Detritus
Issue #298
Week of November 29, 2004
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Tim Wadzinski, Editor
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake
vongoober@...
http://www.vongoober.com/

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*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
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-Remember when we were hitting upwards of 30 press releases each week?
That wasn't *that* long ago, was it? This week we only have seven. I
mean, sure I brought back the "News/Rumors" section recently which
cuts down on press releases a bit, but wow what a drop-off. Not really
complaining, just observing. :)

-Now in my current playlist: Enertia - FORCE (Animated Insanity),
Jesse Damon - NOTHIN' ELSE MATTERS (Z), Jet Motor Crash - PERSONAL
SPACE (Mastodon Infantry), Hanzel Und Gretyl - Scheissmessiah
(Metropolis). - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-Gulcher Records Holiday Sale!!!

WHERE ARE THE CAPTAIN TRIP CD'S??

Captain Trip Japanese import titles are now being handled by our
friends at Slippy Town! Now through December 31, 2004, take 20% off
any Captain Trip titles you purchase there! Just mention the "Gulcher
20% Deal" and they'll take care of you!

http://www.slippytown.com/

SALE AT GULCHER TOO!!!

In addition, take 20% off all your Gulcher purchases through the end
of 2004!! Just e-mail us a list of the items you want from our list
below, and we'll reply with your total, including shipping charges and
payment instructions. Low, low shipping rates for multiple items to
most countries! Gulcher accepts payment via PayPal, your personal
check or money order, Western Union BidPay, or well-concealed cash (at
your risk). Direct e-mail orders only please; subject to availability.

GulcherRecords@...

GULCHER CDs:
($12 each except as noted)
The Gizmos/Rock & Roll Don't Come From New York
Thundertrain/Hell Tonite!
Red Glance/Swirls Away
Screamin' Mee-Mees/Garbage Collage
Angel Corpus Christi/The 80's
Various Reindeer/Xmas Snertz: Have A Very Gulcher Christmas!
Angel Corpus Christi/Accordion Pop, Vol. 1
Screamin' Mee-Mees/Live From The Basement 1975-1997
The Retreads/Highway To Helsinki
Crawlspace/Law Where Prohibited By Void
Angel Corpus Christi/Divine Healer
Bill McCarter+Stalingrad Symphony/Secrets+Struggle
Various Artists/Simply Good Taste--The Sounds Of Slippy Town
Wooldridge Brothers/The Unreel Hits
Thundertrain/Teenage Suicide
The Dancing Cigarettes/1980-1981: The Gulcher Recordings
The Afrika Korps/Live At Cantone's 1977
Walking Ruins/Fall Of The House Of Ruin
MX-80 Sound/1977 Live At The Library 1978
The Gizmos/1978-1981: Never Mind The Gizmos Here's The Gizmos
The Afrika Korps/Music To Kill By
Various Hoosiers/Red Snerts--The Sound Of Gulcher
The Panics/1980-1981: I Wanna Kill My Mom!!!
The Gizmos/The Midwest Can Be Allright--1981 NYC Demos CD-EP $8
The Gizmos/1975-77: Demos & Rehearsals Double-CD $16
The Gizmos/1976-77: The Studio Recordings

COMING SOON ON GULCHER:
Chinaboise/The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Korps/Hello World!
Gynocologists/Feces & Psychopaths

VULCHER ITALIAN VINYL:
Gynocologists/Bukkake Hit Parade LP (Rave Up/Italy) $14
Thundertrain/Teenage Suicide LP (Rockin' Bones/Italy) $15
The Afrika Korps/Music To Kill By LP (with bonus 7" EP) $16
Various Hoosiers/Red Snerts--The Sound Of Gulcher LP $14
The Panics/Please Panic!! LP (20 tracks) $15
The Gizmos/1976 Rockabilly Yobs Session 12" EP (9 tracks) $12
The Gizmos/1976-77 Studio Recordings LP (first 3 EPs + 1 outtake) $15
The Gizmos/1976 Outtakes 7" (three 1976 outtakes) $8

GULCHER MAGAZINE (mid-70s fanzine):
Gulcher Magazine #3 (San Francisco Sound) $20
Gulcher Magazine #4 (Gizmos Issue) $20
Gulcher Magazine #5 (Crazy World Of Arthur Brown) $20
Gulcher Magazine #6 (Reggae Issue) $20
Beyond Our Control #3 (pre-Gulcher fanzine; 1974) $25

