CD of the Month
  • Mudvayne
    Mudvayne
    by Mudvayne
Inspiration
  • Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground New Edition
    Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground New Edition
    by Michael Moynihan, Didrik Soderlind
  • Retribution
    Retribution
    by Shadows Fall
  • Brutal Legend
    Brutal Legend
    Electronic Arts
Tuesday
Mar202012

Mystic Prophecy - Ravenlord

Mystic Prophecy is one of those bands in which you know what you're going to get with each release: pure unadulterated heavy metal.  The band have recently released their 7th studio album Ravenlord, and the formula has not changed, and that is not a bad thing.  Even though the band has a tried and true formula, they still put out great original tunes, and this new CD is no exception.  The band thrive on the power metal sound, while dabbling in some thrash.  I tend to like their mid-tempo more than their thrashier material and this CD really catered to me.  Don't get me wrong, there is some thrashy stuff on this album, but for the record, the guys have mixed in a few more mid tempo tracks.

The CD starts in perfect fashion with the title track, which is a mid-tempo skull crusher, full of melody.  It is heavy, but a very melodic track that will stay with you.  The next track Die Now is a thrashy tune, that is not as captivating as the opener.  This one lacked the melodic side of the band I really dig.  Not a bad tune, but one of the weaker tunes on the CD.  To me, it was the midtempo tracks like the opener, Eyes of the Devil and Hollow that kicked my ass.  The cool things about these songs, is that times they remind you of classic 80's hard rock with a darker/heavier edge.  They also have a nice mix of melodic thrash tunes that kick ass as well.  Tunes like Damned Tonight, Endless Fire and Reckoning Day, are perfect examples of fast tunes with a nice does of melody.  As an added bonus their is a cover of Ozzy's Miracle Man on the album.  Not a bad version.  It is pretty close to the original, and they did it justice.  

Vocalist RD Liapakis shines all over this record.  I think this guy gets better with every new release.  That is a constant with this band, very strong musicianship.  The guitars wail and vocals soar.  Dare I say this is their best release ever, well if it isn't, it is pretty damn close.  Nice job lads!

Bottom LinePummeling power metal with a heavy edge.  Dark natured tunes (lyrically) but full of melody.

Standout Tracks: Eyes of the Devil, Hollow, Reckoning Day and Ravenlord.

-Ragman is loving this CD.

Tuesday
Mar132012

Michael Schenker Group - Rockpalast - Hardrock Legends Vol. 2

Nothing beats a classic concert.  Over the past couple of years, the folks over at Rockpalast have released some vintage footage, of some of the great heavy metal/hard rock bands of our time.  Rockpalast was the German version of American Bandstand, but with some major balls.  The latest show to be released from the vaults, thanks to MVD Visual, is a vintage show from the Michael Schenker Group.  This show was filmed in 1981 and predominantly features the band's first album.  It is a killer show which showcases MSG in their infancy.  Nothing beats these classic shows.  It is just ashame that the lineup that recorded their debut is not featured on this recording, but that being said, this is still a killer show.

The footage is from TV and looks really good.  Remember this was filmed in the early 80's, so it is not perfect, but for what it is, it is amazing.  The sound is clear as well as the video.  The best thing about this DVD is seeing Schenker in his prime.  Pretty cool seeing the band play Lost Horizon live (One of my personal faves).  The set list goes presents the first album for the most part in chronilogical order.  The end of the show features some classic UFO songs that Schenker penned.  A killer DVD which takes you back to the day.  Schenker and Co., firing on all cylinders and delivering the goods live.  This DVD is essentail for any rockers collection.

-Bottom Line: MSG in their prime, it doesn't get much better than that.

-Ragman thinks this is the best MSG DVD he has ever seen.

Tuesday
Mar132012

Hell on Earth (At Midnight All Hell Breaks Loose!)

Get your popcorn ready with a slice of cheese, because it is time for another cheesy B movie.  My latest endeavor in the B-Movie spectrum is the Horror/Comedy Hell on Earth.  Hell on Earth is about a guy named Bobby, who is handicapped and lives with his parents, sister and crazy aunt Sadie.  Bobby's parents are complete a-holes, his sister is a first rate bitch and his aunt is a total psycho.  Bobby has some imaginary friends, or are they, whom were summoned by a book of the dead, which was provided to him by his aunt.  The story line is basically that spirits and demons from the underworld are using Bobby, through the book of the dead, to pass back through the other side and release hell on earth.  Sounds complicated, doesn't it?

