Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy

Pagan's Mind consistently put out solid product.  They are one of those money bands, that you can count on to give you a solid platter of music, from release to release.  IF you're not familiar with the band, you should be, because they are a force to be reckoned with.  The band has a progressive sound, with a really heavy edge.  It has been 4 years since the band's last release, God's Equation, so the band had to dig deep to produce another stellar release, as strong as their last.  Heavenly Ecstasy marks the band's 5th studio release and as its predecessors, it does not disappoint.

The CD starts off strong with the track Eyes of Fire, which is driven by a cool keyboard progression that morphs into a killer heavy melody.  The next track to kick my ass was the mid-tempo track Into the Aftermath, which shows another side of the band, by mixing in some guttural vocals.  They are subdued and not prevalent in the song; but they do add to the heaviness of the track.  Another killer song that mixes in this heavier style vocal, is the killer track Revelation to the End.  The coolest thing about this track though, is the bridge before the solo.  The break starts with a 80's bass lick ala Extreme, before kicking into this sick heavy riff that emulates the flash of the 80's.  Dude I  almost wet myself, when I heard this.  It is that killer. 

Pagan's Mind have a killer way of melding the best elements of power metal, with progressive music.  They have strong melodies with memorable choruses, that will stick with you.  Another thing about this band is the killer musicianship, which is displayed within every release. This is one killer CD, that should not be overlooked.  Great melodies and memorable chorus, topped by some kick ass musicianship.  Great release from start to finish.

Bottom Line:  Solid progressive/power metal, mixed with some heaviness.  Great songs executed to a T.

Standout Tracks: Eyes of Fire, Revelation ot the End, Follow Your Way and Into the Aftermath.

-Ragman has renamed this CD, audio ecstasy.

Who Cares - Single (Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi and friends)

It's been almost 30 years since Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan have collaborated on new material.  The two joined forces in the early 80's, under the Sabbath moniker, on the somewhat controversial Born Again Record.  The record was a commercial disaster, but many years later is now receiving some critical acclaim.  Well the lads have joined forces again, but this time not to form a band, but to help out a charity.   The Who Cares project was formed to help aid the rebuilding of a music school in Armenia.  The project includes a star studded line up, but Iommi and Gillan are the marquee names. 

The single includes two tracks Out of My Mind and Holy Water.  Both tracks are mid-tempo rockers, that mix the sounds of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.  I would say that the opening track Out of My Mind has more of a Sabbath feel, while the more melodic Holy Water has more of a DP (Thanks to Jon Lord) vibe.  The great thing about this single is that the songs get better with each spin.  I like the diversity of the two songs, because they are different vibes.  I think that this project will be better received than the first time the two got together. 

Bottom Line: The songs are well written and are catchy and will be a nice addition to any metal collection. Two songs that rock, that will keep you wanting more.

-Ragman wonders if the two will do a full CD, sometime in the future.

Don Jamieson - Live and Hilarious

Hot off the heels of the success of That Metal Show, side man, Don Jamieson was signed to a record contract with Metal Blade, for at least one album.  Don was the first of the duo, from the comic relief, on That Metal show, to score an unlikely deal with the label.  Not sure if this is Brian Slagel's first comedy signing, but it may be his last.  Unfortunately Jamieson's record doesn't deliver like one would hope.  Jamieson and Jim Florentine seem somewhat constrained on the VH-1 Classic show, so it seemed that once the no holds barred CD came out, that Don would give us a good laugh, but that rarely occurred.  The jokes are tired and just not that funny.  The sad thing is, that the audience of maybe 10, thought the show was weak as well. 

Live and Hilarious is mainly a live show taped somewhere in Jersey, along with a couple of musical tracks.  The songs on the record are weak as well.  They are acoustic based tracks where Jamieson tries to sing metal, I would like to stress tries.  They do not help or enhance this product.  Overall, a very weak offering.  I have to say I had always wondered how strong a comic Don was, but unfortunately he was not as strong as I would have hoped; at least not on this CD.   I was hoping to like this one, but after about 3 listens, it just got painful.