SLIPPY TOWN CDR SERIES:
($10 each except as noted)
The Gizmos/Raw First Takes 1977
The Screamin' Mee-Mees & Hot Scott Fischer/You're Now In Our World:
Warp Sessions 1972
The Screamin' Mee-Mees/Clutching Hand Monster Mitt
The Screamin' Mee-Mees/Nude Invisible Foot Phenomenon
Not A Sonata (Bruce Cole & Lance Ashline)
Coffee & Bruce Cole/'^' '(?¿?)' '^' CDR-EP $6.50
The Screamin' Mee-Mees/Prenatal 1972-1976

GULCHER RELATED:
Social Climbers/Social Climbers LP (Hoboken Records) $25
Walking Ruins/"Man In The Middle" (+3) 7" EP (Ruined Records; pic
sleeve) $6
MX-80/I've Seen Enough CD (Atavistic) $12
MX-80/Always Leave 'Em Wanting Less CD (Atavistic) $12
Dancing Cigarettes/School Of Secret Music (1980-83) CD (Turnstyle) $12
Sator/Barbie-Q-Killers CD (WEA/Sweden; with Gizmos cover) $15
Kenne Highland & His Vatican Sex Kittens/Be More Flamboyant! CD
(Stanton Park) $12

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-Sweden Rock: First Bands Confirmed!

We can now proudly present the first bands confirmed for Sweden Rock
Festival 2005.

Tickets will be on sale from wednesday December 1st (more information
about how to buy tickets outside Sweden on our homepage:
http://www.swedenrock.com/ )

In all we will present about 55 bands at Sweden Rock festival 2005.

ACCEPT (D)
One of the hottest metal re-unions and the first headliner of Sweden
Rock 2005. Udo Dirkschneider has been busy with his U.D.O. and Wolf
Hoffmann has become a full time photographer. Now they have again
gathered the band that rocked the foundations of metal with classics
like "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild", "Princess Of The Dawn"
and öf curtz "Fast As A Shark". For some nice foreplay, check out the
band's DVD "Metal Blast From The Past", which was released 2002. This
is the band's only show in Scandinavia, and will probably show on the
Richter scale.
http://www.acceptarchive.com/

KANSAS (US)
The forefathers of progressive har rock will finally hit Sweden. They
haven't been here since 1978, so it's about time! The band was formed
in 1972, after various constellations and name changes. The debut was
released in 1975 and on their third album "Leftoverture" they had
their first major hit with the song "Carry On Wayward Son". The band
did not exactly belong to the more mainline genre with their intricate
progressive rock which also included electric violin. The band's next
hit was the acoustic ballad "Dust In The Wind", which peaked at number
6 on the 1978 US charts. A row of albums followed and with them some
member changes which saw names like Steve Morse, John Elefante and
David Ragsdale pass. Today's Kansas, who have now released a number of
albums, consists of Steve Walsh on vocals, Phil Ehart on drums, Robby
Steinhardt on violin, Billy Greer on bass and Rich Williams on guitar.
The band's only performance in Scandinavia.
http://www.kansasband.com/

DIO (US)
The forfather of hard rock, the man who invented the sign which is for
hard rockers what the V-sign was for Churchill, the fist for the Black
Panthers and the index finger for the hip-hoppers. He created history
in bands like Elf, Rainbow and Black Sabbath, besides the band named
after himself. The new album "Master Of The Moon", released in August
2004, sounds like Dio always has and shall sound. Straight,
traditional and uncomplicated hard rock.
http://www.ronniejamesdio.com/

SAXON (UK)
One of the NWoBHM-era's first and biggest bands, besides one of the
most persistant and high quality ones. A band that also still kicks
out an unforgettable live show. Saxon does not only put their trust in
old merits like "Denim & Leather", "Strong Arm Of The Law" and "The
Power And The Glory", but keep on pumping out album after album with
new, fresh and power loaded heavy metal. The latest effort,
"Lionheart", was yet another praised album that helps the band keep
their spot at the top.
http://www.saxon747.com/

MAGNUM (UK)
Magnum made their debut in the era of Saxon, Iron Maiden and were
often bundled together with the ongoing New Wave Of British Heavy
Metal. Not really their perfect company as Magnum were more influenced
by the progressive and symphonic rock, which showed on the early
classics to be; "Kingdom Of Madness", "Magnum II" and "Marauder".
After a number of albums they split in 1995, after which singer Bob
Catley and guitarist Tony Clarkin formed the band Hard Rain. Catley
also released a bunch of solo albums. In 2001 the boys decided to pick
up the fallen flag and once again put Magnum on the musical map. The
band's latest album "Brand New Morning", as well as their show at
Sweden Rock a few years ago, shows the band still rules the kingdom of
madness!
http://www.hard-rain.demon.co.uk/

