House of Lords - Big Money

You gotta hand to to James Christian, because he has kept House of Lords running on and off for over almost 20 years  James took the reins in 2000, when the band reformed and has really taken control ever since.  James is the only original member left, but that has not tarnished the name whatsoever, because the band has continually put out solid music.   Since their reunion, the band has put out 5 studio albums, with their latest entitiled Big Money.  HOL records are pretty much hit or miss since their reunion, but for the most part, they have been hits.  The last few records Come to My Kingdom and Cartesian Dreams, were very solid and basically put the band back on the AOR/Hard Rock map.  Big Money marks the band's 8th studio recording.

Big Money is a throw back to the late 80's early 90's, but without some of the punch.  The CD is not band and there are some standout tracks, but unfortunately there are a fair share of duds included as well.  Unlike the two previous releases, not every track is solid.  The songs on Big Money have a late 80's early 90's feel, but that is about it.  About half of the songs on the record seem dated and are just not strong enough to grab you by the yin yang. Don't get me wrong, there are some strong tracks like Hologram and One Man Down, that will kick your ass, but it's the mediocre tunes that bring this relase down for me.  It is unfortunate because I'm a really big fan, but for some reason or another, this one just didn't grab me.

Bottom Line: HOL going though the motions on this one.  The vocals are strongs, the ripping is superb, but the songs, for the most part are just average.

Standout Tracks: Hologram, One Man Down, Blood and Someday When.

-Ragman was is pain writing this one, because it hurt.

Charred Walls of the Damned - Cold Winds on Timeless Days

I was pretty excited when I heard that Charred Wall of the Damned was releasing their sophomore effort Cold Winds on Timeless Days on Metal Blade Records.  I was a big fan of their self titled debut, so when this one was released I ran right to the CD player to put it in.  The record starts off a little slow with the track Timesless Days which almost has an Aerosmithish intro ala Dream On, before kicking in.  This record picks up where the last one left off, but with a little less gusto.  It took me until the 3rd track Zerospan before I started really digging my teeth into this one.  This CD is a little more of the same, but on a high note, it does dive into more of a power metal vibe than the first one, which pleased me.

The songs are well written for the most part, but in some instances, certain tunes began to drone on, which started to loose me.  I found that this occurred primarily at the beginning of the disk, with the exception of Zerospan.  The latter part of the disk definitely contains the stronger material.  The songs are classic power metal with some thrash thrown in for good measure.  There is a nice variety on the record, which kept the CD interesting, but it was the songs that lacked substance, that took away from the overall product.  It was refreshing to see that Richard Christie (Ex-Death, Iced Earth) re-assembled the line up form the first record, to record this second opus.  All in all, not a bad record, but not a great one either.

Bottom Line: Charred Walls suffering from a bit of the sophomore jinks.  There are some exciting things happening on this record, but just not enough of them.  Had this one trimmed some of the fat, it could have been a contender for CD of the year.

Standout Tracks: Zerospan, The Beast Outside My Window, Bloodworm and Admire the Heroes

-Ragman wonders how Richard faired on Halloween.

Thin Lizzy - Live in London

To say I was disappointed that John Sykes left Thin Lizzy, would be the understatement of the year (Well at least in 2009).  Being such a Sykes fan, it was hard to accept that he was out, and a new incarnation would carry on without him.  Once Sykes left Scott Gorham recruited Vivian Campbell (Dio, Riverdogs and Def Leppard) to fill the missing axe roll as well as Ricky Warwick (The Almighty) to take over the vacant vocal slot.  If you're not familiar with Warwick, he was with the band The Almighty, back in the 90's.  The band had moderate success but never really made an impact.  Warwick's vocal style, at least in Lizzy, is very close to Phil Lynott's.  Just like many of the classic band's from that era, as they carry on, they move away from any sort of new identity and stick to the old sound, at least vocally.  Hence, the addition of Warwick. 

I was prepared to scrutinize this new line up, but knew in the back of my mind it would be great, because Gorham, wouldn't have it any other way.  I had seen some footage of the band, fan shot, but never got a true idea of how the band would sound, until their new release Live in London.  The band sound really good and Warwick is solid doing his Lynott style vocals.  The band is tight which made this release an enjoyable listen.  This won't replace the classic Live and Dangerous, but will fill the void of no new material from the band.  The songs are updated with current production techniques, but do not hold the same magic as only the original lineup could produce.  The band did a nice job on tracks like Are You Ready and Dancing in the Moonlight.  The set list is standard Lizzy and should make any diehard happy.

Bottom Line: The latest incarnation of Lizzy killing it live.  With Sykes out of the band there is a new dynamic to the band, which takes them back to the classic sound. 

Standout Tracks: Dancing in the Moonlight, Jailbreak, Still In Love With You and Are You Ready.

-Ragman wonders if there wil be a new studio record from the band at some point in time.

Jim Florentine - Cringe "N" Purge

Hot off the heels of the success from VH-1 Classic's - That Metal Show, Jim Florentine has just released his comedy album Cringe "N" Purge on Metal Blade Records.  Florentine and his TMS counterpart Don Jamieson were both signed to MB this year for the first ever comedy releases on the label.  Unfortunately Jamieson's release was disappointing, so hopefully Florentine has more in his arsenal than his counterpart.

Florentine's release starts off strong and finishes strong without a hiccup.  The jokes are funny, racy and totally offensive; all the ingredients for a solid effort.  Jim's brand of comedy is on the lines of the great Andrew "Dice" Clay, but in his own style.  Jim touches on his metal side, but does not make it totally prevalent in his act.  I know a lot of us know him from TMS, but the dude has been on the circuit for awhile, and is known more for his comedy than his love of metal.  I like that he didn't use that as a crutch during his act, and stuck to the jokes about his family, and his jokes about kids.  This CD had me rolling in several parts.  My only critique is that is was hard to hear him at times.  It seemed like he was stepping away from the mike and then he would come back in, which made it more audible.

Bottom Line: Some of the best racy comedy I have heard in a while.  Jim showing his game outside of TMS and succeeding.

-Ragman had his reservations about this one, but then was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Anterior - Echoes of the Fallen

It is hard to believe that it has been 4 years since Anterior's debut record on Metal Blade Records.  Anterior was a shining star, which stuck out in 2007, and I vowed to follow them, if they were to make it to a second recording.  Their sophomore release Echoes of the Fallen, picks up where their debut The Age of Silence left off.  These guys are all about the Swedish Death Metal, even though they're a British band.  The sound is that of the great At The Gates, but with a modern twist.  The songs are well structured and the musicianship is out of this world. 

Guitarist's Leon Kemp and Steven Nixon are absolutely amazing.  These guys rip like no other.  Their intricate rhythms matched with their melodic solos will have any guitar aficionado creaming their pants.  These guys are monsters.  The vocals by Luke Davies are your standard death growls, which do not venture into clean territory.  Unlike many of the bands in the genre today, Anterior has decided to keep the gutteral vocals and have resisted the clean style.  The music is so strong on this release, that the vocals don't really matter.  All in all, a solid release that will stay in the rotation for awhile.

Bottom Line: Anterior are back and do not suffer from the sophomore jinks.  The new CD actually surpasses the debut, which is a tough thing to do.  Solid melodic death metal with guitars for days.  Gets better with each listen.

Standout Tracks:  By Horror Haunted, Blood in the Throne Room, Sleep Soundly, No More and Venomous.

-Ragman's fingers are tired from air guitaring.