Heaven and Hell - Radio City Music Hall Live - BluRay

One of the best looking/sounding metal concert videos you may ever own - PERIOD.Almost exactly a year after the loss of the late, great, Ronnie James Dio, Eagle Rock Entertainment has re-issued the stunning Heaven and Hell performance, Live at Radio City Music Hall on Blu-Ray.  Released in 2007, after the lads reunited to do a best of Black Sabbath box set, this is one of the better concert videos that I have in my collection.  It was an amazing show and the guys were on fire that night - but weren't they every night?  The set list is awesome! It encompasses the Dio years of Sabbath, as well as the inclusion of 2 new tracks recorded for the box set, coming in at over 2 hours of metal magic.

I know many of you probably have this on standard DVD, but it's totally worth it to get this on Blu-Ray.  The picture is crystal clear, giving you a sense of being in the front row.  The sound is spot on as well - which I tested by cranking my sound system.  Another highlight of this DVD are the bonus features.  There's a mini road movie chronicling the reformation of the band as well as a nice behind-the-scenes look at what it took to get ready for the gig at Radio City.  There's also an additional bonus feature, not included previously, which is a rare never-before-seen interview with Dio.  This Blu-Ray disc is a must if you're a metal fan.  Even if you have this in the standard format, you must upgrade to Blu-Ray for its superior quality.

Bottom Line: One of the best live show you can get featuring the great Black Sabbath with Dio Heaven and Hell.  This Blu-Ray is the strongest recorded live show currently available from the band, and an essential disc for any metal concert video collection.

- Ragman is missing him some Dio right now...R.I.P. RJD!

Warrant - Rockaholic

Warrant has had a revolving door, as far as vocalists are concerned, over the past 5+ years or so.  The band has been on again off again, with original vocalist Janie Lane, but finally pulled the plug on him a couple years ago, and brought in former Lynch Mob/Big Cock vocalist Robert Mason to take the reigns.  The band tried this about 6 years ago with Black 'N Blue front man Jaime St. James, but brought Lane back into the fold after a lack of success.  Lane lasted less than a year before imploding, once again, and breaking the camels back. 

The band has been going strong for 2 years now since recruiting Mason, and have never sounded better.  It is hard to replace a guy like Lane, because: A. His signature vocals on some of the biggest hard rock hits of the late 80's and 90's and B. He wrote the majority of the tunes back in the day.  This would be no simple feat, but the band were up for the challenge, and have just released their latest CD Rockaholic.

Rockaholic is one of the best CD's I've had the chance to listen to this year.  Had Genghis not taken the honors this month, this would have been my pick for CD of the month.  The band are re-invigorated on this new disk and sound better than ever.  The addition of Mason is just the shot in the arm that the band needed.  Rockaholic is chocked full of solid hard rockers, containing killer hooks and catchy choruses. There is a nice variety of rockers, anthems and ballads.

One thing to point out though, is that if you're looking for the classic Warrant sound, then you may be disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, there are some songs that resurrect the past sound, but for the most part, the majority of the tunes have an identity of their own.   The songs have a classic 80's feel, but with a current sound.  There is a little more of a bluesy vibe, which had to be injected by Mason, I'm thinking.  Tracks like Sex Ain't Love and Innocence Gone take you back in the day, when mullets where accepted and hair spray was a common purchase.  These tracks ooze attitude, and will get you rocking immediately.  A solid release from start to finish.  There may have been a few hiccups around tracks 8 and 9, but they didn't take away from this great release.

Bottom Line: This is the strongest disk the band has put out since Cherry Pie. The band are firing on all cylinders and working as a cohesive unit.  Let's hope this line up stays in tact.

Standout Tracks: Lifes a Song, Sex Ain't Love, Dusty's Revenge and Found Forever.

-Ragman wished he was dirty rotten filthy stinkin rich.

Black 'N Blue - Hell Yeah

It seems like a lot of veteran bands are resurfacing with new material in 2011.  Thanks to the folks over at Frontiers, we are able to get new music from the bands we love.  The latest group to put out new product, is 80's rockers Black 'N Blue.  I've been a fan of this band since the first time I read about them in Kerrang some 25+ years ago.  Kerrang did a feature on them right before they released their debut album, and ever since then, I have been hooked. 

Just like so many bands of that era, they hung it up in the late 80's, but have gotten back together in the last 5 years or so.  The band has resurfaced a few times over the years, and promised to deliver a new record, as far back as 2003, but for reasons unbeknownst to this reviewer, it new was released.  That being said, the band is back and reunited, minus ex-lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (Kiss), and trying to get back on the horse with their first studio release in 20+ years, Hell Yeah.

