn the hair-metal genre.

Read the FULL REVIEW on The Daily Iowan's website.

Slash Solo Album Review: Pick up some Nighttrain and crank the music!

CD REVIEW
Artist: Slash
Album: "Slash"
Rating: **** out of ***** stars.

I recently reviewed Slash's new self-titled solo album for The Daily Iowan. Below is an excerpt from the review, as well as a link to the entire article. This is a truly great CD from the former Guns N' Roses guitarist.

"Slash’s curly black hair, top hat, sunglasses, and dangling cigarette are as much a part of the guitarist’s trademark as the riffs on “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” or any other Guns ’N’ Roses hit.

However, no one can say he has let all the fame get to his head. Slash has always been an honest guitar player, one who relies more on emotion than fancy pyrotechnics. This is part of the reason his playing on the latest solo album, Slash, works so well, perfectly complementing the guest vocalists and musicians he invites to perform over his spicy rock ’n’ roll licks.

Almost every song on the album — from the crunchy opener “Ghost,” featuring the Cult’s Ian Astbury (vocals) and former Guns ’N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin, to “I Hold On,” which is led by a vocal performance from Kid Rock — flows better than the listener might expect."

Check out the rest of the review on the DI's website.

Oh, and as much as I hate pluggin' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after he replaced the mighty Conan, here is a recent clip from the late-night talk show of Slash playing the first single off the album, "By the Sword".

(Note: This is one of the less interesting tracks on the album, but it's still cool)