Crosby, Bing - "White Christmas"

Crosby, Bing - White Christmas

2008, Universal

1. Silent Night

2. White Christmas

3. Faith of Our Fathers

4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

5. Adeste Fideles

6. I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams)

7. Jingle Bells

8. Christmas in Killarney

9. Silver Bells

10. Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)

11. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

12. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

13. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer

14. Here Comes Santa Claus

Ol' Bing... yeah... there's no way I could say anything bad about Ol' Bing. He's flippin' Bing Crosby for cryin' out loud! Along with Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, he pretty much invented Christmas music as we know it. This is a classic, no doubt about it. You know, we can make metal Christmas albums or get the latest "flavor of the month" pop star to make a Christmas album, but nothing takes you back like Ol' Bing. His cool, smooth voice, along with the simple music and simple production really strips Christmas of all the hype and commercialism and leaves what's important: fun, family, and the birth of Christ. If you fancy yourself a fan of Christmas music and you don't have one of the millions of version of this disc, go get one. Then sit back, turn off the tv, let Ol' Bing sing your troubles away.

Useless Fact: Like I said there are a million of different versions of this album. I happened to get one from Walmart in a tin with the movie Holiday Inn and a Santa hat. I know there are versions with two other CDs full of music on them... kinda wish I could've gotten that one.

Connick, Jr., Harry - "When My Heart Finds Christmas"

Connick, Jr., Harry - When My Heart Finds Christmas
1993, Columbia

1. Sleigh Ride
2. When My Heart Finds Christmas
3. (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus
4. The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day
5. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
6. The Little Drummer Boy
7. Ave Maria
8. Parade of Wooden Soldiers
9. What Child is This?
10. Christmas Dreaming
11. I Pray on Christmas
12. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
13. O Holy Night
14. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

This is another one of those Christmas CDs that's just a blast from start to finish. I usually don't love big band or New Orleans jazz much, but I sure love this disc. The originals are fresh and actually feel like "Christmas songs" if that makes any sense. This is another one of my absolute favorites.

Useless Fact: Okay, not really a fact about Harry Connick, Jr. but I find it odd that my mom will go all crazy about Michael Buble and not like Harry Connick, Jr. I just don't know how that's possible. They sound the same to me.

Various Artists - "Now That's What I Call Christmas!"

Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Christmas!

2001, UMG

Disc One:

1. Nat King Cole - "The Christmas Song"

2. Bing Crosby - "White Christmas"

3. Elvis Presley - "Blue Christmas"

4. Frank Sinatra - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

5. Tony Bennett - "Winter Wonderland"

6. Ella Fitzgerald - "Sleigh Ride"

7. Dean Martin - "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"

8. Perry Como - "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"

9. Johnny Mathis - "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

10. Burl Ives - "Holly Jolly Christmas"

11. Gene Autry - "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer"

12. Elmo & Patsy - "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

13. Brenda Lee - "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree"

14. Bobby Helms - "Jingle Bell Rock"

15. The Beach Boys - "Little Saint Nick"

16. Carpenters - "Merry Christmas Darling"

17. Kathy Mattea - "Christmas Collage"

18. Bing Crosby & David Bowie - "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth"

Disc Two:

1. John & Ono - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"

2. Bruce Springsteen - "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"

3. Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

4. Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime"

5. Michael Bolton - "Our Love is Like a Holiday"

6. Harry Connick, Jr. - "(It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus"

7. Diana Krall - "Jingle Bells"

8. Manheim Steamroller - "Away in a Manger"

9. Ottmar Liebert - "Deck the Halls"

10. Gloria Estefan - "Love on Layaway"

11. Celine Dion - "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day"

12. Joe - "This Christmas"

13. The Isley Brothers - "Special Gift"

14. The Big Yard Family - "All We Need is Love (Christmas in the Yard)

15. Britney Spears - "My Only Wish (This Year)"

16. *NSync - "You Don't Have to be Alone (On Christmas)

17. Luther Vandross - "O Come All Ye Faithful"

18. Boyz II Men - "Silent Night"

This collection has as much Christmas music as one can possibly cram onto two CDs. I'd say 3/4ths of it is pretty dang good. The first disc is solid with classics from Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett. It also has some of the sillier songs like "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer" - all by the original artists - all good. It even has Bing Crosby and David Bowie and their version of "Little Drummer Boy" which is probably my all time favorite version of that song. The second disc starts out good but ends up a fetid pile of suck by the end. I like John & Yoko, Band Aid, and I love the synth-tastic "Wonderful Christmastime." But Britney Spears? *NSync? Who the heck is the Big Yard Family?! Not to mention Gloria Estefan and Celine Dion chime in to schlock up the disc with some crappy ballads. Still, this is a a good buy for the first disc alone.

Useless Fact: There's a series of "Now" discs... but don't bother, they all suck.

Sixpence None the Richer - "The Dawn of Grace"

Sixpence None the Richer - The Dawn of Grace
2008, Nettwerk

1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. The Last Christmas
3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
4. Silent Night
5. Riu Riu Chiu
6. Carol of the Bells
7. Christmas Island
8. River
9. Christmas for Two
10. Some Children See Him

The Dawn of Grace is fast becoming one of my favorite Christmas albums. All the songs are awesome. Their takes on some of the more traditional songs are some of the best versions of those songs and the originals are great in their own right. "The Last Christmas" always makes my wife and I tear up a little. I like that that there's a few off-the-beaten-path tunes like "River" (originally by Joni Mitchell) and "Christmas Island." This is top quality Christmas music. Heck, I even like "Riu Riu Chiu" and I usually don't like foreign language songs. Steve Hindalong from The Choir helps out on a lot of the tracks and even helped write "The Last Christmas."

Useless Fact: This is the first album the band has put out since Divine Discontent. Hopefully this is a sign of new music on the horizon! Also, the vocalist from Jars of Clay sings on "Silent Night."

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - "Once Upon a Christmas"

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - Once Upon a Christmas

1987, BMG

1. I Believe in Santa Claus

2. Winter Wonderland/ Sleigh Ride

3. With Bells On

4. Christmas Without You

5. White Christmas

6. A Christmas to Remember

7. Hard Candy Christmas

8. The Greatest Gift of All

9. Once Upon a Christmas

Ahhhhh! The nostalgia gremlin strikes again! You've got to understand that my childhood was dominated by these two people because my parents listened to country ALL THE TIME. If it wasn't Kenny and Dolly it was friggin' Alabama or Ronnie Milsap. It's not really country though - it's got more of an "Islands in the Stream" adult contemporary/pop sound. Not being totally country mean it doesn't annoy the crap out of me. So... yeah... '87 and I have some good memories of mom getting ready for Christmas dinner and me playing with whatever toys I got watching TV while mom blared this. I liked it then, I like it now. There... I've said it. The stoning may commence!

Useless Fact: This was actually a TV special back when you could actually do a variety special on TV. I do remember seeing it and I've tried to YouTube it but I've never found it. Oh well... maybe somethings are better left in the past.

