Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith (30th Anniversary Edition)

Defenders of the Faith, goes down as one of my favorite Judas Priest records ever.  I have to say, Screaming for Vengeance is my top record from the band, but Defenders is not far behind.  Don't get me wrong, I love the predecessors as well, but these two records, were so solid, that it is hard to deny their greatness.  That being said, Defenders just celebrated it's 30th birthday. (Damn I'm getting old!)  Hard to believe this masterpiece came out 30 years ago. 

In line with, what the band did with the anniversary release of Screaming, they have also decided to give Defenders the royal treatment, by re-releasing the disk in an expanded format.  The deluxe edition comes with three disks.  The first disk is the re-mastered edition, of the original record.  The next 2 disks are a live show, that the band recorded in 84' on the Defenders tour, in Long Beach, CA.  (Man, Long Beach got recorded a lot in the 80's). 

It is a classic set list, featuring most of the Defenders record, as well as some classics.  It it pretty similar to the Screaming tour, but real heavy on Defenders material.  The show sounds amazing, with the exception of Desert Plains.  Man, they sped that one up for some reason.  If I had this one on vinyl, I would have had to check to see if my turntable had switched speeds on me. 

All in all, this is a solid package, and a must for Priest fans.  The only thing missing was a live DVD.  I know I sound greedy, but I am.  The audio was so good, from the live show, that I wanted to see it as well.  Listen to the disk and you'll know what I mean.

Bottom Line: A classic record re-masterd and given the royal treatment.  The main reason to buy it though, is for the live disks.

-Ragman is wanting to know where the video of this show is.  Release it already!

Collar

Collar is the latest, in my adventures of B-Horror films.  The film centers around a homeless serial killer, named Massive (Nick Principe).  Massive is a homeless guy, who enjoys murder, rape and torture, and not in that order.  As you can imagine, he is a fun loving guy that may just be a little misunderstood.  Seriously, this is not a bad flick that showcases a fair amount of gore and torture. 

Long story short, Massive is killing a machine, who is encouraged by a couple of douche bags, that are trying to film a reality movie.  The boys lour in bums and prostitutes for Massive to have his way with, but it wasn't until a young cop tries to make her mark, that things get really ugly.  I'll leave it at that.  This was one of the better low budget horror flicks that I've seen in awhile.  It had a good story line, even though it jumps around a bit.  If you're looking for a decent slasher flick , then I think you'll enjoy Collar.

Bottom Line:  A sick, twisted story about a demented homeless serial killer.  Nuff said!

-Ragman almost had to look a way a few times, during this one.

Ranger - Where Evil Dwells

Finnish bad-asses Ranger are here to rock the fuck out of you with their debut CD. Or hadn't you guessed by this cover?Holy shit, what is it about the Scandinavian music scene? Between Sweden and Finland, you've got some of the most amazing metal trends of the 21st century. Every new genre revival and hybrid of note in the last decade and a half has come from Northern Europe like they're taking it personal or something. But don't take this as a rant or anything; I'm fucking loving it.

Case in point, Finnish metallers Ranger are here with their highly anticipated debut album, Where Evil Dwells, featuring some of the most authentic, ball-busting, classic speed metal I've heard in some time. From the first blistering attack of Defcon 1 (of course), I swear I could smell that slightly humidity of a smoke machine billowing out behind me. Somewhere in the back of my closet, I sensed my old denim jacket glowing, like Excalibur, beckoning me to return, my red Chuck Taylors (with the anarchy symbol that skaters brandished at disapproving adults) beneath it at the ready. This is an album that should bring metalheads out from the woodwork like the barbarians in Heavy Metal, ready to kick ass and take names.

The Bottom Line: Albums like this are a call to arms for the metal faithful. If your head doesn't immediately start banging when you hear the opening riff of Ranger's debut Where Evil Dwells, it's time to download some Perry Como CDs and buy some white loafers, man. 'Nuff said.

- Genghis feels the call of the mosh pit...

Temperance - Limitless

Temperance and their mix of symphonic metal bombast and crushing melodic death metal, are back again - and not a moment too soon.You may recall me reviewing Temperance's self-titled debut this time last year and their intriguing blend of the symphonic and melodic death metal genres, fronted by singer Chiara Tricarico and produced by this decade's Jesper Strömblad, Simone Mularoni (DGM). Well, they're back now with Limitless, so let's get to it.

Thankfully, everything that made their debut album so good is still here, with a bit more electronic sheen in the form of some sprightly keyboards. Don't get me wrong, the very satisfying balls and chunk™ is still in place, as heard in the pre-solo section of Save Me (2:49), but there's a closer alignment with the symphonic metal elements (e.g. dramatic orchestration, huge choral backing vocals) that makes the foundation of the band's sound. All in all, if you liked the first album, this is more of what you dug. Works for me!

The Bottom Line: Temperance is a great example of how metal continues to evolve more often and interestingly than any other subgenre of music out there. But rather than just slamming two subgenres together, this band has a thorough understanding of what they're doing - and they do it well.

- Genghis sure wants to rock out...

Secret Of Boris - Your Ghost

Hard to imagine Secret Of Boris coming out of Dallas of all places, but these guys are worth a listen.Dallas-based post-grunge, hard rock act Secret Of Boris is slowly gaining reputation as a great live band. And their debut album, Your Ghost, captures this energy pretty well.

The vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Five.Bolt.Main or Alice In Chains while the music itself calls to mind outfits like Breaking Benjamin or Saliva, while giving their 90s era sound a bit of a makeover with a well-layered, keyboard-enhanced sound. What makes this band stand out from the crowd is the high energy performance so faithfully captured in production, and its melodic sensibility; these cats understand that there's more to hard rocking than attitude, image, and down-tuned guitars cranked to 11.

The Bottom Line: Don't dismiss Secret Of Boris as another nu-metal, post-grunge, hard rock act until you give their debut a listen. There's more to this band than what some old music reviewer can manage to articulate. This is a secret that rewards investigation.

- Genghis needs a new hat...