Hell on Earth feeds off the recent desire to mix comedy with horror.  The acting is okay, but it is what is is, in this type of flick.  The storyline is interesting and the film is actually entertaining.  The movie is low budget, but the make up and special effects are done well.  Some effects are better than others, but you have to remember this is a B-Flick.  The film is shot very well and does not look bad for a B-movie.  The plot is cool, but the acting is okay and gets a little kooky at times, but not enough to take away from the finished product.  Believe me,  this one won't be get nominated for an Oscar, but might just slip into the rotation around Halloween.

Bottom Line: B-Flick that will hold your interest.  A nice mix of comedy and horror with a little cheese on the side.

-Ragman liked this one better than he thought he would.

Tuesday
Mar132012

Almah - Motion

The boys from Brazil do what they do best - shred the hell out of some great metal tunes.I am always pleased when I see that a new Almah CD is released, since they're one of those bands that fly off the radar until new product comes around. The band is the brain child of Angra vocalist Eduardo Falaschi, and Motion marks the 3rd release of a band that really has it all: great songs, great melody and - of course - kick-ass guitars. The twin-axe attack of guitarists Marcello Barbosa and Paulo Schrober is to die for; these cats rip it up on this disc (check out the solo on Bullets on the Altar for a little Cacophony-esque type shreddage)! The coolest thing about this music is that many of these songs would hold up as instrumentals because the axe-work is so amazing.  To top it off, you have the killer vocals of Falaschi to bring everything together.

Motion is nicely varied, featuring classic power metal tunes as well as heavier tracks that lean towards the death metal genre: check out the brutal track Zombies Dictator to hear what I mean. It's a machine gun pummeling track that will leave a chill in your spine and a crick in your neck. Like the past two releases, this one picks up where the previous one left off while bringing it up a notch. The musicianship on this record is amazing.  I like this direction.  A solid release from start to finish!

The Bottom Line: Almah stepping it up a notch, getting a little heavier.  Shred-heads will wet themselves after listening to this release.

Standout Tracks: Bullets on the Altar, Days of the NewTrac of Trait and Daydream Lucidity

- Ragman hasn't air-guitared this hard in years (I think the tips of my fingers are bleeding!)

Tuesday
Mar132012

Scorpions - Comeblack

It will be a sad day when Scorpions hang it up.  The band is on top of their game live, but has suffered on their last couple of releases.  The band's last studio release, Sting of the Tail, was to be their last, but due to the inspiration that they had on the road, they decided to enter the studio and record a new CD.  Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the clock...  Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, because this is not a CD of new tracks, it is a CD full of covers and re-recordings of past hits.  Rather than pen some new ideas and record an EP, Scorpions decided to cover other artists as well as themselves.  Comeblack is an interesting pairing of classic tunes reworked as well as some interesting covers from their peers.

I have to admit that I was disappointed this was not new material, but was willing to give it a shot.  The CD starts off in fine form with the re-worked version of Rhythm of Love.  I always thought this track needed some more UMPH! and they did it here.  I was never a big fan of the original song, but the new version is much heavier and seems to flow better.  The rest of the re-worked songs are kind of a wash.  Like most bands that have re-worked their classic tunes, it always seems the original is better, which is the case here.  The covers are interesting choices but don't really blow you a way. Tainted Love and Ruby Tuesday came off interesting, but still didn't grab me.  If you're a Scorpions fan you'll see this one as a throwaway or one that will go in the collection, just to say you have it.

Bottom Line: It would be ashame if this were the last recording from the band.  It was bad enough  when I though Sting of the Tail was it, but now with this one, it seems that the band has sank down one more notch.  Thank God the new 3-D Movie rocks.

Standout Tracks: Rhythm of Love, Tainted Love and Ruby Tuesday.

-Ragman is hoping that the band will do one more kick ass record before they hang it up.