Van Halen – Women And Children First (1980) (Remastered 2015)

Van Halen – Women And Children First (1980) (Remastered) (2015)

Van Halen – Women And Children First (1980) (Remastered) (2015) “Women and Children First” was the third studio album by the American rock band Van Halen, released on March 26, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Generally speaking, the third album of a band it’s crucial, while the first might be an accident and the second a sequel of that, the third generally proves if that band have something to say or they never really had. In the particular case of Van Halen, “Women and Children First” was really a turning point of their career and the moment when the boys grown up and became men. “Women and Children First” rocks your s*it off. Literally. And their both previous albums were hard as a rock!
Kerrang! magazine listed the album at #30 among the “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time”. If you never heard the duo of “Tora! Tora!”/”Loss Of Control” you have definitively wasted your life or you’re in the wrong place! Or if you never had partying on “Could This Be Magic?”. “Tora! Tora!” it’s blacker then Black Sabbath and “Take Your Whiskey Home” bring the blues to a brand new level of… aggression. Not to mention “And The Cradle Will Rock…” which is an absolutely rock classic!
My mom had this one on vinyl, “Loss Of Control” and “Everybody Wants Some!!” were among my favorite songs beside “Rapid Fire” (by Judas Priest) and “Ace of Spades” (by Motorhead) – all of them songs of 1980!! Afterward I bought “Fair Warning” as well. The rest is history! Read more Van Halen – Women And Children First (1980) (Remastered 2015)

AC/DC – Rock or Bust (2014)

AC/DC - Rock or Bust (2014)

AC/DC - Rock or Bust (2014) Who would believed that there will be a fifteenth AC/DC album in 2014 on 19 February 1980? With a serious six year gap since the release of their previous album, “Black Ice”, and repeated rumors regarding their eminent retirement, nobody really expected one more AC/DC album. But damn, if Rolling Stones managed to celebrated their 50th anniversary in the summer of 2012, it would be a serious treason if the Australian rockers would not have their 40th anniversary with a world tour in 2015! Still in school-uniform outfit, Angus is 59 years old!!
At under 35 minutes, it is the shortest studio album ever released by the band, two minutes shorter than their previous shortest album, “Flick of the Switch”, which was released back in 1983. Looking at the song titles – Rock the Blues Away, Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder, Rock or Bust, Rock the House, Play Ball, Baptism by Fire – it is definitively a genuine AC/DC album: everything just stay the same as it ever was. And – obviously – that’s what most of their fans expect from them. I think bringing in someone like DJ Lethal – for instance – or any other creative fresh mind and not some fancy assh*le like Sonny John Moore (aka. Skrillex), would be a nice touch, but then again, experiments are always involve high level of risk and these guys and their hardcore audience are extremely conservative. Don’t worry guys, the album consist of only good-old Rock’N’Roll!!
The only change is Malcolm and Angus’ nephew Stevie Young replacing Malcolm Young who seems to be seriously ill and unable to perform. Read more AC/DC – Rock or Bust (2014)

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Democracy, Live at the Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas (2014)

Appetite for Democracy

Appetite for Democracy This was a series of concerts started on October 31, 2012 by Guns N’ Roses celebrating 25 years from the release of their 28 million copies worldwide selling album “Appetite for Destruction” (1987), album which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, including the super-hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, their only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; and four years since the release of their latest album “Chinese Democracy” (2008). The last of this shows was on June 7, 2014 in The Joint at Las Vegas, also part of their second residency at The Joint titled “No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction” consisted in 9 shows.
Produced by Barry Summers from Rock Fuel Media was filmed live at The Joint at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas on November 21, 2012, and it was filmed entirely in Full HD/3D. The recording includes 25 songs, all the classic Guns N’ Roses hits, but also a few surprises as the guitar solo and track by guitarist Tommy Stinson or the Pink Floyd cover “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2”. 2 hours and 43 minutes of wild, irresistible Guns N’ Roses. Read more Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Democracy, Live at the Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas (2014)

Massive – Full Throttle (2014)

Massive - Full Throttle (2014)

Massive - Full Throttle (2014) While AC/DC is about retirement, Australia seems to find – finally – their new rock’n’roll Gods. In a world of hybrid and alternative musics, a world of fakes and imitations, a world of consume and (tasteless) products, it’s both eccentric and refreshing to hear some good old fashioned guitar riffs and neat, but goddamn exciting rock’n’roll grooves, screams and pounding drums.
And this is what Massive it’s all about. High-octane, rock’n’roll flavored hard rock. A little bit of AC/DC, some powerful Led Zeppelin riffs, the energy of Guns’N’Roses with the true blood hard rock melodies of Darkness, and the result it’s explosive and deadly. “One by One” will raise the dead and it will ringing in your ears for days once it gets into your system. This is truly infectious! Maybe they didn’t re-invent the rock, but they do it right!
Probably since “Appetite for Destruction” we didn’t have something so ferocious and irresistible. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s go to the motherf*ckin’ dancefloor!! Read more Massive – Full Throttle (2014)

Deep Purple – Now What (2013)

