Nelson - Lightning Strikes Twice

Matt and Gunnar do their best to make lightning strike twice, but did they? Eh, not so much.Nelson are one of those one hit wonders from the early 90s that were never given a real shot to repeat the success of their debut.  After the Rain is one of the melodic rock classics from back in the day that spawned several hits and put the brothers on the hard rock map.  Unfortunately for them, and many others, grunge began to rear its ugly head and effectively killed the music we loved.  Gone were the hairspay and the make up, and in were flannel shirts and baggy jeans.  I think we all can say that there needed to be a change, but this one came so abruptly that none of us knew what hit us. 

Since their debut the Nelson brothers have continued to put out material that veered from their initial sound.  Their albums over the last 20 years have been hit or miss, with most of them being misses.  Fast forward to 2011 and the band have just released what is being called the official follow up to After the Rain.  The new CD is entitled Lightning Strikes Twice, and hopefully it'll be able to recapture the old sound that made them a household name in the 90s.

Lightning Strikes starts off a with a different vibe than their debut.  The songs are less punchy and have more of a classic rock vibe to them which, for the most part, are okay with a few stand outs.  It is standard Nelson, with big choruses and catchy melodies, but the songs on this CD just don't capture the magic of the debut.  It goes without saying that the songs will be somewhat "bubble gummy", but that's okay - as long as the songs are well-written.

The CD starts to get going around track 3 with Ready, Willing and Able, but it wasn't until How Can I Miss You that I started getting into it; it's a mid-tempo rocker with a darker feel to it.  It's catchy and sticks with you more than most of the tracks on the disk while the rest are a variety of rockers and ballads.  I think the strongest things about this disc are the cool guitar harmonies that are intertwined in most of the tunes on the album.  All in all, not a bad record, just not a great one either.  The songs seem more poppier than back in the day and have more of a classic rock vibe to them than they did in the 90s.

Bottom Line: A mediocre return from the Nelson twins, but something to build on.  The songs are poppy, but do carry some weight due to some excellent axework.

Standout Tracks: How Can I Miss You, You're All I Need Tonight, When You're Gone and Change a Thing

- Ragman wonders if the boys will grow out their locks for the next one...

Helstar - Glory of Chaos

The hometown heroes show you how it's done in Clutch City with some killer thrash.Helstar are legends of the Houston metal scene circa the early 80s.  I grew up listening to and seeing these guys monthly during my high school years.  My buddies and I would pile into the car, grab a 6-pack 12 pack case, and head to Cardi's (or wherever the band was playing).  I can remember after one show I had banged my head so hard that the next day I practically needed a neck brace to hold my head up.  Good times. 

Helstar was homegrown and went through the same musical evolution that many of the bigger names out there today did.   It's a shame they never made it on the world stage because they had so much going for them back in the day - Remnants of War still stands up as one of the classic thrash albums of the era.  The band has been on and off again over the last several years, but it looks as though they're gonna give it one more shot before they hang up their axes.  Officially reunited with the majority of the Remnants of War lineup in 2006, Glory of Chaos is their second offering since their reunification.

Glory of Chaos sees the band moving into the new era of thrash and death metal with the band adopting some new techniques.  This is evident especially on the lead track in which vocalist James Rivera has gone for a guttural/death metal vocal approach.  I have to say that I didn't really dig him doing this sort of vocal style; James is strongest when he is belting it out in his clean vocal.  It wasn't until the second track Pandemonium that I really started getting into the record - no, it didn't take long.  Pandemonium is a mid-tempo rocker that is more reminiscent of the Helstar of old.  The song has some cool heavy riffs and a great mid-section.  Also, Rivera is back singing the way I like it.  The next track to kick my ass was Summer of Hate.  It's a straight ahead mid-tempo rocker driven by a cool riff reminiscent of Judas Priest's One on One; a great melody with a chugging rhythm that you know would "blow your Aunt Connie's socks off" (Dice!).

All in all, a solid record from the stars of the Houston strip (what strip?).  The band has evolved and moved into the new millennium nicely.  Most of the elements are still intact, with the exception of the technical riffing that they became known for in the late 80s.  The band are still thrashy, but not as technical as they were back in the day.  Not a bad thing though, because the songs on this disc rock (but I do miss it).

Bottom Line: Metal vets showing that they can still hang with the best of them.  A nice variety of thrash and mid-tempo rockers that will have the head banging in no time.  This one grows on you more and more with each spin.

Standout Tracks: Pandemonium, Monarch of Bloodshed, Summer of Hate, Deth Trap

- Ragman is wishing Cardi's was still around... (Genghis - "NO SHIT!")

Jeff Scott Soto - Live at Firefest

It goes without saying that Jeff Scott Soto is one of the best hard rock vocalists on the planet.  He has an impressive resume, playing with bands like Journey, Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen and most recently W.E.T., but over the last few years, he has been focussing on his solo career. 

Jeff has just released a new live recording (Live at Firefest) from a show he did at the Firefest Festival in the UK back in 2008.  This show pre-dates the release of his last solo CD Beautiful Mess.  If you recall, his last solo CD was a departure from his melodic hard rock roots, and was more soul and funk oriented.  You would not have known that, had you not heard it yet, because on this disk, the songs are heavier and more alive than on the studio recordings.