Various Artists - "A Very Special Christmas"

Various Artists - A Very Special Christmas

1987, A&M

1. The Pointer Sisters - "Santa Claus is Coming To Town"

2. Eurythmics - "Winter Wonderland"

3. Whitney Houston - "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

4. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - "Merry Christmas Baby"

5. The Pretenders - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

6. John Cougar Mellencamp - "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

7. Sting - "Gabriel's Message"

8. Run D.M.C. - "Christmas in Hollis"

9. U2 - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

10. Madonna - "Santa Baby"

11. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - "The Little Drummer Boy"

12. Bryan Adams - "Run Rudolph Run"

13. Bon Jovi - "I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas"

14. Alison Moyet - "Coventry Carol"

15. Stevie Nicks - "Silent Night"

Oh, man... so many good memories. I was pretty young in '87 so it's a wonder I actually remember some of this stuff. So many good songs on here though! Some of my favorites: Eurythmics' "Winter Wonderland" is probably my favorite version of that song. I've always loved the dark "Gabriel's Message." "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is pretty dang good too. Oh, and if Chuck Berry isn't singing "Run Rudolph Run" it might as well be Bryan Adams because I think he does a pretty good job. "Christmas in Hollis" is the coolest Christmas rap song ever, the video was pretty cool too if I remember. I don't care for anything Bob Seger does so his version of "Little Drummer Boy" is probably the worst of all the versions I've heard. I also can't stand Stevie Nicks doing "Silent Night" - NOBODY does that song better than Deliverance!

Useless Fact: This disc was a fund raiser for the Special Olympics. I think the proceeds still go to them if I'm not mistaken. So go out and buy one to support a good cause!

Various Artists - "We Wish You a Metal Xmas..."

Various Artists - We Wish You A Metal Xmas...

2008, Armoury

1. We Wish You a Merry Xmas

2. Run Rudolph Run

3. Santa Claws is Coming to Town

4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

5. Silver Bells

6. Little Drummer Boy

7. Santa Claus is Back in Town

8. Silent Night

9. Deck the Halls

10. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

11. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

12. Happy Xmas (War is Over)

I've been waiting for a real metal Christmas CD forever! You'd think with my affinity for metal that I would fall all over myself in praise of this disc. Sadly, that's not the case. It's pretty hit and miss for me - it's got some great tunes, some okay tunes, and some crap tunes. The great: "Little Drummer Boy" with Doug Pinnick (King's X) on vocals, "Deck the Halls," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and "Silver Bells" featuring Geoff Tate (Queensryche). These are good rockin' songs and the vocals are spot on. "Santa Claws is Coming to Town" with Alice Cooper is merely okay as is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (with Ronnie James Dio). Then there's "Run, Run Rudolph" with Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) and his voice is garbage. I know it's normally not that great but on this song it just sounds like he's mumbling through the words. I also don't care for Chuck Billy (Testament) growling through "Silent Night." We've already got the definitive metal version of that song with Deliverance. So if you're a fan of metal you can take some songs off this and make a cool Christmas playlist, but as a whole I think it's a little lacking.

Useless Fact: I think this album was born out of the Twisted Sister's Christmas album that came out the year before.

Generation - "Brutal Reality"

Generation - Brutal Reality

1993, Wonderland

1. Alive

2. Retro~vision

3. Believe in Miracles

4. I Live in Flesh

5. Revolutionism

6. Nothing to Give

7. Rm. 101

8. Still You Died

9. Chemikill

10. Hunger

11. Psalm 69 (Hidden track)

Generation sounds a lot like label mates Under Midnight. In fact, I think this was just the guy who produced Under Midnight with Bruce Franklin (Trouble, Under Midnight) on guitar. The songs aren't nearly as strong though and don't really hold my interest like UM does. It's alright I suppose but if you have some Under Midnight handy then there's no reason to listen to this.

Useless Fact: Psalm 69, the hidden track, is just someone reading Psalm 69. It's kind of annoying actually.

Galactic Cowboys - "Machine Fish"

Galactic Cowboys - Machine Fish

1996, Metal Blade

1. Feel the Rage

2. Struggle

3. Fear Not

4. Stress

5. Psychotic Companion

6. In This Life

7. Easy to Love

8. Red Sun

9. Idle Minds

10. The Lens

11. Pattin' Yourself On the Back

12. In a Lonely Room

13. 9th of June

14. Arrows

Machine Fish heralds a host of new changes for the band. New record label, new producer, new guitarist Wally Farkas (replacing Dane Sonnier). Their sound changes a little as well. There's not as much an emphasis on harmonies and progressive song writing. The focus here is on riffs and writing tighter songs, I think. There are songs like "Pattin' Yourself on the Back" and "Feel the Rage" that are probably some of the heaviest songs they've done. Unfortunately, I don't really like this one as much as the first two. I can't quite put my finger on why I don't dig this as much but I tend to shy away from it when I want my Cowboys fix. In fact, I have to say this is the last Cowboys record I really liked. After this they got farther and farther away from the metal aspect of their sounds and the riffs I liked so much in favor of a more alternative sound I think. Love "Arrows" though... it's a nice morose piano song.

Useless Fact: I found out about this album because Metal Blade somehow got my address and sent me a little card with an add for it.

Galactic Cowboys - "Space in Your Face"

Galactic Cowboys - Space In Your Face
1992, Geffin

1. Space In Your Face
2. You Make Me Smile
3. I Do What I Do
4. Circles in the Fields
5. If I Were a Killer
6. Blind
7. No Problems
8. About Mrs. Leslie
9. Where Are You Now?
10. Ranch On Mars
11. Still Life of Peace

Well lookee here, the Cowboys can actually write songs less than six minutes long! Space In Your Face is every bit as good as the debut. "Circles in the Fields" is a song about crop circles and "If I Were A Killer" is a pretty caustic anti-abortion song. I think the voice over in "Where Are You Now?" is funny.

Useless Fact: "Ranch On Mars" and "Still Life of Peace" were only available on the CD version of this album as unlisted tracks. "Ranch On Mars" is buried between tracks and "Still Life of Peace" was track 32 on the CD. The record company only wanted 9 songs... idiots! After this release I think the band crammed as many songs on their albums as they could out of spite.

Galactic Cowboys - "Galactic Cowboys"

Galactic Cowboys - Galactic Cowboys

1991, Geffin

1. I'm Not Amused

2. My School

3. Why Can't You Believe In Me?

4. Kaptain Krude

5. Someone For Everyone

6. Sea of Tranquility

7. Kill Floor

8. Pump Up the Space Suit

9. Ranch on Mars (reprise)

10. Speak to Me

The Galactic Cowboys hail from the same area as King's X and started out with a similar sound. I think the Cowboys are a good deal heavier. The distortion on their guitar is fat and thick - it almost sounds like a jet engine taking off. They've also got a little bit of a "spacey" vibe going on. They've got great harmonies too, especially on "Why Can't You Believe In Me?" and "Someone For Everyone." Love this album! Though I haven't ever made it through the ten-minute epic "Speak to Me" all the way through.

