SOiL - ReLiving The Scars in London

Soil has always been a band that has intrigued me.  On paper, you would think that they were a death metal band, based on the resume's of many of the band members; but in reality they are a Alt-Metal band with balls and chunk.  Formed back in the late 90's the band has put out 5 studio albums and just recently their first and only live album/DVD Re-living the Scars in London. 

The band has been fairly active since their inception, but has unfortunately not been able to achieve the success that they deserve.  Not sure if is was the departing of original vocalist Ryan McCombs, early on to front Drowning Pool, during their peak or just the market.  McCombs left the band, but returned to the fold just this past year, after the departure of his replacement A.J. Cavalier.  The band released (3) albums before his departure, and two since.  The last of the albums being Picture Perfect, which made some waves on radio, but never exploded. 

The live DVD is sort of a celebration of the Scars and Redefine records.  The set list on the DVD/CD is compiled from these two records, omitting material from the non-McCombs era of the band.  Too bad, because there was some strong material on those records as well.   That being said, what has been included rocks.  The band look and sound great, and what a great package, being a DVD/CD combo set.  The show is a concert film, with some special camera work, that is tasteful and not distracting.  All in all a nice package and a great way for these guys to get back on track and start trying to take over the world again.

Bottom Line: A solid performance by a band with new found life.  It is amazing when a band reunites and just starts clicking again.  A nice heavy show, from a band that is going places.

-Ragman loves the Scars record and will pull it out of the library to prove it.

Jorn - Bring Heavy Rock to the Land

It goes without saying that Jorn Lande is one of the best hard rock vocalist out there today.  Evoking the power of Ronnie James Dio and the soul of David Coverdale, this guy is the real deal.  He is solid with every release and never disappoints.  Maintaining a momentum like this can become a challenge, especially in a band like Jorn's, due to the ever revolving door of musicians that play in his group.  No knock against Jorn, because he is a good guy and great vocalist, but it makes you wonder why he can't keep a line-up intact.  I've read it is due to his rigorous schedule with side projects etc.., but who knows or really cares?  As long as the guy is putting kick ass material, it really doesn't matter, does it?  That being said Jorn has just released his 7th studio album Bring Heavy Rock to the Land.  Sounds cheesy, I know, but hopefully, like most of his records, it will rock.

With a Jorn record, you pretty much know what you're gonna get, powerful heavy rock with great melodies and soaring vocals; and Bring Heavy Rock to the Land is no exception.  I have to admit, this took a few listens, before I started to get it.  At first, I was a little turned off by the title of the record, but was willing to look past it due to the pure greatness of Jorn's vocals.   The title track was surprisingly strong, but it wasn't until the Dio inspired 3rd track, A Thousand Cuts that I was sold.  It is an up-tempo rocker with great melodies and a memorizing chorus. 

Jorn and band sound great as usual and this tune re-affirms why he is one of the better vocalist out there today.  Bring Heavy Rock to the Land, is chock full of solid hard rock, teetering on the metal side.  A great example of this is the killer rocker The World I See.  It is the quintessential rocker of the record, that will have the hairs on your arm standing at attention.  Like I stated earlier, this CD took a few spins before it really grabbed me.  At first, with the exception of a few stand outs, I was kind of disappointed, but after consecutive spins, I was hooked.

Bottom Line:  Jorn returning in firne form.  The man proves time and time again why he is one of the best ones out there today.  Solid hard rocking tunes with some major bit.

Standout Tracks: A Thousand Cuts, The World I See, Black Mourning and Time to be King.

-Ragman thinks this one has passed the goose-bump test.

Hardline - Danger Zone

Hardline is one of those bands that I get pretty geeked about, when I hear they're releasing a new music.  Hardline studio albums are few and far between, only releasing 4 albums in the last 20+ years.  The band has been on and off since the early 90's, and with many line up changes as you can imagine.  You really never know who is going to play on a record, with the exception of vocalist Johnny Gioeli.  It was pretty much a given, that you would see Josh Ramos (ex-Storm) on guitars, until their latest release Danger Zone.  Danger Zone marks a whole new line up of unknowns, backing up Mr. Gioeli.  Also, looking at the credits, it appears that most of the CD was written by the keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (who?). 

