Queen - Greatest Video Hits

It goes without saying, that Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time.  This band was so innovative and has sculpted much of the music we listen to today.  Recently Eagle Rock Entertainment released a 2 DVD set called Greatest Video Hits, which is a solid collection of music videos from the band.  This package covers the gamut from the first videos, all the way up to The Miracle record.  Much of this material has been previously released, but for this package, the material has been remastered and remixed in 5.1 surround sound.  Not too shabby. 

A solid package that takes the fan through the various phases of the band.  This was a band that did not rest on their laurels, and was always pushing the envelope musically.  Not everything worked, but most of it did.  Very cool to see the evolution of the band during this 2 disc musical adventure.  From performance to concept videos, it's all there.  This is a nice package for the new/casual fan as well as the diehards.

Bottom Line: A video montage from one of the greats.  It truly makes you appreciate the great music these guys left us.

-Ragman wants to ride his bicycle.

Staind - Live From the Mohegan Sun (Bluray)

Hearing this one prior to the visual, had me salivating for this Bluray.  Not being the biggest fan of Staind, I probably would have never picked this one up, but with the strength of the live CD set, it was a no brainer.  When you think of Staind, you think of the slow heavy ballads, and not much else, but after the live experience, you realize that  this band is much heavier, and not just a one trick pony. 

I'm pleased to say that the Bluray holds up to the CD and provides an enjoyable concert experience.   The show is shot with a film look which looks amazing.  Granted, the band is not the most energetic group on stage, but it doesn't matter, because the music does the talking.  All in all a solid view, that is a nice accompaniment to an already strong live disc.  Get the two together and see if you can get them to sync.

Bottom Line: Nu-school metal guys proving that they are more than ballad writers.  These guys bring it live and get heavier than you would ever imagine.

-Ragman has a new respect for this band.

Cloudscape - New Era

These Southern Swedes know how to juice up the ubiquitous genre of progmetal with some cockrock style.Just when you think that you've settled into a genre, some wise guy comes along and shakes it up a little. In this case, we've got Cloudscape. This outfit out of Southern Sweden takes the standard progmetal formula and softens it with a little hard rock looseness while adding back in some death metal vocals for spice to make a potent musical recipe that goes down easy on their latest album, New Era.

And I have to say this formula kicks ass. You get the dynamics of your prog regulars like Dream Theater or Symphony X with their wailing guitar lines and powerful verse sections that builds things nicely. But then the choruses kick in with a melodic hard rock catchiness that I really like similiar to bands like Ark. And just when you're grooving on that, you hear the occasional death metal vocals floating around in the mix, reminiscient of In Flames or Scar Symmetry, that add an extra kick. Oh, and on top of all that, there's a really cool use of more industrial elements wisely made all the more effective by their judicious use. All of these elements blend perfectly into an overall sound that really sounds fresh yet familiar at the same time.

The Bottom Line: I know what I like in the way of metal music, but it's nice to have a band come around every now and then to ease you out of your comfort zone. In the hands of less talented musicians, the ambitious formula of Cloudscape would be a recipe for disaster. Hats off to these guys for making it work so well.

Tracks To Make You Wonder "Where Do They Get These Song Titles?": Silver Ending, Share Your Energy, Kingdom of Sand

- Genghis cannot stop rocking to this CD...

Witchcraft - The Alchemist

If you want old school - as in "has anybody seen the zig-zags?" - then this is the rock band for you.Seems like everywhere you turn there's a band that's hearkening back to that triple OG sound of bands from that tipping point in musical history when rock turned into metal. Some of them actually do a good job of giving you an old school sensibility with a modern sound. But few are so committed they record with all analog equipment like Witchcraft. These Swedes know how to tap into that old sound and make it sound new, and their 2007 album is being released here in America through Metal Blade Records.

The Bottom Line: This is a really authentic sounding record, but you have to go into it expecting that you're gonna hear some raw rock n' roll as if you just stepped through a time warp into the smokey 1970s. I've heard them compared to early Sabbath, but they're really more like The Doors if you ask me. All in all, if you're looking for competent, old school rock (keeping in mind this is old school), you'll prolly enjoy Witchcraft's nostalgiac extravaganza.

Tracks To Make You Want To Grow Your Sideburns Low: Walk Between The Lines, If Crimson Was Your Colour & Hey Doctor

- Genghis is wondering 'who bogarted the lighter, man?'

Ihsahn - Emertia

Norwegian-born Ihsahn is already something of a musical prodigy thanks to his band Emperor. His solo stuff is worth a look.Admittedly, I know nothing about the man behind Ihsahn's latest, Emertia. This sort of thing comes up in the music review game from time to time, where you may be reviewing artists that are totally new to you, risking the ire of long time fans that probably roll their eyes at each ignorant mention of "this band seems more progressive than technical metal". "Duh, they've been in the genre for years, man!" [Apparently, in his native country, he's been nominated for lots of awards, and helped to revitalize the metal genre with his band Emperor - which he started at the age of thirteen] So, please forgive me if I don't realize that Ihsahn is some sort of genius that I've never heard of. Cool?

With that said, I'm coming to an album with no expectations whatsoever here and what I hear is compelling. For the most part, we're dealing with modern metal with a thrashy bent (The Paranoid, 1:22), replete with heavy guitars, screaming vocals, blast beats, ripping solos, etc. But just when you think you've got it figured out, you come to a monkey wrench like the nearly 9 minute The Eagle and the Snake with its jazzy horn section and Devin Townsend-esque vocals, and you're forced to reevaluate - in a good way, mind you. As I mentioned in the beginning, fans of Ihsahn's work may be saying to themselves "Dude, the horn stuff is classic Ihsahn, jeez!", which I can understand. Just know that I like what I'm hearing.

The Bottom Line: I like it when artists can add something to a genre without being so different that it disregards its convention all together. To me, that's real genius. And when it's done this well, ending up with something very listenable like Emertia, fans of that genre can be truly excited knowing that the genre is all the richer for this experimentation and the validation that it belies.

Tracks to Get Band Nerds Turned Metalheads Excited: The Paranoid, The Eagle and the Snake, Catharsis & The Grave

- Genghis feels like he might've apologized too much on this review...