Useless Fact: The band made a video for "I'm Not Amused." I know this because I saw it when it first premiered on MTV. It was on this segment called "Crank it or Spank It" and I don't remember what the verdict was. I never saw the video after this so it must have been "spank it" which is no surprise because MTV never knows what is good.

King's X - "XV"

King's X - XV

2008, Inside Out

1. Pray

2. Blue

3. Repeating Myself

4. Rocket Ship

5. Julie

6. Alright

7. Free

8. I Just Want To Live

9. Move

10. I Don't Know

11. Stuck

12. Go Tell Somebody

13. Love and Rockets (Hell's Screaming)

14. No Lie

I have been a fan of King's X for a long time. I've bought each studio album when they came out and have usually been impressed with each one. Well, I wasn't sure about this one when it came out and I downloaded it to listen to it and see if I really liked it. Well for awhile I was pretty "meh" about the whole thing. I liked the songs but they really didn't seem to "wow" me. Then I put this disc on while at work and something clicked. I got it. For some reason all the songs and the elements came together and I said to myself, "Wow... this is a great CD." I bought shortly thereafter. So yes... this is a great CD. It's better than Ogre Tones that's for sure. There's no trace of their progressive metal/rock past but that's okay, now they just play good old hard rock...and that's alright by me!

Useless Fact: I'm not sure anyone is a Christian after listening to some of the lyrics for this one. Granted there's no angry diatribes or anything, it's more subtle. Though it does make me wonder where everyone stands these days. Still fantastic musicians no matter what! God bless them! Oh... and I'm not sure whether track 7 is supposed to be called "Broke" or "Free." It's "Broke" on my Ipod but "Free" on the CD case.

Jupiter VI - "Back From Mars"

Jupiter VI - Back From Mars

2006, Retroactive

1. Back From Mars

2. The Human Endeavor

3. Mimes XIII.II

4. Corporate Stiff

5. From Here Til Ever

6. Passions

7. In A World Of...

8. All Day and All of the Night

9. Through the Speakers (Alien Synth Mix)

10. Lucidia

11. Brand New Day

13. Zeruch Von Mars

Jupiter VI is a side project of Jimmy P. Brown from Deliverance and features a lot of old D members such as Manny Morales and Brian Khairullah. It's not metal at all but 70's glam rock like David Bowie. I like it but I don't really go back to it as much - I really have to be in the mood for this one. I think some of the lyrics are cheesy, like in "Mimes XIII.II" where he sings about seeing a kite floating in the sky and how it brings a tear to his eye. I really dig the cover of Daniel Amos' "Through the Speakers" though. And "Corporate Stiff" almost sounds like something that could have been on DA's Doppelganger.

Useless Fact: "All Day and All of the Night" is another cover by some 60's band and I can't remember who they are and I'm too lazy to look it up.

Jet Circus - "Step On It"

Jet Circus - Step On It

1991, Wonderland

1. Victory Dance

2. Rockin' Horse

3. Jet Blue

4. Step On It

5. Ghost Town

6. Break This Jail

7. Be Bop a Lula

8. Train

9. Run

10. Dress in White

Man, I love Jet Circus. If I had to put a label on their sound I guess it would be rock-a-billy fuzz metal. I know that probably doesn't tell you anything but that's the best I can think of. There is a lot of cool fuzz - especially on the bass ("Excuse me, you know God loves bass guitar!") take a track like "Jet Blue" for example. The song is backed by the low fuzzy bass with the psycho guitar over it. A drum machine handles the percussion and it gives the album a bit of a dance flavor too sometimes. There was truly nothing like this band. I even like the faux-rap song "Victory Dance." "Be Bop a Lula" is a cover from some 50's or 60's group but I can't remember the name.

Useless Fact: Apparently this CD came out once already with a different cover (it had 3 guys on it instead of 2). Oh, and the band recorded another disc titled No Mercy For the Living Dead which was never released for some stupid reason. Their latest album (that I don't have) is Look at Death Now and I think it's just Ez Gomer himself on that one.

Loeb, Lisa - "Firecracker"

Loeb, Lisa - Firecracker

1997, Geffen

1. I Do

2. Falling In Love

3. Truthfully

4. Let's Forget About It

5. How

6. Furious Rose

7. Wishing Heart

8. Dance With the Angels

9. Jake

10. This

11. Split Second

12. Firecracker

Firecracker is another great acoustic-pop album from Ms. Loeb. I don't know if I listen to this one as much as the last but I don't have any specific reason for that. This one spawned a single or to with "I Do" and "Let's Forget About It." Oh, I'll also mention, against my better judgement, that this is the hottest album cover ever. Don't worry, my wife knows!

Useless Fact: You'll notice they dropped that "Nine Stories" stuff on here. All albums after this are just Lisa Loeb.

Loeb, Lisa - "Tails"

Loeb, Lisa - Tails
1995, Geffin

1. It's Over
2. Snow Day
3. Taffy
4. When All the Stars Were Falling
5. Do You Sleep?
6. Hurricane
7. Rose-Colored Times
8. Sandalwood
9. Alone
10. Waiting For Wednesday
11. Lisa Listen
12. Garden of Delights
13. Stay

It's too band that Lisa Loeb will probably be remembered by the general public as "that girl with the glasses that sang that one song." That song being "Stay" of course. I say it's too bad because the whole album is really good. Full of pleasant acoustic pop songs that are infused with the NYC coffee-house vibe. So much so that you can almost smell the coffee brewing and hear college students talk about how they know everything! Songs like "Waiting for Wednesday" and "Rose-Colored Times" bop along at a decent pace and are perfect for long car rides. If you only know her for "Stay" I recommend you give her a chance.

Useless Fact: On this album Lisa had a band called Nine Stories but were never heard from after this. How much press do you think they got?

Leaderdogs for the Blind - "Lemonade"

Leaderdogs for the Blind - Lemonade

1995, REX

1. Yellow & Black Attack

2. Ripple

3. Better Ways

4. Fighting Gravity

5. Lemonade

6. Radiant Abyss

7. Supersaturated

8. Martin's Dream

9. The Weather

10. Sprout

Man, this is a great album. I've heard on the Firestream board that this was a "showcase" album to test out a new music studio. If that's true then I hope that studio went on to make millions of dollars because Lemonade is one cool disc. It's sort of quasi-grunge/metal with hints of industrial. They've got this monster guitar tone that just slays and makes everything sound really heavy. I also like the vocalist, not much range but he fits well with the music. This is a project of one guy who hired in a bunch of people to be on the disc.

And for those keeping tabs, this one is Christmas music to me.

Useless Fact: I guess the record company sent out little packets of lemonade with the single to promote it. That's pretty creative if you ask me.

Fluffy - "Go, Fluffy, Go!"

