Astra - The Black Chord

Astra does a fantastic job of delivering that old school, analog, progressive rock. Get your mind right, and reach for those headphones.Progressive music, in general, occupies a funny space in rock and roll. It just seems to mean so many different things to different people. Not that I mind – I mean, I don’t have a stake in it or anything. But, no other genre (or subgenre) seems to get such varied understanding in the minds of the public at large – at least when they think about it at all. It can fall anywhere along the spectrum from the spaced out music of old Yes and Genesis, to the energetic thrill of heavier bands like Rush, all the way to genre heavies, Dream Theater and Symphony X.

Astra’s The Black Chord is somewhere between the beginning and the middle of the spectrum, as indicated by extended jams replete with psychedelic guitar solos and exotic scalar runs like on the title track (2:13). Put another way, if you’re a The Mars Volta fan, but find them "a little too ethnic”, you may want to tune in to these cats from the West coast. Their analog machinations (Mellotron/Moog fans will plotz) blend together beautifully into an old school tapestry of mellow jams that tend to appeal to fans of Pink Floyd-style trips like myself (particulary Barefoot In The Head). Even their look is perfected with appropriately spacey covers and one of the coolest logos in decades.

The Bottom Line: Fans of old school progressive rock, with its Mellotrons and Moog synthesizers, will get enjoyably lost in the space that Astra creates. More than just another stoner metal band, they have an appreciation of 70s era, nascent prog that satisfies such fans nicely.

Tracks to Provide a Soundtrack to your Black Light Posters: The Black Chord, Drift, Barefoot in the Head

- Genghis needs another hit - and some potato chips would be killer...

Jeff Scott Soto - Damage Control

It has been awhile, or so it seems, since Jeff Scott Soto has put out a hard rock record.  Over the past couple of years Jeff has focused on other styles of rock like funk and AOR and put the hard rock thing on the back burner.  Damage Control is a much welcome return to form, for this stellar vocalist, proving once again that he is still one of the best vocalists out there today.

Damage Control is all about great song writing and delivery.  For this CD Jeff has hired some excellent musicians to assist him in making his strongest record in years.  The vocals soar and the guitar solos kill.  The CD starts off in fine form with the hard rocking track Give a Little More, which sets the tone for the whole record.  It is a mid-tempo hard rocker full of crunchy guitars and melody.  This CD has a nice mix of hard rock and AOR.  I tend to dig the harder numbers, like the title track and After World, but the AOR tracks like Die a Little and How to Love Again fit nicely within the varied mix of the album.  A nice variety on this one, which will keep you captivated from start to finish.  A must for any JSS fans, or for any fan of melodic hard rock, for that matter.  Go get this one.

Bottom Line:  Jeff rocking harder than he has in awhile.  A solid platter of melodic rock delivered by one of the best voices in rock.  A CD that has a balanced mix of hard rock and AOR.  Soto delivers in a big way, with a great release.

Standout Tracks: Damage Control, Give a Little More, Die a Little and After World.

-Ragman is wondering if the title track is a leftover Talisman song.

Evergrey - A Decade and a Half

Are you familiar with Evergrey?  If not, now is the time.  The band has just released a retrospective best of called A Decade and a Half, which covers the band's entire catalog.  The band formed in 1998 and has released 8 studio albums and one live record.  This 2 disc set takes the best tracks from each record to give you an idea of what this band is all about.  This is such a good way for a fan of melodic progressive metal to get introduced to one of the best bands out there doing it today.  For the rabid fan, that has all of the songs in this collection, the band has included a couple teasers to entice you to get this one.  There are (2) unreleased live acoustic tracks on the CD, Wrong and Frozen, which may entice longtime fans to pick this one up.  Even if you have all the CD's, this is a nice thing to have to just put in and rock.

Bottom Line:  Best of, from one of the better progressive bands out there today.  This is essential for any fan of the genre that is not familiar with this powerhouse.  Melodic progressive metal with a purpose.

-Ragman does not know when this will leave his deck.

Lance Lopez - Handmade Music

Lance may be one of the best kept secrets in the Texas blues scene. If that's your bag, you must check this guy out live.Texas is known for a lot of things, but the one of which we're likely most proud (from a musical standpoint) is our wealth of great blues players - enough to have our own subgenre like Chicago, or [Mississippi] Delta blues. Legends such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Albert Collins, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy Gibbons are just a few that come to mind, but the list goes on, with new bluesmen steadily coming along.