Deep Purple Now What 2013 A band formed 45 years ago are getting to their 19th studio album and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide, including 7.5 million certified units in the US. If this isn’t a true hard rock legend, don’t know what it is.
Drummer Ian Paice was there from the beginnings in ’68, bass player Roger Glover and singer Ian Gillan joined the band for the first time in ’69, guitarist Steve Morse replaced Ritchie Blackmore in ’94 after the band was refused by the touring replacement of Blackmore, the legendary Joe Satriani. Don Airey joined in 2002, when founding member, keyboard player Jon Lord announced his amicable retirement from the band.
I heard the single “All The Time In The World” for the first time and as result, I almost skipped the album. It’s a quite tasteless, mediocre, forgettable single, pretty bad choice I think. Fortunately I was curious enough and I had the time and the patience to listen into the whole album and I was pleasantly surprised. Read more Deep Purple – Now What (2013)

Junkyard Birds – Freewheeling Free Will (2012)

The kickstarter “High Heels And Leather Boots” reminds me of Iggy’s “The Passenger”, it’s an enjoyable ride, although it’s a genuine, “bad to the bone”, wicked and dirty, garage Rock anthem. And Iggy’s name, the reflection of his wild spirit returns here and there along the album. But more present it’s the ghost of Lemmy, with roots back to Hawkwind and wings spread out to Motörhead.
Junkyard Birds find their own noisy path of raw, loud and distorted Rock perfumed with Blues resonances and turning into Psychedelic and Stoner shades. Fans of MC5 or Stooges, as well as fans of Blue Oyster Cult, Hawkwind or Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet will definitively gonna enjoy the ride along Junkyard Birds. But sometimes they reminded me of Cathedral too. Read more Junkyard Birds – Freewheeling Free Will (2012)

Adler – Back From The Dead (2012)

Adler? Sounds familiar, kind of from a million years ago. Adler, Adler… Hell yeah, Steven Adler, the former GUNS N’ ROSES drummer who was fired on July 11, 1990 during the recording session of “Use Your Illusion” because of his cocaine and heroin addiction.
He managed to record “Civil War” only for the album, although Adler featuring on the infamous “Appetite for Destruction” (1987) and “G N’ R Lies” (1988). “The Most Dangerous Band in the World” were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, their first year of eligibility, featuring both Adler and his replacement Matt Sorum, but also keyboard player Dizzy Reed.
After G’N’R he reformed his old band Road Crew and briefly joined BulletBoys, which both proved unsuccessful. During the 2000s, Adler was the drummer and frontman of his own band Adler’s Appetite playing mainly G’N’R songs from the “Appetite for Destruction” era. Released a self-titled EP through the band’s official website in 2005, featuring Ratt singer Jizzy Pearl, former Slash’s Snakepit guitarist Keri Kelli, and former Ratt bassist Robbie Crane.
But this new band and new album are actually really a back from the dead attempt from this restless guy. Read more Adler – Back From The Dead (2012)

Kiss – Monster (2012)

Kiss – Monster (2012) If I say this is the best Kiss album in decades, nobody will believe me, but folks, this is the naked, monstrous, true. And what it’s even more monstrous it’s the fact that Kiss are still more ferocious then 99.9% of the self proclaimed Metal-whatever, mainly “core”, bands nowadays. And dudes, we’re talking about a band active since 1973 and this is their 20th studio album so far. And honestly, their previous “Sonic Boom”, released 3 years ago, was also an absolutely fair and classy Kiss material, an ass-kicker mixture of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. “Monster” sounds even better, sounds as a perfect mix between two of their classic albums, the 1976’s “Destroyer”, respectively the 1992’s “Revenge”.
Sebastian Bach’s – former Skid Row vocalist – reaction regarding one of the new Kiss songs, “The Devil Is Me”, saying “it kicks TOTAL ASS!!” it’s not surprising and not exaggerated. Kiss gonna kick your ass off, or eat your heart out if you’re a girl. 😀 Read more Kiss – Monster (2012)

Re-Machined. A Tribute To Deep Purple’s Machine Head (2012)

I was one year and seven month years old when “Machine Head” was released by EMI for Europe and Japan, respectively Warner Bros. Records for U.S.A. My mom had and spanned this record back then and those vinyls had their magic charm, trust me! My love for music came mainly because of those vinyl records, those 12-inch covers and those scratches! Not missing my mom’s soup, but my mom’s record collection!
On the 40th anniversary of releasing “Machine Head”, Eagle Records will be released on October 1 this tribute album including nine plus one bonus track album alining artists such as Chickenfoot, Metallica, The Flaming Lips, Iron Maiden, Black Label Society, Glenn Hughes with Chad Smith, Carlos Santana with Jacoby Shaddix (of Papa Roach), Jimmy Barnes, Kings of Chaos and a collaboration of Steve Vai with Glenn Hughes with Chad Smith. Not a particular fan, but still sucker for their “Burn My Eyes” album, I think Robb Flynn’s Machine Head should be definitively on this album, but, unfortunately, they aren’t. Imagine a “Highway Star” performed by Flynn’s killing machine! Not that Chickenfoot didn’t managed well the task, but… Read more Re-Machined. A Tribute To Deep Purple’s Machine Head (2012)

The Darkness – Hot Cakes (2012)

“One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready…” So, this is the third installment from the Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK based Glam Rock band, The Darkness. Not a piece of cake considering the troubled history of the group, but a hot cake – hopefully!
The Darkness rose to fame even before singing their first record deal, sold 1.5 million copies only in the UK of their 2003’s debut album ” Permission to Land”, disbanded due serious alcohol and cocaine issues in 2006 soon after releasing their second album “One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back”, but reunite with all of the original members in 2011 and their third album is set for release on August 20, 2012 in the United Kingdom and on August 21, 2012 in North America. Read more The Darkness – Hot Cakes (2012)