Fluffy - Go, Fluffy, Go!
1992, Blonde Vinyl

1. Little Finger Eye
2. Guitars, Guns, and Girls
3. Not Easy Being Me
4. Hulaville
5. Amboy Bound
6. Kiki Wombauk
7. Jessie's Girl
8. Princess
9. Crystal
10. White Trash
11. Little Finger Eye, Coda

Ugh! What happened here? I guess the band didn't want to do another punk record. Too bad, because I've never been able to get into this disc. I like "Little Finger Eye" and "Guitars, Guns, and Girls" is a fantastic song co-written by Mike Knott, but then the album turns into this droning wall of noise that is neither engaging nor memorable. Things lighten up a bit with the cool cover - "Jessie's Girl" but then it's back to the droning. When I finally got through this album I felt relieved that it was over. I think this is the direction the band pursued for the rest of their career which means there will be no more Fluffy discs on my Ipod or this site. I really wish they would have stuck with the punchy sound of the debut.

Useless Fact: These guys released one more album under the name Fluffy before changing it do Duraluxe. I haven' t heard anything beyond this disc, but if this one is any indication they all suck.

Fluffy - "Fluffy Luvs You"

Fluffy - Fluffy Luvs You

1991, Blonde Vinyl

1. Jell-O Soul

2. Life Through Death

3. Excommunicated

4. 1-16-91

5. My Proofrock

6. Re-Reactionary

7. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

8. My America

9. Glory, Glory

10. My Lord, What a Morning

11. Art

12. God Part III

An old friend and I used to joke that Blonde Vinyl would sign anybody. Fluffy's sound is sort of loud and raw "college" punk. They speed through their debut in a mere 24 minutes, but what a 24 minutes it is! They don't seem to take themselves too seriously as some of the lyrics are kind of silly and tongue in cheek. Take "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" for example: "I... I have a dog/ His name is Fluff/ He likes to go into the garage and talk to me/ He loves the Lord/ And our God is a mighty fortress he tells me." Definitely not for everyone... heck definitely not for every punk fan, but if you like the strange and wonderful this is for you. I know this is a weird thing to comment on, but I really like the tight pop on the snare drum.

Useless Fact: This band features Chris Colbert who's worked on albums by The Choir and Daniel Amos.

Various Artists - "Demolition"

Various Artists - Demolition
1992, REX

1. Thresher - "My Reality"
2. Mortal Enemy - "Exodus of Life"
3. Dodavahu - "Attitude"
4. Consecrator - "Free From Death"
5. The Unknown - "Graphic Nature"
6. Abhor Evil - "Zone Zong"
7. Hot Pink Turtle - "Glide"
8. Sardonyx - "Puppet of Beauty"
9. Immortal - "Senseless Abandon"

I've said before that I usually don't like demos, so it's a bit surprising that I absolutely LOVE this collection. That's probably because there's some great music on here. Thresher was a great metal band that never saw a proper label release and Consecrator is a searing slice of Believer-esque technical thrash. This disc also has "Glide" - the first Hot Pink Turtle song I ever heard and what initially turned me on to the band. Also, Immortal appears with "Senseless Abandon" which, if you remember, was on Circle of Dust's first album (the very first one, not the do-over). The only problem is the mastering in "Puppet of Beauty" by Sardonyx. The audio drops out during the track and it's very distracting.

Useless Fact: Out of the nine bands on here, only one (Hot Pink Turtle) went on to record a full length album with REX. Why those dang fools over at REX didn't snap up Thresher and Consecrator is beyond me. Immortal became Circle of Dust and recorded with REX though I'm not counting that because Circle wasn't thrash like Immortal was.

Various Artists - "Brow Beat: Unplugged Alternative"

Various Artists - Brow Beat: Unplugged Alternative

1993, Alarma

1. The Choir - "Wilderness"

2. Poor Old Lu - "Drenched Descent"

3. Michael Knott - "Deaf and Dumb"

4. Terry Taylor - "Will Have to Do For Now"

5. Dig Hay Zoose - "Keep Me In Mind"

6. The Throes - "Monday World"

7. Lost Dogs - "No Ship Coming In"

8. Mortal - "Bleeder"

9. LSU - "Crack"

10. Undercover - "Symbol"

11. Adam Again - "Don't Cry"

This is a nice little compilation. Some of these songs have appeared on official albums in more electric forms. All of them except "No Ship Coming In" are different enough that you won't just skip over them. Moreover there's a nice amount of songs that you can't find on any album that I know of. I think a few of them were recorded just for this comp. "Drenched Descent" is probably one of the best songs that Poor Old Lu ever did! I also like the loungey/jazz sound of "Keep Me In Mind," another exclusive. If you like any of the bands here, you'll like this disc no question.

Useless Fact: Mike Knott from LSU painted the cover. He paints a lot of covers.

Flyleaf - "Memento Mori"

Flyleaf - Memento Mori
2009, A&M

1. Beautiful Bride
2. Again
3. Chasm
4. Missing
5. This Close
6. The Kind
7. In the Dark
8. Set Apart This Dream
9. Swept Away
10. Tiny Heart
11. Melting (Interlude)
12. Treasure
13. Circle
14. Arise

I've got to hand it to Flyleaf. They had a lot of commercial success with their debut album, but even with all the success they never compromised their Christian stance. It takes some brass ones to put out an album like this these days. It's far bolder in terms of Christian themed lyrics than the last one. Take the first track "Beautiful Bride" for example: "Beautiful bride/ Body of Christ/ One flesh abiding/ Strong and unifying." Their attitude seems to be, "Yeah, we're Christian - deal with it." I can't tell you how much I respect that! Thankfully the music is backs up the lyrics just fine. Lacey's vocals have improved even though she doesn't do much growling, unfortunately. The band as really refined their sound into a swirling whirlwind of guitars and emotional, pleading hooks. They have a low end to their distortion that straddles the line between the crushing force of Korn and the groove of King's X. Yeah... I said King's X. If you're not moved by the combination of music and lyrics in songs like "Missing" and "This Close" then you have no heart. That being said there are a couple tracks that I could have done without - I don't even remember how "Circle" goes and for some reason I've never cared for "In the Dark." I will also say that the production seems a bit on the noisy side to me but that could just be the speakers in my car.

Another thing I wanted to comment on was the album's theme. The liner notes do not contain lyrics but notes from "The Commander" to the "Passerby Army" detailing their struggle with the "Dread Army" and his personal struggles with his daughter. It's cool, creative, and well-written but I kind of wish they would have printed the lyrics too. Still, this is a great record. Hopefully it won't take them four years to do another one!

Useless Fact: There's a special edition of this disc available that Walmart didn't have when I went to get it. That edition has some extra tracks on it. Shouldn't be too hard to find if you don't live in some podunk town like I do.

Flyleaf - "Flyleaf"

Flyleaf - Flyleaf

2005, Octone

1. I'm So Sick

2. Fully Alive

3. Perfect

4. Cassie

5. Sorrow

6. I'm Sorry

7. All Around Me

8. Red Sam

9. There For You

10. Breathe Today

11. So I Thought

I originally accused this band of being perceived as better than they actually were. I though that the female vocalist was really all they had and that their music wasn't very substantial without her. I think I was wrong in that assessment. Flyleaf is a great modern hard rock band. Vocalist Lacey Mosley sometimes sounds like a pissed off Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer)... oh, and she can growl. You'd think a little tiny girl growling would sound silly but she pulls it off! The rest of the band combines guitar effects and drop D power chords to churn out some pretty compelling rock songs. "Cassie" is about the girl who was supposedly martyred at Columbine.