Live at Firefest is a stellar performance by Jeff and his excellent band.  The band is made up of long time partners guitarist Howie Simon and bassist/guitarist Gary Schutt.  Simon and Schutt do their best to steal the show at times, but Soto's vocals are so strong that they don't get away with it.  The set list is comprised by several songs from the Beautiful Mess record, and that is not a bad thing.  Tracks like 21st Century, Testify and Mountain come alive in this recording.  The songs sound much heavier and go over really well live.  Jeff also re-visits some classics from his solo catalog. 

There is not much represented from previous bands, with the exception of the cover of Seal's Crazy that Jeff did with Talisman.  It would have been cool to hear him pull out a Talisman tune or even a Soul Sirkus track, but even though they are absent, this CD stil rocks.  All in all solid!  The best live CD I have heard in quite some time.  Essential for JSS fans.

Bottom Line: Jeff Scott Soto proving that he is still one of the best hard rock vocalist out there.  Jeff and the badn sound amazing on this one.  For any of you that weren't too jazzed about Beautiful Mess, then check this one out, because the songs sound much better in a live setting.

Standout Tracks: 21st Century, Testify, Eyes of Love and Crazy.

-Ragman wishes Jeff would play the states.

Classics Under Review: Twisted Sister - Club Daze and You Can't Stop Rock N Roll

I really dig when an artist goes back and re-visits their old catalog to find some lost gems.  Over the past several years, Twisted Sister (Jay Jay French and  MarK Mendoza) have been digging through the archives and been releasing some previously un-released material.  Well over the next several months, get ready, because the guys are at it again.  There will be several re-issues of the Twisted Legacy including some extras.  The first two to be released are Club Daze: Volume 1, The Studio Sessions and You Can't Stop Rock N Roll.

Club Daze first hit shelves back in 1999, after the guys had unlocked the vaults and pulled out some unreleased early material from the band.  Recently the boys, with the help of Armoury Records, took a look at re-issuing the CD.  Club Daze is an allotment of tracks recorded back in the late 70's.  The music was written and recorded in the early days of the band, before they became megastars in the mid-80's.  This is Twisted as true and raw as you have ever heard them before.  Club dazes represents the band in their infancy stage, before they truly found their sound.  The songs are styled with the sound of the time i.e. New York Dolls. MC5 as well as some early NWOBHM.

Not all of the songs on this CD are keepers, but they are entertaining.  I would have to say that my favorite tracks were Pay the Price, Big Gun, Follow Me and I'll Never Grow Up Now.  These songs could of ended up on one of the earlier releases from the band.  The rest are interesting but not as strong.  You will be surprised by some of the elements of blues and rockabilly that are present in some of the tracks.  Another bonus was getting to hear the raw renditions of tracks that we are more familiar with like Shoot em Down and Under the Blade.  This is definitely a gem for TS fans.

The next re-issue is of my favorite Twisted Sister album ever You Can't Stop Rock N Roll.  For this re-issue the guys went in and remastered the whole album, and what a difference it made.  The album now sounds as fresh as anything you would hear produced today.  The sound is much more full and the CD just seems to have more punch.  Songs like Ride to Live, Live to Ride, The Kids are Back and I Am (I'm Me) will light up your speakers.  Keep a fire extinguisher close by.  Not only do you have one of the band's best CD's sounding better than before, you also get 3 bonus tracks.  The bonus tracks are good, but they are raw.  I believe they were remastered, but when they were cut, I think they were just demos, so aurally they aren't quite as pleasing.  A nice package from both releases.  TS fans will rejoice when they get there hands on these puppies.

Bottom Line:  Re-issue of a classic record as well as some old gems give new life.  Both CD's are done well and warrant a purchase if you don't own them.  I will say in regards to the re-issue of You Can't Stop Rock N Roll, that this one warrants a re-purchase if you already own it.  This re-issue is how the it should be played.  This one sounds amazing.

-Ragman is looking forward to more re-issues.

David Bowie - The Rare and Unseen

No one can deny, that David Bowie has had a huge influence on the hard rock and metal scene.  Bowie was an innovator along with Alice Cooper and Kiss in changing the way that live performances are seen today.  Love him or hate him, the man has had an impact on the industry.  The Rare and Unseen, will not have the same impact, unless you are a die-hard fan. 

This DVD is compiled of some rarely seen interviews with the man, dating back to the early 70's and then progressing to the late 90's.  The main interview on the disc is from a British talk show (Russel Harty) back in the 70's.  The interview is somewhat interesting, but Bowie seemed pretty spaced out.  This interview is inner twined with another interview done more recently.  I liked how the two were inner twined, so that the comparison could be drawn to the two stages in his career. 

A pretty interesting view, though I thought it was curious, that all of Bowie's music was performed by Bowie impersonator Steve Riks (Who?).  I guess the production company couldn't get the rights to the original tunes.  Who knows?

Bottom Line: A somewhat interesting look in to the career of David Bowie.  Though interesting, this one is for diehards only.

-Ragman drempt of the spiders from Mars, after this one.