BLACKFOOT (US)
This year's first slab of southern rock comes from the re-united
Blackfoot. Since Ricky Medlocke is fully occupied with Skynyrd, it's
his former side-kick Bobby Barth that takes over the vocals. The rest
of the band consists of the classic line-up featuring Greg T Walker,
Jackson Spires and Charlie Hargrett. In other words the very boys that
delivered killer albums like "Tomcattin", "Marauder" and the classic
"Highway Song - Live".

HAMMERFALL (S)
Sweden's biggest heavy metal band are just about to release their
fifth album, the follow-up of "Crimson Thunder". Naturally Sweden's
biggest metal festival shall also feature Sweden's biggest heavy metal
export! Sharpen your studs, polish the leather, stretch the spandex
and raise your fists to the sky! HammerFall equals - Heavy metal in
the night!
http://www.hammerfall.net/

NAZARETH (UK)
Nazareth was one of the bands featured on the bill of the first
festival in 1992. Their popularity hasn't decreased since and they
sure haven't slowed down either. We're talking classic hard rock with
an impressive pack of hits in their resumé - "Love Hurts",
"Razamanaz", "My White Bicycle" and "Dream On", to name a few. Dan
MacCafferty is still fronting the band, flanked by Pete Agnew, Jimmy
Murrison and Lee Agnew.
http://www.nazarethdirect.co.uk/

STYX (US)
Yet another of the big seventies melodic and slightly progressive
bands will finally hit Swedish turf. Tommy Shaw, James "JY" Young and
Chuck Panozzo flanked by Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky
Phillips. The band's latest studio album "Cyclorama" (2003) shows the
old heroes that once rocked in "Blue Collar Man" and "Miss America" on
one hand, and smoothed in "Babe" and "Boat On The River", still can
deliver 100%. For a preview, check out "21st Century Live", a combined
CD+DVD recorded last year. The band's only show in Scandinavia.
http://www.styxworld.com/

ROBIN TROWER (CAN)
Goodies for all fans of heavy, guitar oriented blues rock! Robin
Trower has produced classic albums such as "Twise Removed From
Yesterday", "Bridge Of Sighs" and "Victims Of The Fury", which should
be part of any blues connoisseur's collection. His songs have been
covered by for instance Swedish guitarist Micke "Nord" Andersson, as
well as Dokken guitarist George Lynch. Trower recorded a live album in
Sweden in 1976, maybe it's time again?
http://www.trowerpower.com/

HELIX (CAN)
Canada has always meant quality, good melodies and ballsy rock. Well,
I guess that sounds like a pretty good description of Helix! The band
was formed in 1975 by singer Brian Vollmer. The album "Long Way To
Heaven" went in on a pretty impressive number 14 on the Swedish chart,
a list which also "Walkin' The Razor's Edge" entered. So, if you're
ready to rock - Gimme an R? gimme an O? The only show in Europe.
http://www.planethelix.com/

VIXEN (US)
Vixen was formed in the eighties by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund. The band
released two albums with hits such as "Edge of a Broken Heart" and
"Cryin'" before they split. In 2002 Jan decided to resurrect Vixen,
now featuring singer Jenna Sanz-Agero, drummer Kat Kraft and bass
player Lynn Louise Lowery. After a successful tour with the "Voices of
Metal" they returned to Los Angeles to begin workin on new material. A
sample of the new track "Little Voice" can be found on the band's
website.
http://www.vixenrock.com/

SONATA ARCTICA (FIN)
Sonata Arctica was formed in 1996 and released their first album
"Ecliptica" three years later. They have toured with bands like
Rhapsody and Stratovarius, plus opened for Alice Cooper. Their latest
and fourth album "Reckoning Night" went up to a second place on the
Finnish chart. Stylewise the band roam in the same musical landscape
as fellow countrymen Stratovrius, i.e. melodic power metal with class
and a twist.
http://www.sonataarctica.info/

SHAKRA (CH)
Swiss band Shakra is one in the row of new, heavy melodic acts that
helps make the flood of releases interesting. The band released their
eponymous debut in 1998 and followed it up with the highly acclaimed
"Moving Force" the year after. In 2003 the band's fourth album
"Rising" was released, now featuring new front man Mark Fox, a high
caliber throat indeed! If you're into heavy, guitar driven melodic
hard rock, whatever you do - do not miss Shakra!
http://www.shakra.ch/