Useless Fact: They took the growling out of "Cassie" which was present on their first EP. I wonder why? I liked it!

XL & Death Before Dishonor - "Sodom and America"

XL and Death Before Dishonor - Sodom and America

1993, Word

1. Brother to the Saboteur

2. Sodom and America

3. Kiss of Chaos

4. Death Before Dishonor

5. Don't Fool Yourself

6. My So Called Friend Death

7. Die (That Settles It!)

8. Woman

9. Fatal Blow

10. Sifting With the Sickle

11. Brink of Insanity

12. Afrocka

Long before Korn and Limp Biscrap... in the days before Crazy Town and Linkin Park, XL was doing rap and metal. I think he did it pretty well. Though this disc is a bit more thrash than it is a rap fusion. There are a lot of guests as well. Jimmy Brown from Deliverance and Super C from S.F.C. to name a few.

A young man named Joshua recently commented on my other blog about XL. He said, "I saw your review of XL & DBD, but the website wouldn’t let me comment on it. Anyay, XL (Todd Stevens) is a friend of mine. “Live from Ninevah” despite it’s title is a studio album and it’s more mainstream hard rock with no rap vocals. It reminds me a lot of Alice In Chains. XL also put out a totally rap CD, no rock at all. I also have a handful of independent CD’s and demos that he gave me. One is even his praise and worship band “Psalt”." Cool info!

Useless Fact: I guess these guys did another album called Live at Ninevah or something but I never saw hide nor hair of it.

Seraiah - "Carnival World"

Seraiah - Carnival World
1990, Pure Metal

1. Carnival World
2. Devastating Daydream
3. Hear Their Cry
4. The Nature of Things
5. No More Tears to Cry
6. Rise Up
7. You Know
8. Helpless Without You
9. Let Him Take Control
10. Fallen Heart

I was in sixth grade when this record came out. I remember because my grandfather used to take my cousin and I out to go Christmas shopping. He'd give us both $20 to buy present for everyone. Well, in true only child fashion my cousin and I bought the least expensive gifts we could find so we could get a tape with what was left over. Carnival World was one of those tapes I bought. I didn't know it at the time but these guys really do sound like early Motley Crue. I'd never heard early Motley Crue so I thought it was just good ol' fashioned metal. It's a great release with some pretty heavy songs ("Fallen Heart" for example). There's also the mandolin song "Let Him Take Control" that actually stays mandolin for the whole thing without morphing into metal. I didn't like it when I was little, but I really do now. Great disc if you can track it down.

I got to see these guys on the tour for their second album. They were pretty good, but the band that opened for them, called Evidence, was better.

Useless Fact: The band really changed direction after this disc becoming pop/rock with their second disc. Then two members went on to form Kid Promise - a laughable pop band that managed to survive for one album.

Saviour Machine - "Saviour Machine II"

Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine II

1996, Intense

1. Saviour Machine I

2. The Gates

3. Enter the Idol

4. The Hunger Circle

5. Child in Silence

6. Ascension of Heroes

7. Paradox

8. The Stand

9. American Babylon

10. Ceremony

11. Overture

12. Love Never Dies

13. Saviour Machine II

I don't like this one nearly as much as the last. It's far more piano-centric this time around. Granted there are some good guitar parts here and they take on a bit more of an eastern sounding flair. And the whole thing is way more theatrical. There are absolutely no hooks here. This is big, big music that you can't just digest in one sitting if at all. If you haven't fallen asleep after "The Stand" then my hat is off to you. After all, the song is a 15 minute lamentation about all the crap they got for the last album. If you like that sort of piano-balladry you'll probably really like this one, but if you loved the brilliant fusion of sounds from the first album you may be bored to tears here like I was. I do like "Child of Silence" though. After this the band attempted to write an EPIC EPIC EPIC series of albums about Revelation - which they haven't finished yet if I remember correctly.

Useless Fact: This was released a couple of times on different labels and even had a different cover. I put the cover I have.

Saviour Machine - "Saviour Machine"

Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine
1993/2004, Massacre

1. Carnival of Souls
2. Force of the Entity
3. Legion
4. Ludicrous Smiles
5. The Wicked Window
6. Son of the Rain
7. Killer
8. The Widow and the Bride
9. Christians and Lunatics
10. The Mask
11. A World Alone
12. Jesus Christ

Saviour Machine's first album is awesome! Full of powerful, operatic songs that are very guitar centered. There's a lot of metal riffs in this one too. The intro riff to "Killer" almost reminds me of The Lead. There's also this peculiar effect on the guitar that almost sounds like rapid picking of strings but there's no way you'd be able to pick them that way... I don't know... maybe he does - it sounds cool though. Eric Clayton's vocals are operatic and grand to fit the music. He's got a style that's a little reminiscent of David Bowie or Jimmy Brown. This is the best Saviour Machine album by far. It's the most accessible - combining the artsy, theatrical sound with something that most people can grasp. I wish they would have done more like this one...

Useless Fact: The band got a TON of crap for their theatrical stage shows and their lyrics. I guess some people just weren't comfortable with the line, "The Dragon slides between her thighs" that referenced the scripture about the Great Dragon moving in to consume the baby of the Virgin in Revelation (at least I think that's it). Also, Clayton painted his face white, wore a jewel on his head, and dressed in black robes. I guess that was just too much for some people.

Fall Out Boy - "Folie a Deux"

Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux

2008, Island

1. Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos

2. I Don't Care

3. She's My Winona

4. America's Suitehearts

5. Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet

6. The (Shipped) Gold Standard

7. (Coffee's For Closers)

8. What a Catch, Donnie

9. 27

10. Tiffany Blews

11. w.a.m.s.

12. 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

13. West Coast Smoker

Hmmm.... if you like Fall Out Boy, you'll like this. It's the same style - maybe with a few more dance/techno elements than the last albums. This one was a grower for me too like it seems like all FOB discs are. I like this better than Cork Tree but not as much as Infinity. They didn't include lyrics in this one but it sounds like it's the same crap they always write about. To tell you the truth I've had so much music around here lately that I haven't had the chance to give this one the attention that I've wanted. So I'll probably update this one again when I've listened to it more.

Useless Fact: I think there's supposed to be a Sarah Palin look alike in the "I Don't Care" video, but I don't think she really looks like Sarah Palin.

Fall Out Boy - "Infinity On High"

Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High
2007, Island

1. Thriller
2. "The Take Over, The Breaks Over"
3. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
4. I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)
5. Hum Hallelujah
6. Golden
7. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
8. Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?
9. The (After) Life of the Party
10. The Carpal Tunnel of Love
11. Bang the Doldrums
12. Fame < Infamy
13. You're Crashing, But You're No Wave
14. I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears and None On My Fingers

Okay... so the song titles are a little bit better this time. Anyway, the first time I listened to this album I didn't care for it much. I thought it was kind of hit and miss like the last one. However, one day my wife and I were coming home from a long trip and she was driving. I took the time to read the lyrics and as I did, my appreciation of this album increased exponentially. Granted, they're still pretentious and if they're not talking about failed relationships they're talking about the trappings of fame. Again... not deep - just young and stupid. That beings said there are some pretty clever turns of phrase here so I think that helped me like the music more. Almost to the point where I can say this is probably my favorite Fall Out Boy. I especially like "(Me & You)" and "Hum Hallelujah" though I'm not sure how I feel about them using God's name in a song about teen sex.

