Lance Lopez - Handmade Music

Lance may be one of the best kept secrets in the Texas blues scene. If that's your bag, you must check this guy out live.Texas is known for a lot of things, but the one of which we're likely most proud (from a musical standpoint) is our wealth of great blues players - enough to have our own subgenre like Chicago, or [Mississippi] Delta blues. Legends such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Albert Collins, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy Gibbons are just a few that come to mind, but the list goes on, with new bluesmen steadily coming along.

Enter Lance Lopez. Technically, he's not from Texas, but his sound is well-grounded in the kind of blues that Texas is known for; traditional blues themes and progressions covered in a thick layer of fiery rock bravado. When you see him, he's a formidible person, but hearing him is even more impressive, as his blues chops are undeniable, and they come with an equally energizing voice and personality - seriously, you could power a dozen Chevy Volts on this guy's energy. And being that his strength is as a live performer, it's natural that the production on the album tried to capture that feeling to reasonable success.

But the guitar work on the album is what a lot of people are likely to be drawn to, and while it's good, when it comes to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, there is a restraint that adds to the performance that Lopez doesn't always manage here. The album actually starts out with the most blistering solo work on the ZZ Top-flavored Come Back Home (1:21) that's simply too much too fast (particularly for a guy that's been playing live since he was 14), followed by the Eric Gales-ish Hard Time where it seems to fit better. As the album goes on, the soloing becomes more tasteful in places and it's then that you can tell this guy could be the next big thing for Texas blues. If Lance can contain himself a bit - something that perhaps comes with age - he could really be a star.

The Bottom Line: Lance Lopez is poised to be another in a long, proud line of estimable Texas bluesmen with more talent than the state has highways. If you haven't heard of him by now, you need to check out this album and get on the bandwagon.

Tracks to Enjoy While Ordering a Few Ice-cold Longnecks: Get Out and Walk, Your Love, Black Cat Moan, Lowdown Ways 

- Genghis really wants to plug in to his Stratocaster and let 'er rip...

Malice - New Breed of Godz

I gotta say, I get pretty geeked when bands I dug in the 80's re-unite years later.  The latest band to get back together is the lesser known Malice.  It amazes me when bands like Malice re-form, because you always wonder what type of audience they'll be able to command.  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but I just wonder how feasible it is to do this in today's economy. 

Malice was supposed to be the next big thing when their debut, In the Beginning, dropped back in 1985, but unfortunately it didn't break them.  Their follow up, the highly underrated License to Kill, didn't gain them much ground either.  I think they were too heavy at that point to fit in the hair metal movement, and not heavy enough to fit in with the emerging thrash movement.  They were one of those tweener bands that didn't get their due, because they didn't fall into the flavor of the moment.  The band released 2 full length albums and one EP before calling it a day in 1989.  The band re-united, well sort of, in 2006 and have just released their first new album in 23 years New Breed of Godz.

As with most reunions, it is tough to get the original line up back together, which was the case for Malice.  The most noticeable piece of the puzzle, not to return, was vocalist James Neal.  Not sure why Neal was not a part of the reunion, but to replace him, the band have recruited Helstar vocalist James Rivera.  Another casualty was drummer Cliff Carothers, who is now replaced by Black N Blue drummer Pete Holmes.  The encouraging thing for me was that guitarists Jay Reynolds and Mick Zane were still involved.

New Breed of Godz is a mix of 8 re-recorded tunes, along with 4 brand new studio tracks.  Not sure why bands do this, unless they are just looking at a way to re-introduce the old tracks to a new fan base.  The band hand picked some of the stronger tracks from their first 2 releases and handed over the mic to Rivera to do his magic.  Unfortunately for me, it was a bit let down.  I'm a big fan of Rivera, in Helstar, but I don't think he is a good fit for Malice, especially on the re-recorded songs.   James' voice is so unique, that when he sings the classic songs, they coming off like sounding like a mellower Helstar.

The 4 new tracks are okay, but again sound like Helstar.  The only new song to really move me was the opening track New Breed of Godz, but that was about it.  The remaining 3 new tracks come off a little stale and tired.  Not sure if they were newly penned, or tracks that have been laying around for the last 20 years.  The one positive thing I can say about the record, is the guitar playing from Reynolds and Zane rocks.  I was always a fan of this duo and was bummed that I never got to see them develop over an extended period of time.  At least they are back now and we'll have them until this reunion fizzles.  I hope I don't sound to coarse with this one, but I have to call as a I hear it.  Being a fan of both entities it was tough, because on their own they are stellar, but together, I'm not sure it works that well.

Bottome Line:  Reunion falls a little flat.  A band trying to re-capture some of their past glory, but with a new lineup.  Classic songs re-worked with an added bonus of 4 new tracks.  Unfortunately the whole thing comes off a little stale.

Standout Tracks: New Breed of Godz, Against the Empire and Stellar Masters.

-Ragman this one kinda hurt.