HELLFUELED (S)
After a praised debut and a successful tour supporting Europe, we're
proud tp present Sweden's Hellfueled at Sweden Rock. Power loaded hard
rock with a touch of Zakk Wylde in the guitar department and a singer
that could be Ozzy's kid brother. Ought to be a good time for the band
to present some new interesting material at the festival, don't you
think?
http://www.hellfueled.com/

MORGANA LEFAY (S)
Spendrups Stage
http://www.lefay.org/

SATANIC SLAUGHTER (S)
Spendrups Stage
http://hem.passagen.se/ztefdark/

SYMPHORCE (D)
Spendrups Stage
http://www.symphorce.net/

CRYSTAL EYES (S)
Spendrups Stage
http://www.crystaleyes.net/

A.C.T (S)
Spendrups Stage
http://www.actworld.nu/

THYRFING (S)
Spendrups Stage
http://www.thyrfing.com/

For more information about Sweden Rock Festival, please visit our
excellent homepage:
http://www.swedenrock.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-David Neil Cline, Flying In A Cloud Of Controversy Demo

DETROIT, MI -- After two years in the studio, David Neil Cline and his
band have just released a four song Demo of brand new material soon to
be released on their up-coming CD entitled: FLYING IN A CLOUD OF
CONTROVERSY.

The career of David Neil Cline rides that strange border just beyond
stardom at the outer edges of cult status. The vinyl records he put
out in the late '80s/early '90s are avidly collected today. Listed in
several record collector price guides they fetch upwards of a hundred
dollars a copy. The lawsuits that stymied his early record deals and
sidelined his distribution, didn't hamper his artistic output in
either quality or intensity. To this day his work attracts fans with
sophisticated heavier tastes. As a singer/songwriter, David is often
driven by anger (ie: GOVERNMENTAL BRAINWASH, GOING POSTAL, ROAD RAGE)
but in a focused way reminiscent of the great '60s protest songs. None
of this explains why David Neil Cline has been so well received in so
many non-English speaking countries. Both his collectable vinyl
records and copies of his previous CD (Thorough Scrutiny) are being
snapped up in ever increasing numbers by his growing legion of
converts overseas. The song FATE OF PAIN from the Thorough Scrutiny CD
has recently been used in a Canadian movie soundtrack called Stupid
People Do Stupid Things, Disarray From The Bay (A Damien Gilbert
Production.)

David's CDs can be purchased exclusively at CDbaby.com. Free MP3s of
songs from his earlier material plus MP3 clips of the new material,
bio, reviews and photos can be found at his web site:
http://davidneilcline.com/ .

Gazochtahagen Records
(810) 622-0506
davidneilcline@...

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-Marten Andersson Newsletter

The Official Newsletter Of Marten Andersson

Bass Player From Starwood, Lizzy Borden, George Lynch Group, Legacy,
And More...

November 29, 2004

Hey Everybody!! I am checking in from Stockholm, Sweden. I had the
opportunity to attend the kick off party for next year's "Swedish Rock
Festival" this weekend. Let me tell you, there is some big time
hardcore metal heads here. There were 2000 people cramped in this
small club and another 600 people standing outside in the freezing
snowy weather, trying to get in. I had a quick meeting with the
promoter of the festival, hopefully we get the opportunity to play
this festival, it would be so cool. This is not only one of the
biggest hardrock festivals in Europe who always have great bands on
the bill but it's also somewhat of a homecoming for me.

Speaking of live shows, as you might know we kicked off the Starwood
live show at the House of Blues/Los Angeles (with UFO) a couple of
weeks ago. Thanks to all our friends that showed up.

We are starting the filming of the second Starwood video very shortly.
This time its for the song "All My Girlfriends have Boyfriends". We
are also doing another live show in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks.
(more info coming soon).

I am doing a bass clinic in Stockholm this week. If there are any
crazy maniacs who want to attend the clinic check out the website at
http://www.marten.cc/ for more info.

Keep the mail coming. I'll see you up front.

Best, Always!

http://www.marten.cc/

NEWS!