Useless Fact: The band went to Africa to film the video for "(Me & You)."

Fall Out Boy - "From Under the Cork Tree"

Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree

2005, Island

1. Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

2. Of All the Gin Joints in the World

3. Dance, Dance

4. Sugar, We're Going Down

5. Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

6. I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)

7. 7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Heaven)

8. Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year

9. Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

10. I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me

11. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"

12. Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part To Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows)

13. XO

What the heck is up with these flippin' song titles?! Ugh! Is there any reason they need to do that? It's not cool, it's not funny. It just comes off as pretentious. Of course, Fall Out Boy is a pretentious emo band so I guess this is par for the course. Despite the song titles, I do like Fall Out Boy even though they're the "trendy" band out now. What can I say? They write a good hook and have catchy songs. Their lyrics are all about soured relationships - so that's annoying. Like they think they're really deep when all they are is young and stupid. Oh well... I think this one isn't quite as good as some of the later ones which is the opposite of some critics. But I've never cared what critics think...

Useless Fact: The vocalist sucks live... like all of these emo bands.

Sardonyx - "Linear Progression"

Sardonyx - Linear Progression

2005, Lightshine

1. Sing to the Lord

2. Master and My King

3. I'm Free

4. Power Unto You

It's been a loooooong time. A long time. And all we get is a four song EP?! Man! I guess beggars can't be choosers. Still... it's good to hear some new music from these guys. The second and third tracks are a little bit lighter in style than the power metal of Majestic Serenity but it's not a sell-out or anything. "Power Unto You" is a good old power metal tune just like the band was doing ten years ago. Now for my complaints... I like "Sing to the Lord" I really do but the opening riff is a direct ripoff of Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness." I mean... I was expecting David Draimen to pop in and do his "Oooh ah-ah-ah-ah" in the beginning. Also, in "I'm Free" there's a little voice over that is a little cheesy and I think it hurts the song. If by that third song the listener isn't aware why the band made the CD then no voice over is going to help them. Though even with my little nitpicky complaints, it's still great to get some new stuff. Hopefully we won't have to wait another decade or so for the next one!

Useless Fact: The band also released this one independently. They call the sound "worship metal."

Sardonyx - "Majestic Serenity"

Sardonyx - Majestic Serenity
1992/2007, Retroactive

1. Puppet of Beauty
2. Paracletos
3. Corridor To Light
4. Short But Suite: Opus in B Flat
5. Royal Honor
6. Heavenly Throne
7. Ft. Drum
8. Holy Avenger
9. Call Upon the Master
10. Voice of the Prodigal
11. Liar
Bonus Tracks:
12. Scandal
13. Don't Chase the Rainbow
14. Bloodshed
15. Rebel of Reason

The first encounter I had with Sardonyx was when they opened for Whitecross at some school in Pennsylvania. I was impressed because they were pretty heavy and had a nice crunch to their guitars. I signed up for their newsletter and got their demo Rebel of Reason. I wore that tape out! These guys are pretty awesome. When Majestic Serenity finally came out I made sure our local Christian bookstore ordered some so I could get it. It did not disappoint. "Corridor to Light" is an amazing metal journey into the afterlife and "Royal Honor" is a cool metal worship song. I also like "Holy Avenger" and Sardonyx's answer to Metallica's "Fade to Black" called "Call Upon the Master." Granted the latter song's slow verse/heavy chorus is a little derivative but I still like it. I have the Retroactive version that's been remastered but I can't really tell the difference between this one and the old one. The cover is way better though. It's also nice to have Rebel of Reason on CD though it seems like it was pulled off a worn tape. The sound suffers on "Scandal" and "Rebel of Reason." If you haven't ever had a chance to hear these guys, now is the time to check 'em out.

One thing I really respect about these guys is their stance on ministry. They are a ministry band. Period. They weren't a bunch of guys who couldn't cut it in the secular realm, they weren't interested in becoming Christian rock stars, they just wanted to do ministry. I also liked that they bucked convention by not signing to a major label.

Useless Fact: Sardonyx funded the recording of this album themselves specifically so that when it was paid off they would be able to give it away free as a ministry resource. I think that's pretty cool.

Devin Townsend - "Ziltoid the Omniscient"

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient

2007, Inside Out

1. ZTO

2. By Your Command

3. Ziltoidia Attaxx!!

4. Solar Winds

5. Hyperdrive

6. N9

7. Planet Smasher

8. Omnidimensional Creator

9. Color Your World

10. The Greys

11. Tall Latte

Ziltoid the Omniscient tells the story of the fourth dimensional alien, Ziltoid, and his attempt to take over Earth, his search for the perfect cup of coffee, and his existential crisis. As you can probably guess this is pretty tongue and cheek, but the music is stellar. I would definitely count this among my favorites. I think is a good mix of all the sounds Devin has done over the years. There's some hooks, there's some pounding heaviness, there's some atmospheric stuff, and some pretty awesome riffs. Oh... I missed out on another two disc edition with this one. The second disc has some skits with Ziltoid on them, extra tracks, and a couple instructional videos.

Useless Fact: I thought I heard somewhere that Ziltoid was going to have his own talk show a la Space Ghost where celebrities would have to give Ziltoid reasons not to destroy earth. I wonder what happened to that idea?

Devin Townsend - "Physicist"

Devin Townsend - Physicist
2000, Inside Out

1. Namaste
2. Victim
3. Material
4. Kingdom
5. Death
6. Devoid
7. The Complex
8. Irish Maiden
9. Jupiter
10. Planet Rain
11. Forgotten (Unlisted track)

I've heard that this was Devin's attempt to make a pop-metal record. I'm not quite sure it works as that. It's too dang heavy to be pop that's for dang sure! This one took some time to grow on me. I really liked the more melodic songs like "Kingdom" and "Jupiter" but some of the other tracks are just... pounding. Like... nonstop, continuous pounding. It's grown on me some but not as much as some of the later stuff.

Useless Fact: I think this originally started out as a project between Devin and Jason Newstead from Metallica. It's too bad that original idea never materialized because I think that would've been cool.

Devin Townsend - "Terria"

Devin Townsend - Terria
2001, Inside Out

1. Olives
2. Mountain
3. Earth Day
4. Deep Peace
5. Canada
6. Down and Under
7. The Fluke
8. Nobody's Here
9. Tiny Tears
10. Stagnant
11. Humble (Unlisted track)

Okay, this is one of the two Devin discs I pull out the least. Technically, it's good, but the songs just don't resonate with me like the other albums do. I'm not sure why exactly. This is probably the most progressive of the CDs I've listened to....very Pink Floyd-esque (i.e. very atmospheric, but not very catchy). Not that that's bad... again, it just doesn't resonate with me as much as the others.

