Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata

Okay, so it looks like the album cover was created on the iPad, but it works, just like the unconventional music on this CD.One of the coolest things about metal as a [sub-]genre [of rock and roll] are the myriad sub-genres that continue to come out of it. And now there's one more. Diablo Swing Orchestra is a dizzy mix of swing, tango, metal and jazz that will likely either intrigue or repel based on that description alone.

As crazy as that may sound, these Swedes have managed to put together one of the more interesting eclectic metal bands in recent memory without straying over the line into sheer gimmickry. That is to say, it works. And I would love to see a video for Voodoo Mon Amour with a dance hall of people in leather, spikes, tattoos and poodle skirts alternately jitterbugging and moshing.

DSO's key to success is to not go too heavy with the distorted guitars. It would be easy to take something like Benny Goodman's Gotta Be This or That and just add massively multi-tracked Zakk Wylde-like guitars tuned down a step. But these guys approach their tunes with the crunch as just another part of the instrumentation of a larger group with interesting results; Black Box Messiah sounds like the theme song to some surreal Japanese animated kids' show, while Exit Strategy For A Wrecking Ball is more like Sevendust meets U2 with Tito Puente guesting (dude, I'm telling you), and Mass Rapture is like a merengue by way of Pantera. Amazing.

The Bottom Line: Keep in mind that you don't want to approach this music like traditional metal with a horn section over it. This is basically latin-flavored, big band music with some balls and chunk - and a nice sense of humor to hold it all together. I can only hope to some day see these guys in person. Think of the pit!

Tracks That Make You Wish There Was Such a Thing as Swing Moshing: Voodoo Mon Amour, Kevlar Sweethearts, Exit Strategy For A Wrecking Ball & Mass Rapture

- Genghis is really just amazed at this album...

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...