Enter Lance Lopez. Technically, he's not from Texas, but his sound is well-grounded in the kind of blues that Texas is known for; traditional blues themes and progressions covered in a thick layer of fiery rock bravado. When you see him, he's a formidible person, but hearing him is even more impressive, as his blues chops are undeniable, and they come with an equally energizing voice and personality - seriously, you could power a dozen Chevy Volts on this guy's energy. And being that his strength is as a live performer, it's natural that the production on the album tried to capture that feeling to reasonable success.

But the guitar work on the album is what a lot of people are likely to be drawn to, and while it's good, when it comes to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, there is a restraint that adds to the performance that Lopez doesn't always manage here. The album actually starts out with the most blistering solo work on the ZZ Top-flavored Come Back Home (1:21) that's simply too much too fast (particularly for a guy that's been playing live since he was 14), followed by the Eric Gales-ish Hard Time where it seems to fit better. As the album goes on, the soloing becomes more tasteful in places and it's then that you can tell this guy could be the next big thing for Texas blues. If Lance can contain himself a bit - something that perhaps comes with age - he could really be a star.

The Bottom Line: Lance Lopez is poised to be another in a long, proud line of estimable Texas bluesmen with more talent than the state has highways. If you haven't heard of him by now, you need to check out this album and get on the bandwagon.

Tracks to Enjoy While Ordering a Few Ice-cold Longnecks: Get Out and Walk, Your Love, Black Cat Moan, Lowdown Ways 

- Genghis really wants to plug in to his Stratocaster and let 'er rip...

Malice - New Breed of Godz

I gotta say, I get pretty geeked when bands I dug in the 80's re-unite years later.  The latest band to get back together is the lesser known Malice.  It amazes me when bands like Malice re-form, because you always wonder what type of audience they'll be able to command.  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but I just wonder how feasible it is to do this in today's economy. 

Malice was supposed to be the next big thing when their debut, In the Beginning, dropped back in 1985, but unfortunately it didn't break them.  Their follow up, the highly underrated License to Kill, didn't gain them much ground either.  I think they were too heavy at that point to fit in the hair metal movement, and not heavy enough to fit in with the emerging thrash movement.  They were one of those tweener bands that didn't get their due, because they didn't fall into the flavor of the moment.  The band released 2 full length albums and one EP before calling it a day in 1989.  The band re-united, well sort of, in 2006 and have just released their first new album in 23 years New Breed of Godz.

As with most reunions, it is tough to get the original line up back together, which was the case for Malice.  The most noticeable piece of the puzzle, not to return, was vocalist James Neal.  Not sure why Neal was not a part of the reunion, but to replace him, the band have recruited Helstar vocalist James Rivera.  Another casualty was drummer Cliff Carothers, who is now replaced by Black N Blue drummer Pete Holmes.  The encouraging thing for me was that guitarists Jay Reynolds and Mick Zane were still involved.

New Breed of Godz is a mix of 8 re-recorded tunes, along with 4 brand new studio tracks.  Not sure why bands do this, unless they are just looking at a way to re-introduce the old tracks to a new fan base.  The band hand picked some of the stronger tracks from their first 2 releases and handed over the mic to Rivera to do his magic.  Unfortunately for me, it was a bit let down.  I'm a big fan of Rivera, in Helstar, but I don't think he is a good fit for Malice, especially on the re-recorded songs.   James' voice is so unique, that when he sings the classic songs, they coming off like sounding like a mellower Helstar.

The 4 new tracks are okay, but again sound like Helstar.  The only new song to really move me was the opening track New Breed of Godz, but that was about it.  The remaining 3 new tracks come off a little stale and tired.  Not sure if they were newly penned, or tracks that have been laying around for the last 20 years.  The one positive thing I can say about the record, is the guitar playing from Reynolds and Zane rocks.  I was always a fan of this duo and was bummed that I never got to see them develop over an extended period of time.  At least they are back now and we'll have them until this reunion fizzles.  I hope I don't sound to coarse with this one, but I have to call as a I hear it.  Being a fan of both entities it was tough, because on their own they are stellar, but together, I'm not sure it works that well.

Bottome Line:  Reunion falls a little flat.  A band trying to re-capture some of their past glory, but with a new lineup.  Classic songs re-worked with an added bonus of 4 new tracks.  Unfortunately the whole thing comes off a little stale.

Standout Tracks: New Breed of Godz, Against the Empire and Stellar Masters.

-Ragman this one kinda hurt.