I was listening to this in the car with my wife and upon hearing the cymbal "ding" in "Olives" she started saying, "PING!" in time with the music. I couldn't tell if it was super cute or annoying. Though we are expecting a baby soon so you can draw your own conclusion. Ha ha! I know... T.M.I.!

Useless Fact: This being an Inside Out release... of course there's a two disc version with another song and some concert footage.

The Devin Townsend Band - "Accelerated Evolution"

The Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated Evolution

2003, Inside Out

Disc One:

1. Depth Charge

2. Storm

3. Random Analysis

4. Deadhead

5. Suicide

6. Traveller

7. Away

8. Sunday Afternoon

9. Slow Me Down

Disc Two: Project Eko

1. Locate

2. Echo

3. Assignable

So after I got Synchestra I got to work on checking out the ol' DT back catalogue and Accelerated Evolution was the second disc I got. It's not nearly as progressive, though it does have some trippy, psychedelic tunes like "Deadhead" and "Away." The focus here I think is on hooks and groove and it's pretty cool. The big "wall of sound" I love so much is still here though not as much. The pounding drive of "Depth Charge" gets my blood pumping and the emotional "Storm" is one of my favorite Devin tunes off of any album. I was lucky enough to score the special edition with the Project Echo CD which is an experimental electronic series of songs.

I also picked up on the fact that Devin says "As above and so below" in "Away" after all the controversy Deliverance went through with their album title of the same name.

Useless Fact: All the songs on this album have to do with relationships.

The Devin Townsend Band - "Synchestra"

The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra
2006, Inside Out

1. Let It Roll
2. Hypergeek
3. Triumph
4. Babysong
5. Vampolka
6. Vampira
7. Mental Tan
8. Gaia
9. Pixillate
10. Judgement
11. A Simple Lullaby
12. Sunset
13. Notes From Africa
14. Sunshine & Happiness (unlisted track)

This was my very first Devin Townsend album. I loved the bits he did for Ayreon's The Human Equation so when I saw this at Best Buy I decided to take a chance and get it. Boy, am I glad I did! This disc remains my favorite to this day (with the exception of the new Addicted). The Devin Townsend Band is like nothing you've ever heard before. It's heavy, melodic, crushing, beautiful, dense, atmospheric, evocative... I can't think of a way to describe it. Perhaps the closest thing would be "organized chaos." You'll hear everything - distorted guitars, keyboards, horns, odd vocal parts, and other strange noises. And it's all distilled into this thick soup of progressive rock/metal that's nothing short of awe-inspiring. Not too mention the hooks mixed in that bring the album together. I'm convinced that the music played in heaven probably sounds something like this.

Useless Fact: Some editions of this disc come with an extra DVD with the band doing some live tracks.... wish I could have gotten that one.

The Devin Townsend Project - "Addicted"

The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted

2009, Inside Out

1. Addicted!

2. Universe in a Ball!

3. Bend it Like Bender!

4. Supercrush!

5. Hyperdrive!

6. Resolve!

7. Ih-ah!

8. The Way Home!

9. Numbered!

10. Awake!

Hot on the heels of Ki comes Addicted. The absolute polar opposite of everything on Ki. Whereas that album was introspective and minimalistic, this one is a return to the "wall of sound/organized chaos" Devin is known for. This is also one of my favorite albums of 2009. Devin himself describes the album as "Ten rocking songs, no bulls**t." Devin has always had a talent for writing hooks, but he usually places them inside dense, progressive songs. I've always wondered how awesome it would be for him to just write an album full of simple songs and the results are astounding. What Devin has done is taken his heavy, epic style and in essence, produced the finest pop record ever recorded. Devin calls it "Enya-core" and that sounds like a pretty good description to me! Songs like "Bend it Like Bender!" could be played in a rave club and the ballad "Ih-Ah!" could be a hit on VH1 if it ever got played there. Of course you'll hear layers and layers of sound not unlike one of his previous albums, Synchestra. But the hooks...man, the hooks... they'll be stuck in your head for days on end. We also have the haunting vocals of Anneke Van Geirsbergen who's been on a couple Ayreon albums. She does all the vocals for this album's version of "Hyperdrive!" (originally on Ziltoid the Omniscient) and I think it's better than the original! If you're a fan of heavy, catchy music that's a blast to listen to... go buy this right now!

Useless Fact: Yes, the song titles are supposed to all have exclamation points after them.

The Devin Townsend Project - "Ki"

The Devin Townsend Project - Ki
2009, Inside Out

1. A Monday
2. Coast
3. Disruptr
4. Gato
5. Terminal
6. Heaven Send
7. Ain't Never Gonna Win...
8. Winter
9. Trainfire
10. Lady Helen
11. Ki
12. Quiet Riot
13. Demon League

The Devin Townsend Project is a cycle of four albums in which Townsend is endeavoring to create music without the influence of drugs or alcohol. Ki is a quiet introspective album - very different from the "organized chaos" of his past releases. There's no "wall of sound" here everything is subtle and understated. Just when a song like "Coast" or "Gato" threatens to pummel your head in a metal fury it cuts itself off, leading into atmospheric soundscapes like "Terminal" or "Winter." One of my favorite songs, "Trainfire" almost sounds like Elvis Presley on crack! It has a Elvis Presley/Johnny Cash sort of flair in the verses followed by a flowing and melodic chorus. Then it gets really quiet with just the guitar and female vocal... it's really awesome - makes me happy to be a music lover.

Useless Fact: The cover is supposed to be 3-D but I never got the glasses with my preorder.

One Bad Pig - "I Scream Sunday"

One Bad Pig - I Scream Sunday

1992, Myrrh

1. Take a Look at Yourself

2. You're a Pagan

3. I Scream Sunday

4. Man in Black

5. Not Love Money

6. Cut Your Hair

7. For a Good Man

8. Ice Cream Sundae

9. Bird Nest

10. Up the Nose

11. Spirit of Murder

12. Sober Up

13. Pad Thai

14. Never Forget the Cross

15. Wholly My Lord

I've always liked how One Bad Pig could present a no-holds-barred Christian message yet still have a goofey sense of humor. I Scream Sunday contains the absolute coolest song they ever did: "Man in Black." Why is it the coolest? Because Johnny Cash, the man in black himself, sings on the song. How cool is that?! The rest of the album is full of fun rock/metal songs just like the last one. Can I just reiterate that I love the guitar work on these Pig albums?

As a side note in "Take a Look at Yourself" the lyrics go, "Time to write another song/Just call it '51.'" I always wondered if that was a dig at Deliverance because of their song "23." Jimmy Brown himself has admitted to not being a shining example of Christianity when that song came out.

Useless Fact: Some of the members of One Bad Pig were actually in Lust Control when that band started. I can't remember which one's though - I think Paul Q-Pek.