Bottom Line:  Don needs to get some more solid material, if he wants to keep his comedy gig a float.  If there is a second release, you can only hope it is much better than this one. (Note: Being a previous guest on the Genghis and Ragman Show, we had a lot of fun with Don, so hopefully no hard feelings.  We just call em like we see em)

-Ragman wonders how long Don would last on Last Comic Standing.

Mr. Big @ House of Blues

One of the best bands to ever come out of the 80s is back with an incredible tour. HORNS UP!A few hours before the show, Ragman and I were waiting for Eric Martin backstage at the House of Blues in downtown Houston.  He was running late (a chronic problem apparently, and one that I share with him so it's cool), but he apologized profusely and gave us a great interview for our upcoming Mr. Big tribute show. Rags busted his balls a little trying to get him to sing us a bumper, and Eric said he wanted to save it for the show, explaining "tonight I'm gonna sing like gangbusters".  And that he did.

The whole damn band did, in fact.

The thing is, if you've never seen Mr. Big play live in their nearly 25 year history, you're missing out.  These guys know how to play a venue in the purest rock sense; old school all the way. Backstage, before the show, the other guys seemed non-chalant, even aloof, like they weren't sure if any of this was a good idea. But that night, onstage, they came out like it was the best thing they've ever been a part of. These guys are total pros, as any Mr. Big fan knows, and part of what that means is to give the audience what they came for, right? The new tunes were well mixed amongst a setlist of their best songs, including their slower ballads, and the energy coming off the stage could've powered a Vegas casino. Eric started out slowly, taking it easy on some of the higher parts like he was saving something for later.  Well played, since they ended up playing a 2+ hour long show with some great encores.

Bottom Line: There's not much more to say, except that these guys play their hearts out, complimented by an excellent sound mix (nice work, Michelle) that had every note as clear and powerful as you can have outside of a recording studio.  And while I'd be tempted to say if you're not a fan of Mr. Big's music, don't bother, I realize that's a crazy statement to make. Mr. Big is straight ahead rock and roll in the truest sense; there's classic boogie shuffles, hard driving rock, contemptlative ballads all layered with incredible musicianship. If you like rock and roll, you'll like Mr. Big.

In the vein of other amazing bands that can't seem to get regular airplay (e.g. Enuff Z'nuff, King's X), Mr. Big has never had the following it deserves outside of Japan, so I was thrilled to see this band back in a club. With any luck, it won't be the last time. About that, Eric Martin had this to say:

- Genghis can't wait to record the Mr. Big tribute show soon...

Podcast #125: Results

Rest assured, when the best of the hair metal bands have faded away, there will still be someone to point at you in a promo shot!Who is more in touch with the metal scene: Genghis & Ragman or Revolver Magazine? Join Genghis & Ragman as they dissect the Golden Gods results and compare their picks with the magazine's results. Next, the boys round up “The Saint” Jaime St. James from Black N' Blue who discusses the reunion of the band as well as their first new CD in almost 20 years - Hell, yeah!

Featured DVD: Manowar - Hell on Earth III

Beer of the Show: Maui Brewing Company - Coconut Porter (Beer Rating: 2.5)

Featured Tracks: Farewell to Freeway - Liquor? I Don‘t Even Know 'Er; Manowar - Gates of Vahalla; Firewind - Cold As Ice; Avenged Sevenfold - Welcome to the Family; Iron Maiden - Mother of Mercy; Black N' Blue - School of Hard Knocks, The Snake; Freight Train Jane - Bye, Bye, Love; Black N' Blue - Fool’s Bleed, Hell Yeah, Best in the West & Strange Things

Classic of the Show: Hurricane - 10,000 Years

Ragman Pick of the Show: Destrophy - Cry Havoc

Genghis' Pick of the Show: Red Circuit - You Can Sleep While You’re Dead

- Ragman is on a tear...

Podcast #125: Results