I have to say I was really excited when I heard that the band was back and that Hell Yeah was finally going to be released; my only concern was that Tommy Thayer was not involved.  It wasn't because Thayer is this monster shredder, rather it was for his killer song writing skills.  Thayer played a big part in the band's sound back in the day, so without his song writing credits, I was worried how this one might come out.

The CD is a mix of mid-tempo and up tempo rockers with a a ballad thrown in for balance.  The songs for the most part are good, but not great.  I would say about half of the record kicked my ass, whilst the other half just came off as mediocre.   The signature BnB sound is their, but without some of the catchy-ness and melody, that they had back in the day.  The songs on this CD seem more organic and raw, and unfortunately don't come out and grab you.  I will say with each listen I get into this one a bit more, but I'm not sure for how long.  At times the listener feels like these songs were rushed and not given the proper time to mature.  Not a bad CD, but not a great one, by any means.  Essenential for Black in Blue fans, but not sure how far it wil go from there.

Bottom Line: Black 'N Blue trying to re-capture their signature, but off by a little bit.  An album that is about half good and half mediocre. 

Standout Tracks: Hell Yeah, Monkey, Fools Bleed and So Long.

-Ragman stills loves him some B 'N B.

King Kobra - S/T

Its been 25 years since the original lineup of King Kobra has recorded an album together.  2011 marks the return of King Kobra, minus former lead singer Mark Free.  Mark/Marcie declined an invitation from the band to do a re-union record, so they got the next best thing, veteran rock vocalist Paul Shortino.  If there was anyone that could replace Free, and totally pull it off, it would have to be Shortino.  I have to say, when Paul mentioned it on our show, months ago, I was totally blown away and geeked beyond belief.  This re-union has been a long time coming, and though some thought this day would never come, it has finally arrived.  The boys re-convened months ago to record the first KK record in 10 years, and the finished product is simply called King Kobra.

The CD is comprised of some new tunes as well as some left overs from back in the day.  I think the split is probably about 50/50, but that is my guess.  The overall vibe of the record is classic KK.  Some of the songs on this disk definitely have an old school vibe, which the boys pull it off without a hitch.  The other songs incorporate more of a blues vibe, and I think that is highly attributed to the addition of Shortino.  Check out the bluesy track, We Got a Fever, to get a taste of the nasty blues rock the Kobra is dishing up.  You'll need a couple napkins to clean up after this one.  

Another interesting element to this record is the influence Paul brings to the table.  Not sure how the writing process worked for this record, but you can hear Paul's influence, especially on the track Turn Up the Good Times, which sounds similar to something Paul did with Quiet Riot, back in the day.  Definitely a good thing.  Never fear though, because the boys have come up with some new KK classics like the emotional Live Forever, which brings back the signature guitar harmonies from David Michael Phillips and Mick Sweda.  Sweet!  A very solid return from a band that should have been bigger than they ever got.  Go get this one.

Bottom Line: This is the record that should have come out after Ready to Strike, because the vibes are similar.  Solid melodic hard rock from a veteran band.  Great catchy tunes that will keep you coming back for more.

Standout Tracks: Live Forever, Midnight Woman, Tear Down the Walls and We Got a Fever.

-Ragman is wondering if the boys are looking for their peroxide...

Negligence - Coordinates of Confusion

Avoiding the sophomore jinx deftly, the Slovenian thrashers turn out a damn fine effort.Slovenia thrashers Negligence have just released their sophomore CD, Coordinates of Confusion.  If you're not  familiar with the band, then their sound can best be described as being rooted in early 80's style thrash, albeit with a fresh, more up to date sound.  The band isn't breaking any new ground, but their music is strong enough that it doesn't matter.  Most of the songs on Coordinates are midtempo with thrash elements.  So, it has that classic 80's thrash sound where melodies are mixed in with the heaviness.  Personally, I like that they've gone to that sound, rather than going with a [more predictable] full on death/thrash type vibe.

The majority of the songs on Coordinates, start off thrashy before settling in to midtempo, heavy rockers.  The songs have a certain common formula, but they do the job.  I have to say the highlight of this band, and the CD, are the vocals of singer Alex Skofljanec.  Alex has a nice mix of gruff and clean vocals, at times reminiscent of a young James Hetfield.  The songs are well written and catchy, with some of them sounding a bit like early Metallica.  The band does a nice job of combining thrash with melody, which is most apparent on the track Addicted to Aggression.  All in all, a solid release.  I was glad to see the band didn't suffer from the sophomore jinx.  I can see this one growing on me with repeated spins.

Bottom Line:  Classic thrash played by some new schoolers.  Thrash played at a mid-tempo speed, combined with some nice melodies.  Definitely a great CD to bang your head to.

Standout Tracks: Disharmony, Addicted to Aggression, Insane Asylum and The Q Box

- Ragman is feeling a little proud right now...