John Norum - Play Yard Blues

He's best known as the axe wielding guitarist for Swedish hard rock band Europe, but for years he has also thrived as a solo artist.  Over the years guitarist John Norum has spread his wings and knocked out some pretty solid solo records.  Since the late 80's Norum has been issuing solo CD's, in fairly regular intervals.  John's solo work is a departure from the AOR hard rock sounds of Euope, being primarily heavily blues based.  Norum's solo work has a nice mix of hard rock and blues, leaning more on the blues and less on the melodic rock side.  Over the years Norum has collaborated with the likes of Glenn Hughes as well as other great vocalist, but for his latest effort he has taken the reigns and handled the majority of the vocal duties.  There are two vocals provided by a guy named Leif Sundin.  Sundin sings on Got My Eyes on You and Born Again.  Norum has just released his 7th solo CD titled Play Yard Blues.

As if, the title didn't give it away, you guessed it, this is a blues CD.  The CD offers a heavy does of blues with a little bit of hard rock to keep things interesting.  There are (3) covers on the record that are done very true to the original versions and they are Ditch Queen (Frank Marino - Mahogany Rush), It's Only Money (Thin Lizzy) and Travellin' in the Dark (Mountain).  The CD starts off strong with the track Let it Shine, which is a blues based rocker with a catchy hook and nice melody.  After that, the CD stumbles a bit, until the 4th track Got My Eyes on You, which is more in the hard rock vein.  Well written track containing a catchy chorus and some amazing wailing.   That track is followed up by the killer When Darkness Falls, which is another tune with more of a hard rock feel to it. 

Play Yard is a true blue, blues record, but with some hard rock influences mixed in.  The CD also contains elements of classic 70's style rock, which is due in part by some of the covers chosen for the record.  The strongest part of this CD is Norum's amazing playing.  You forget how good this guy is until you put on one of his solo records.  Make sure to check out the title track which is a kick ass instrumental.  All in all not a bad CD.  It was little too bluesy for me at times, but I did enjoy it as a whole.

Bottom Line:  John Norum exploring his blusier side.  A 10 track platter filled mainly of blues, with a little hard rock sprinkled in for good measure.  Guitarist geeks and blues aficionado's will rejoice, but Europe fans looking for AOR, may be disappointed.

Standout Tracks: Got My Eyes on You, When Darkness Falls, Play Yard Blues and Born Again.

-Ragman forgot how bad ass this guy is.

Ten - Stormwarning

A great offering from a former powerhouse band, but what's with the HIM vibe?It has been 5 years since we have heard new Ten music, and that is way too long. Ten was a powerhouse in the late 90's and early new millennium, by releasing some of the best hard rock of the time.  Since 2001 the band has had a proverbial revolving door, in regards to bandmembers, virtually leaving vocalist Gary Hughes as the practically the only constant.  Unfortunately, after the departure of long time guitarist Vinny Burns, it doesn't seem like the band has been able to recover the original magic, from the first several releases.   The band has persevered and continued to release product over this past decade, with some highlights, but has not been able to match the success that they had earlier on in their career.

Stormwarning marks the return of the band, after a 5 year hiatus.  The band is poised to re-capture their old sound and take over the world.  The CD contains ten tracks of basic Ten.  The CD is is a mixture of mid-tempo and up tempo rockers that follow the basic Ten formula.   There is nothing really new going on with this one, just standard AOR hard rock, with a hint of progressive rock.  The first track to get me going is the Centre of My Universe, that starts off with a cool acoustic guitar intro, which breaks in to an Enter Sandman type riff, before taking it's own identity.  It is a killer track with a catchy chorus and a nice strong melody.  Another track on the record, that really stood out, was the ballad Love Song.  It is a mid-tempo ballad with a very strong chorus and a nice melancholy vibe about it, which reminds me of more commercial HIM.  All in all not a bad return from the boys.  I had hoped this one would have been a bit stronger, but it is still a pretty good release.

Bottom Line:  Ten are back doing what they do best by creating some solid ARO hard rock.  It is weird because I do here some HIM influence on this record.  At times Hughes is singing melancholy like Ville Valo, which gives the songs a total Him vibe, but just poppier.

Standout Tracks: Love Song, Centre of My Universe,

-Ragman wants to know when Ten started sounding like a poppier HIM.

Allen/Lande - The Showdown

If you're a fan of these collaborations, you'll love this new one - it's the best one yet.Are there two better vocalists in metal today than Jorn Lande (Masterplan) and Russell Allen (Symphony X)? You'd be hard pressed to find two better than these guys, who've been rocking us in their respective bands for the last several years. But in 2005, guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) had a dream of putting these two together for the Allen/Lande project. Karlsson writes the tunes for - and plays about every instrument on - these records, bringing in these two seasoned vocalists to make his dream a reality.  The Showdown is the 3rd installment in the Allen/Lande collaboration, and it could be their best to date.