One Bad Pig - "Swine Flew"

One Bad Pig - Swine Flew
1991, Myrrh

1. See Me Sweat
2. Altar Ego
3. Hey Punk
4. Red River
5. Bowl of Wrath
6. Big Stomach
7. Christmas Time
8. Judas' Kiss
9. Desperation
10. Thrash Against Sin
11. Swine Flew
12. When Your Love Died
13. We Want You

Wow... talk about a mislabeled band. One Bad Pig were billed as punk by pretty much everyone who had no idea what punk was. Sure they had the whole skating/punkish image going on and the music has some occasional punk leanings but it's really hard rock that sometimes straddles the line between metal. Oh... one reason it's not punk is that the guitar is way too awesome. There's some awesome riffs and leads that'll make your jaw drop. The Pig also pulls off some really melodic songs like "Red River" and "When Your Love Died." "Judas' Kiss" is a cool metal cover of the original Petra song. Carey Womack's vocals may take some getting used to because they're sort of a cross between the guy from The Clash and a stuck pig.

Useless Fact: The band got their name when one of the members saw a drawing of a pig on someone's hat or shirt or something and said, "Whoa, that's one bad pig!"

Klank - "Still Suffering"

Klank - Still Suffering

1996, Tooth & Nail

1. Time

2. Downside

3. Burning

4. Scarified

5. Deceived

6. Animosity

7. Fall

8. Disease

9. Leave

10. Woodensoul

Klank sounds like a more guitar-centric version of Circle of Dust. Not surprising since Klank played guitar for Circle of Dust during their concerts. I like it just fine. It's got Scott Albert's fingerprints all over it right down to the sound effects. Basically, if you like Circle of Dust, you'll probably like this too. And as you can tell by the song titles this is a bright and cheery album about rainbows and puppies and enjoying life..... NOT!

Useless Fact: The man known as Klank is also known as Dred on the Argyle Park album.

Firehouse - "Firehouse"

Firehouse - Firehouse
1990, CBS

1. Rock on the Radio
2. All She Wrote
3. Shake & Tumble
4. Don't Treat Me Bad
5. Oughta Be a Law
6. Lover's Lane
7. Home is Where the Heart Is
8. Don't Walk Away
9. Seasons of Change
10. Overnight Sensation
11. Love of a Lifetime
12. Helpless

If Europe was an example of everything that was wrong with 80's rock n' roll, then Firehouse is an example of everything that was right. Each and every song rocks the house with a monster hook. The band is technically proficient as well. In fact this whole album is a great compromise between commercial appeal and technical playing. Though I will say that "All She Wrote" sounds a little too similar to Ratt's "Round and Round."

Useless Fact: Firehouse went on to make three more albums. Not much of a fact I know but I couldn't really think of anything better. Sorry.

Fearful Symmetry - "This Sad Veil of Tears"

Fearful Symmetry - This Sad Veil of Tears
2003, Retroactive

1. White
2. Binah (The 3rd World)
3. Lead Us
4. Slipping
5. Sighs
6. Middle of Nowhere
7. Reinvent the World
8. The Law
9. Black (In the Alone)

Fearful Symmetry is a side project of Jimmy Brown from Deliverance. Instead of metal, however, this is a mix of rock, industrial, and electronica. "Lead Us" reminds me a little of Nine Inch Nails "Closer" but only because of the puffing/hissing backbeat. "Sighs" though seems like it could have been a track on Deliverance's Assimilation. I gave this CD glowing reviews the first time I wrote about it but I confess that I don't listen to this one nearly as much. I like it but I think I have to be in the right mood for it.

Useless Fact: This was originally supposed to be the new Deliverance album after Assimilation. However, I spoke with Jimmy personally and advised him that maybe he should release this under the Fearful Symmetry so as not to alienate D fans. Okay... I didn't personally talk to Jimmy Brown, I just mentioned in my pre-release review (for the old D website) that he might want to release this under the Fearful Symmetry name. It wasn't long after that that he did change it. So... I'm totally taking credit for it and you can't stop me!

Fear Not - "Fear Not"

Fear Not - Fear Not

1993, Pakaderm

1. Give It Up

2. We Have a God

3. Mr. Compromise

4. Till the End of My Days

5. Suicide Sunshine

6. Money Money

7. Easy Come Easy Go

8. There is Love

9. Mad World

10. Take Hold

Man... Fear Not missed fame by a mere three years. If this had come out in '89 or '90 Fear Not would have had a longer career. The band is basically the Christian version of Skid Row, but man, they do it well. All the guys have talent and the songs have hooks you could catch Leviathan in! I will say the songs title are kind of dumb. It's like they were trying to pick the most cliche song titles they could. "Easy Come Easy Go?" "Money Money?" Um.... "Till the End of My Days?" Yeah... pick up any rock album from the 80's and you'll see one of those titles.

Useless Fact: Fear Not used to be called Love Life and released an album called Goodbye Lady Jane. It was on Blond Vinyl records which was better known for indie post-punk bands.

Evanescence - "The Open Door"

Evanescence - The Open Door
2006, Wind-Up

1. Sweet Sacrifice
2. Call Me When You're Sober
3. Weight of the World
4. Lithium
5. Cloud Nine
6. Snow White Queen
7. Lacrymosa
8. Like You
9. Lose Control
10. The Only One
11. Your Star
12. All That I'm Living For
13. Good Enough

I like this one better than the debut. There's a little bit more variety and the sound is more mature. I like some of the intricate guitar parts in "Like You" and some of the industrial leanings in "Lose Control." "Good Enough" is a piano ballad that has... get this... MAJOR CHORDS! Man, I hope Amy Lee doesn't become all happy because then these Evanescence albums will probably suck. Another positive - every song on this disc isn't tailor made for the radio. One good thing about Ben Moody leaving was that it freed up Amy Lee to be a lot more creative and The Open Door is a lot more compelling as a result.

Useless Fact: "Snow White Queen" is about Amy Lee's experience with a stalker.

Evanescence - "Fallen"

Evanescence - Fallen
2003, Wind-Up

1. Going Under
2. Bring Me To Life (feat. Paul McCoy of 12 Stones)
3. Everybody's Fool
4. My Immortal
5. Haunted
6. Tourniquet
7. Imaginary
8. Taking Over Me
9. Hello
10. My Last Breath
11. Whisper

I remember a friend letting me borrow this CD in college because it was this new band that he discovered. Upon first listen I was really impressed. It's actually pretty heavy and Amy Lee's vocals are great as well. There's a lot of good riffs in here - I don't care if it's "commercial" or whatever - I like it! How many rock bands can pull of a girl singer AND piano? I rest my case.

Okay... now for something totally different. They have "Bring Me To Life," a pretty Christian sounding song with Paul McCoy from 12 Stones (a Christian band). Then they have "Tourniquet" which is a song from Rocky Gray's band Soul Embraced - also Christian. Then they get some fame and all of a sudden Ben Moody is saying things like "Why do people think we're Christian?" Well... that's because you WERE Christian, at least long enough to get some fame. That kind of crap annoys me. It's one thing to cross over. It's another to completely deny where you came from. Oh well... still a good album! Rant mode: off.

Useless Fact: "Everybody's Fool" is about pop princesses like Britney Spears. Amy Lee was upset that her younger sister liked them.