Wildestarr - A Tale Tell Heart

Man, these people kick ass. Old school metal in the vein of classic Savatage or Queensrÿche.It seems like everywhere you turn, a new band crops up sporting "the retro sound" that's so popular in rock music these days - particularly in the rich, hard rock and heavy metal genres. And, yes, I'm telling you about one of them called Wildestarr. What do they bring to the table? For one, a female singer in London Wilde, who will often remind you of Ann Wilson on this amazing old school album inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe - how's that for O.G. metal source material?

Original bassist for Vicious Rumors, Dave Starr, lends some considerable talent to the guitar side of things, giving the music an authentic 80s era metal punch on their second album, A Tell Tale Heart. And I mean it, the guitar work sounds fantastic on this album, replete with harmonized runs, chugging power chords, and all the sonic trimmings.

Now where a lot of these efforts run afoul is in middling production that just doesn't do the material (or talent) justice, but that's not an issue here. Everything sounds great, with all of the atmosphere of classic 80s metal acts like Savatage or Queensrÿche. Bravo, guys.

The Bottom Line: This is old school metal done right. If you've got a jones for the classic sounds of your teenage years, listening to vinyl records in your friend's bedroom after school, grab this album and crank it the fuck up. Ahh, the good old days.

Tracks to Make You Air Guitar Your Ass Off In Front of Your Bedroom Mirror: In Stacatta, Transformis Ligea, Last Holy King, A Perfect Storm, Usher In The Twilight

- Genghis wishes he had this on vinyl - and a record player...

Podcast #145: Hallow

Bona fide local legend James Rivera talks turkey about zombie killing and 30 years of Helstar.Well, Halloween 2012 has come and gone but at The Right to Rock we live it 24/7.  Join  Genghis, Ragman, Jon and Mel as they go on their annual zombie hunt.  Once again, the boys go above and beyond the call of duty to keep metalheads safe from zombie infestation - all while mixing in some metal talk, including which new bands are tackling the horror metal thing and whether they're worth checking out.  Next, James Rivera from Helstar checks in from his bunker to discuss his band's latest release 30 Years of Hel.

Beer of the Show: Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (Stone)
	Appearance: 3.0 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.0	"Some initial intense hoppyness is balanced a bit by the roasty notes in this fine American Black Ale."

Featured Tracks: Sigh - Lucid Nightmare; Cradle of Filth - Frost on Her Pillow; Cadaveria - This is Not The Silence; Drone - Zombies in the Moshpit; Witchcraft - Leva; In Flames - Episode 666; Daylight Dies - Ghosting; Helstar - Dracula’s Castle, Good Day to Die, Alma Negra and Angel of Death; Havok - Point of No Return; Helloween - Halloween

Classic of the Show: Dimmu Borgir - Progenies of the Great Apocalypse

Ragman Pick of the Show: Murder of My Sweet - Idolize

Genghis Pick of the Show: Kill Devil Hill - Gates of Hell

- Ragman is still scared after this one...

Podcast #145: Hallow

Drone - For Torch and Crown

Thrash metal from the hinterlands of Lower Saxony, with a touch of melodeath thrown in for flavor. Score!German thrash metal band Drone is currently rocking the shit out of my headphones, just the way I like it, with their third studio album, For Torch and Crown. In a soundscape of retro as well as cutting edge extreme metal bands you'd be forgiven for excusing them as yet "another thrash band". Forgiven, yes, but excused? Never.

Any fan of good thrash metal would be doing themselves a huge disservice to pass over these Saxon madmen. While the characteristics of the genre are there, it never feels old. You just find yourself headbanging your ass off when all of the sudden a nice melodic turn comes in, reminiscient of classic In Flames. And it's precisely that sonic flavor that really spices up what's already a damn fine metal stew.

The Bottom Line: If you're a thrash fan, or even just a fan of tight guitar work and heavy, chugging, rhythyms with some melody thrown into the mix, then check this band out pronto quick. Period.

Tracks To Mosh Around The Office To: Zombies In The Moshpit, Deepest Red and Short Way Down

- Genghis is still headbanging as he wrote this review...

A Perfect Day (Self-Titled)

When members of the Italian progressive power metal band Labyrinth decided to break off and write some original hard rock material, they formed A Perfect Day. Following the course of bands like Alter Bridge, the material is replete with catchy riffs, ballsy grooves, thrilling solos, and is even capped off nicely with a couple of slower ballads. This music sounds great, if a little indistinct by way of production.

It's just a pity the attention paid to Roberto Tarani's vocals wasn't given to the rest of the mix, as the songwriting and overall feel of the record is quite impressive.  My main complaint being the the way the guitar got mixed, which is a real shame as Andrea Cantarelli's playing is expectedly fantastic; melodic, soulful and tasteful. And too often you have to really strain to hear his solos mired in a muddy rhythym section. Let's hope for more output from these guys with a nice clear production.

The Bottom Line: Labyrinth members take a dip in the post-grunge, hard rock waters and turn out some really great music. Aside from some first-time technical issues, this is a band that deserves some attention.

Tracks to Make You Wanna Do Your Best Kane Roberts Impression: Under The Same Sun, 

- Genghis is gonna crank up Under The Same Sun again...

Firebird - Hot Wings

Pity that this band broke up last year, seeing as I just now found out about them.Good bar bands are hard to find, but when you do it's every bit as rewarding as the experience can offer in terms of simple, raucous entertainment. The formula's remained unchanged for decades, usually sitting somewhere in the blues rock portion of the spectrum accompanied by whiskey-soaked vocals, stomping beats, and enough swagger to give Mick Jagger an inferiority complex. Founder, guitarist/vocalist, Bill Steer is better known for his metal work with Carcass and Napalm Death, but moved to Australia in the latter part of the 90s and developed a love for 70s style blues rock, forming Firebird in 1999.

Sadly, this British blues-rock trio has recently called it a day, but we're left with this re-release of their 2006 album, Hot Wings. And they do a fine job of just plain rocking out with the Led Zeppelin tribute Misty Morning, the ZZ Top flavored Play The Fool, the Mountainesque Horse Drawn Man and a host of other classic-sounding tunes.

The Bottom Line: It's always interesting when artists follow their passions and take risks with music that's totally in a different direction.  Win or lose, you have to respect their conviction. In this case, you have to be impressed by Steer's vision of such a band before the whole retro craze really blew up.

Tracks to Light A Cigarette And Down A Shot To: Good Times, Horse Drawn Man, I Wish You Well, Needle in the Groove 

- Genghis really started to dig this album by the end...