The Showdown picks up where the last two records left off, with a nice mix of hard rock, power metal and progressive rock all blended together nicely. The majority of the songs are full of big hooks and catchy riffs, but one of the strongest songs to display the greatness of this collaboration is Turn All Into Gold, which features the vocalists dueling it out over some nice fretwork by Karlsson.  There are a few surprises on the CD, like the ballad Copernicus which conjurs up memories of Journey at points.  It's a classic 80s-styled hard rock ballad that gets heavy in the chorus, finishing nicely with the vocalists serenading over the backing piano.  All in all, not a bad CD.  It is a little more of what's been done previously, but I believe the songs on this one stick with you a little more than sdf and wer.

Bottom Line:  Not sure if this sort of thing could work with any other vocalists; it's amazing how well these two sound together.  As far as the CD goes, it's a little more of the same: catchy tunes that really don't break any new ground, but if you're a fan of this series then you'll love it, because it's probably the best out of the three.

Standout Tracks: The Showdown, Turn All Into Gold, Judgement Day and The Guardian

- Ragman is in awe at how well these two sound together...

David Rock Feinstein - Bitten By the Beast

A cousin of The Great One ventures out on his own with some decent 80s metal. Being the cousin of the late, great Ronnie James Dio has to have some perks, wouldn't ya think?  Well it did for David "Rock" Feinstein, because not only did he once rock in a band (Elf) with The Great One, he also had him sing on his new CD entitled Bitten by the Beast.  Yeah, that's right, Dio sings on the track Metal Will Never Die, making it one of Ronnie's last recorded vocals.  And to top it off, David gathered his bandmates from The Rods to back him up on the track, a mid-tempo rocker that oozes 80's metal.  It's suitably heavy, driven by a cool riff which is followed up by a great, anthemic chorus.  This one will get in your head and not let go.

Feinstein is no stranger to the metal community, having fronted metal band The Rods for a good part of the 80s.  And with the resurgence of band's like Anvil, The Rods are looking to make a big splash in 2011.  Feinstein, as you might of guessed, is old school metal to the core, and his new album will not disappoint if that's what you're looking for.  Bitten by the Beast is an album chock full of 80s meat and potatoes metal (my new phrase of 2011, btw), best served piping hot in a cast iron skillet.  The songs on this CD are of the classic vibe with some hits and some misses.  The majority of the tunes sound like they could have been written back in the day and just unleashed in the new millennium.

Best thing about this CD: the songs with the big riffs, like Metal Will Never Die, and big choruses, like Break Down the Walls.  Feinstein is not reinventing the wheel here because these tunes sound like they were written about 30 years ago; some good, some just mediocre, meaning some will grab you, and others will just leave you with that "meh" feeling.  Not a bad CD, just not a great one either.

Bottom Line: Feinstein going solo, but sticking to his roots.  Good old-fashioned meat and potatoes metaltm with a little blues thrown in.  This is a fun record that will not break any new ground, but will still rock you.

Standout Tracks: Break Down the Walls, Metal Will Never Die, Kill the Demon and Give Me Mercy

- Ragman is thinking about eating some metal...

Vicious Rumors - Razorback Killers

Is there anything better than an old band making an awesome comeback record?

Razorback Killers is the best CD the band has done since the passing of vocalist Carl Albert back in 1995.  While the band has put out several CDs since his passing, they've been unable to recapture the fire they once had when Albert was fronting the band.  And while the band has had many incarnations over the years, I think they may have finally found the winning formula again.  This has got to be the strongest lineup VR has has since the 90s.  And it didn't hurt that founder/guitarist Geoff Thorpe brought in former guitarist Marc McGee for a couple of tasty guest solos - they were a force to be reckoned with in the early 90s.  And if that wasn't enough, there are cameos by guitarists Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) and Eric Peterson (Testament).

The CD starts off with the track Murderball, an uptempo rocker that sounds like it could have come off the self-titled record from '91.  It has that cool, Don't Wait for Me vibe, which totally set the tone for this new record; powerful and melodic all at the same time, pure VR at their best.  The CD has a nice variety of thrashers, slow heavy crushers and mid-tempo rockers.  They've really gone back to their roots on this one, which is evident on the track Let the Garden Burn which evokes the vibe of Lady Took a Chance (Digital Dictator). 

Vocalist Brian Allen, with his soaring vocals, has been able to take the band back to the glory days.  And while great production and solid songwriting have made this one a keeper, I can't go without mentioning the killer axework all over this CD which is just friggin' amazing.  My only critique is that there is a small lull with tracks 3 and 4, but after that this CD doesn't let up until the end.  All in all, a really solid CD and the best thing the band has done in years.

Bottom Line:  Vicious Rumors are back and better than ever.  After a few hiccups over the last few years, the band seems to be back on track sounding the way they should.  Allen, the best vocalist the band has had since the passing of Albert, along with some strong songwriting has been able to get this band on track, making them a viable metal force once again.

Standout Tracks: Murderball, Black, Pearl of Wisdom and Let the Garden Burn

- Ragman is geeking over these solos...