Danger Zone starts in typical fashion with the melodic rocker Fever Dreams.  It's your standard midtempo AOR/melodic rocker.  Unfortunately, the first few tracks on the CD are just cookie cutter AOR styled tunes that don't have alot of substance.  Yeah they're catchy and Gioeli sounds great, but they just fall a little flat.  That is the problem with band's putting out new product and others writing for them, you lose that originality factor.   It wasn't until the 4th track, What I Like, that things started getting interesting.  It is a mid-tempo rocker with more punch and flavor.  It is followed by the killer ballad Stronger Than Me.  From this point on, the record stands on it own, with only a few misteps.  All in all a killer record, maybe not as strong as their last one, but no slouch.

Bottom Line: Hardline proving that they can still do it, even if Gioeli is the only original member left.  A nice variety of melodic hard rock.  Hardline fans will not be disappointed.

Standout Tracks: Stronger Than Me, Never Too Late for Love, Don't Want to Break Away and What I Like.

-Ragman is wondering what Mr. Ramos is doing, killer guitarist.

Duran Duran - A Diamond in the Mind (BluRay)

Okay, okay, bust my balls, why don't ya?  Why is Ragman reviewing a Duran Duran DVD, you ask?  Well, to be honest, they have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, since the early 80's.  I haven't really followed the band since The Wedding Album in 1995, so I was curious to see what they were up to.  Unfortunately, whilst viewing this DVD I realized that Andy Taylor was no longer in the group.  Apparently he left back in 2006, and was replaced by guitarist Dom Brown (who?).   Andy was the guy that brought them some rock credibility back in the day, as well as his first replacement Warren Cucurrullo (Missing Persons).   Too bad they couldn't lure back Currurullo, but not sure that could have happened, after he was fired to bring back Taylor.  That being said, I was intrigued by this release and had to check it out.

A Diamond in the Mist is a solid set from the pop/rock veterans.  The set is a combination of the new and the old material.  The show was filmed in 2011 in support of their then current release, All You Need is Now CD.  The band sound great and seem to be performing as strong as they did back in the day.  Again, I was disappointed in the guitarist, even though they were not know for guitar acrobatics, it would have been nice to have seen either Taylor or Currurullo wielding the axe in lieu of Brown.  Brown is adequate, but that is about it. 

The DVD is shot in a film type format and looks spectacular.  Thank God for BuRay!  The film has some special effects mixed in to add some flavor, and for this band and their type of music, it worked.  It was fun to watch the boys on stage, because it really seemed like they were enjoying themselves.  The funny thing about this band, is that it seems like none of these guys have aged.  Weird!  Guess they don't live as hard as us headbangers.  An enjoyable watch from start to finish. 

Bottom Line: If you're looking to tone it down and see how the other pop/alternative rockers do it, then this is right up you're alley.  Dare I say, classic band still firing on all cylinders?  Yes I do.

-Ragman was exploring his softer side with this one.

Bachman & Turner - Live at Roseland (BluRay)

I have to say I was never the biggest BTO fan growing up.  Sure there were the hits like Let it Ride, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet and Takin Care of Business, but other than that, I was oblivious to the rest of their catalog.   To be fair, they were a 70's band that pretty much finished their hey day about 6 years after their inception.  This was a little before my time, but not too much before.  The band has been making the rounds in several different incarnations over the years, but it wasn't until about 3 years ago that the band got back on track.  Randy Bachman and Fred Turner reunited and actually recorded some new material in 2009, simply titled Bachman and Turner.  The band has been touring on and off in support of that record ever since. 

The latest release from the band is the new DVD Live at Roseland.  The show was shot back in 2010, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.  The show was shot beautifully and looks amazing on BluRay.  The set list is a mix of the classics as well as some tunes from their 2009 release.  The band looks and sounds well.  Always encouraging to see guys in their 70's still rocking out.  The sound on the Bluray is crisp.  I have to say that this was an enjoyable watch, even though I wasn't familiar with much of the material, other than the hits.  Not all of the tunes were keepers, but it didn't matter because this show looks so amazing.  Classic Rock fiends this is right up your alley, for the newbies, not so much.

Bottom Line:  BTO fans, it is Christmas in July.  A solid set from the boys covering the classics as well as a few new ones.  Classic rock done right by the pioneers. 

-Ragman is takin' care of business.