Marten Talks Bass Gear
Marten Andersson talks Bass gear
http://www.legacylive.com/press/marten_interview_8stringbass.htm

30 Questions..
30 Questions with Marten Andersson by Whiplash Rock Magazine Brazil
http://www.legacylive.com/press/marten_interview_whiplashrock.htm

Legacy CD Review by sleaze-metal
You have such culture here it is like Clapton meets Yngwie mixed in
with Yes and Jazz bassist Stanley Clark. I am not a instrumental fan
but this is one of the best I heard. Song nine My last sunrise is a
killer tune. I can see more coming from this band in the future. (Read
More at http://www.legacylive.com/press/legacy_review_sleaze-metal.htm
)

Radio Interview
Marten and Lizzy of Starwood were on the Rock and a Hard Place Radio
program to talk about their new album "If It Aint Broke, Break It!",
out on Metal Blade. Click http://www.legacylive.com/review.htm to
listen to the conversation (Windows Media).

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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-Sleaszy Rider Records Proudly Announce:

Dreamlike Horror, the project of Aphazel and Deadly Kristin of the
well-known Ancient, sign with Sleaszy Rider and their debut
"Delightful Suicides" will be released on 15 March 2005. It is a
horror/atmospheric project, a very decadent, melancholic album with
mysterious atmosphere. The band has recorded 5 songs at 2000 in a dark
and humid medieval house, in a half abandoned and decadent medieval
yard in Italy and so you all can imagine the inspiration for the
song's writing. Dreamlike Horror are now in the final recordings of 5
more tracks, so we will have to do with a complete masterpiece!

Sleaszy Rider got the rights of Ancient's "Det Glemte Riket" (that was
official released from Hammerheart at 1999 and incl. unreleased
tracks, the "Trolltaar" album, plus other rarities) and soon will re-
release it, and also Ancient's first demo "Eerily Howling Winds" of
1993! It will be released on cd soon with 5 bonus/unreleased tracks
from the beginning of the band's career under the title "Eerily
Howling Winds-The Antediluvian Tapes"!

The Lust from Russia inked a deal with Sleaszy Rider and their second
album, "My Dear Emptiness" will be released on 15 January 2005. The
Lust, that started their musical career under the moniker Lust Embrace
(which they didn't keep for too long), released in February 2004 their
debut album "Tangled" from the biggest there is Russian label Fono
Records. During the period that these lines are written, the band is
in Phantom Pain Studios in Saint Petersbourg, where they record "My
Dear Emptiness". They will be visiting on 16 December The Prophecys
Studio in Kempten, Germany, for the mixing and mastering procedures,
that they will be done by R.D. Liapakis, singer of Mystic Prophecy.
The group that plays atmospheric and modern death metal (somewhere
between Theatre of Tragedy's "Aegis" and "Assembly"), has as its
mascot, their female singer Mirla who is at the age of 16!!! More news
on them will follow soon enough...

The Athenian melodic heavy/power metallers Overload have signed a deal
with Sleaszy Rider and their debut "Never Again" will be released
pretty soon. The album was prepared about 5 years ago, but if you will
listen to the final result, you will understand the good work that
took place here! An absolutely catchy/melodic album for all the
Stratovarius, Helloween and Sonata Arctica fans! Keep your ears open
for a new album that will kick your ass!

Hannibal, the new band of Alex "Hannibal" Balakakis, ex-singer of
Power Crue and Spitfire (Spitfire were the supporting act of Iron
Maiden when they played live in Athens in1999), signed a deal with
Sleaszy Rider and their debut "This Is U" will be released on 15
January 2005. At the moment the final mixes of their album are taking
place. Their style is something between Marylin Manson and Monster
Magnet: modern, catchy and melodic metal with industrial and stoner
rock elements, made in USA! You will be able to check the band out
soon enough in the FireHouse tribute cd, where Hannibal participate
and they covered excellently the song "Don't Treat Me Bad".

COMING SOON:
THE LUST - "My Dear Emptiness" (15.1.2005)
HEDON CRIES - "Affliction's Fiction" (15.1.2005)
WINDFALL - "Infector" (15.1.2005)
DEVA NOCTUA ENTROPIA - "Monde Sinking Daimio" (15.2.2005)
HANNIBAL - "This Is U" (15.2.2005)
OVERLOAD - "Never Again" (15.2.2005)
ANCIENT - "Det Glemte Riket" re-release (15.2.2005)
ANCIENT - "Eerily Howling Winds-The Antediluvian Tapes" (15.3.2005)
DREAMLIKE HORROR - "Delightful Suicides" (15.3.2005)
SOUND OF SILENCE - t.b.a. (15.4.2005)

Sleaszy Rider Records
Gardiki Acheronta
46031 Greece
http://www.sleaszyrider.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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-Dates Announced On Candlelight Label Tour

Entombed/Crowbar/Pro-Pain/The Mighty Nimbus

PHILADELPHIA -- Candlelight Records announces initial confirmed dates
on the label's recently noted first label tour of the US. Featuring
Entombed, Crowbar, Pro-Pain and introducing The Mighty Nimbus, the
tour will kick off on the eve of the stateside release of Crowbar's
new album, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden and the self-titled debut
from The Mighty Nimbus.