Mollo Martin - The Third Cage

It is hard to believe, but it has been 10 years since vocalist Tony Martin (Ex-Black Sabbath) and guitar maestro Dario Mollo have collaborated.  The 2 joined forces in the late 90's and have just released their 3rd album entitled The Third Cage.  As you might have expected, the music is is heavy ala Black Sabbath era Martin, along with some more poppier tunes.  The Third Cage is a nice mix of both styles and may prove to be the duo's strongest release yet.  Dare I say this is the strongest thing I have heard Tony do in awhile, yes I do. 

The CD starts off in fine form with the lead single Wicked World, which is a mid tempo heavy rocker.   It is a melodic rocker that really sets the tone for the record.  It has an infectious chorus that commands you to sing along.  The CD has a nice flow mixing melody along with solid heavy tunes.  I would say this albums leans on the heavier side with tracks like Still in Love with You and Wardance, but also lightens things up with the AOR-esque Don't Know What it is About You and One of the Few.  A solid mix nonetheless.  To top all of that off, both musicians are at the top of their game.  I would have to say this is the strongest record of their 3 releases.

Bottom Line:  A must for fans of Tony Martin era Black Sabbath.  Sabbathy sounding tunes with lots of melody mixed with a bit of an AOR vibe.  Also, did I mention the sick guitar playing from Dario Mollo?

Standout Tracks: Still in Love With You, Oh My Soul, Don't Know What it is About You and Wardance.

-Ragman could air guitar to this one all day.

Patrick Hemer - More Than Meets The Eye

The obvious Transformers jokes have no place here; there is just some seriously great metal waiting for you on this CD.One of the reasons you get into the metals is for the incredible guitar, right? Well, that's one of my reasons anyway. A big part of what got me into metal in my earlier years was listening to various guitarists putting out their stuff in the 90s (and thank you, Mike Varney) So, I'm always down with a good guitar-based album to jam to while I take care of whatever I gotta take care of during my day. It just makes the menial things of the day easier to tolerate.

So, here we are with one Patrick Hemer, guitarist extrodinaire. I mused recently about who is in the new guard of master studio musicians, and apparently, Patrick is one of those guys. What is it about session guitarists that seem to end up as lead singer and guitarist for their own awesome metal bands? Like Dan Huff and Michael Thompson before him, Patrick Hemer has released his own CD, More Than Meets The Eye, and the simple fact is this is a great guitar album. Hemer's gots chops for days, and it's good to say that he displays them tastefully within the context of well-written, meat and potatoes metal (as Rags would say), with glorious nods to the progressive and power metal stylings of bands like Symphony X or Malmsteen. With the majority of the album's tracks going over the five minute mark, you get a healthy dose of Patrick's 7-string fretboard wizardry (beautiful overdriven tone, by the way), including some Bettencourtesque riffage on Edge of Insanity (3:30) and Legend In Your Own Mind, some killer harmonized runs on the intro to For All Eternity (0:14) and Firelight, the grand scale (a la Blue Murder's Valley of the Kings) of Panem Et Circenses - the list goes on for the ingredients of a satisfying metal meal. Holy shit, this album kicks ass, with some very respectable vocals from Patrick and a great rhythm section in Tom Wagner (drums) and David Casanova (keyboards). Crank this one up.

The Bottom Line: I don't know what's in the water over at Studio Musician University, but more people need to go there and put out albums like this one. Patrick Hemer has been a well-kept guitar secret for far too long. All I can say is MORE, MORE, MORE!

Tracks That Make You Look At Your Neglected Guitar Shamefully: Firelight and Terra Incognita (the two instrumentals on this CD are fucking awesome) - and the entire rest of the album.

- Genghis had everybody looking funny at him while air guitaring to Firelight like a man possessed...

The Magnificent (self-titled)

These guys have earned their name. Their Scandinavian brand of guitar-driven melodic rock is...well, you know.Man, I love me some melodic rock bands. And I mean like old school stuff, with lush choruses and sweet, shredding solos - and hair teased up bigger than a Texas debutante. I'm not saying it's Beethoven or anything, but like your favorite dessert, you don't question the intellectual merits of it, you just savor it with a satisfied smile.

The Magnificent is a Scandinavian band (with members from Norway to Finland) made up of two talented dudes with a common love of this genre of music. Michael Eriksen (vocalist for Circus Maximus) and Torsti Spoof (guitarist/producer for Leverage) have made a damn fine album of melodic rock tunes that evoke the best of bands like Nation, Harem Scarem, or even Joe Lynn Turner-led Malmsteen (Cheated By Love especially evokes some Yngwie-esque riffage).

The Bottom Line: European bands know how to make some kick ass melodic rock, so put on your spandex, unbutton your pirate shirt, and get ready to air guitar your ass off with The Magnificent.

Aquanet-soaked Tracks: Satin & Lace, Love's On The Line, Cheated By Love and Tired of Dreaming (holy shit this song is good!)

- Genghis has never needed hair spray to get his hair all big...