Dates and venues confirmed as of press time include:

February 7 - B.B. Kings Blues Club, New York NY
February 8 - Jaxx Nite Club, Springfield VA
February 9 - Trocadero Theater, Philadelphia PA
February 11 - Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY
February 12 - The Chance, Poughkeepsie NY
February 14 - House of Blues, Cleveland OH
February 15 - Joe's, Chicago IL
February 16 - Ascot Room, Minneapolis MN
February 17 - Ranch Bowl, Omaha NE
February 18 - Gothic Theater, Englewood CO
February 19 - Lo Fi Cafe, Salt Lake City UT
February 21 - Fat Tuesday's, Spokane WA
February 22 - Graceland, Seattle WA
February 23 - Sabala's @ Mt. Tabor Theater, Portland OR
February 26 - House of Blues, Los Angeles CA

Additional date are expected to be added.

http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-Candlemass Confirmed To Play At Bang Your Head!!! 10th Anniversary
Festival

Sweden's finest (and recently re-reunited) Doomheads are confirmed to
play at Bang Your Head!!! 2005 festival. The event is set to take
place in Germany at the Messegelände of Balingen on the 24th and 25th
of June.

Bang Your Head!!! 2005 will be the 10th Bang Your Head!!! in a row and
is therefore themed "The Best of ten Years". To celebrate this
anniversary, the festival's organizers invited the most popular acts
of all former events, among them prominent names like Twisted Sister,
Dio and Motorhead. Alongside 22 acts that have rocked the festival's
stage before, another well-known very special guest will be invited.

The list of artists set to perform at the Bang Your Head!!! festival
2005 at Balingen, Germany, 24th/25th of June:

TWISTED SISTER
MOTÖRHEAD
DIO
SAXON
DORO
SEBASTIAN BACH
GAMMA RAY
NEVERMORE
KROKUS
AXEL RUDI PELL
DESTRUCTION
AMON AMARTH
TANKARD
CANDLEMASS
JAG PANZER
EXCITER
NASTY SAVAGE
VICIOUS RUMORS
DEMON

+ 3 more popular acts
+ 1 very special guest

All further details about the Bang Your Head!!! may be found at the
BYH!!! homepage at http://www.bang-your-head.de/ .

Tickets are availaible at ticket-hotline (+49-74 57-9 13 93) and via
homepage http://www.bang-your-head.de/ . Prices are 59, - Euro (plus
shipping) at presales. Tickets are limited to a number of 20000. By
this it the organisators want to ensure that the special and relaxed
atmosphere of the event won't suffer.

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and former vocalist Glenn Hughes
are reportedly set to work on another album together, which will be
their third collaboration after Sabbath's SEVENTH STAR and the Iommi
With Glenn Hughes release THE 1996 DEP SESSIONS. In related news,
Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has a track called "Light Up The Candles
(Let There Be Peace Tonight)" available at http://www.billward.com/
until January 1.

-There's a new Blue Oyster Cult-themed cookbook called _We're Cookin'
For You_. Compiled/edited by Kira Dwyer, it features "78 pages filled
with over 170 delicious family and old favorite recipes from BOC fans
around the world. Most renamed after song titles or lyrics and many
given a humorous BOC twist that only the fans of the world's greatest
band can! And scattered amongst all the recipes, are BOC related
memories shared by fans themselves, making this the most original and
unique cookbook ever!" Sample dish names include "Hot Wings To Hell,"
"O.D.'d On Fudge Itself," and "Chili's On Flame With Rock & Roll." All
proceeds from the sale of the $10 book will benefit the "Get A Fan To
A Show" Fund, which will help one or more fans get to a Blue Oyster
Cult show sometime in 2005. See http://www.bocfanscookbook.com/ or
contact thebocfans-cookbook@... for more on the book and the
fund.

-Cosmo's Moon has four newly-recorded live tracks on-line at
http://www.myspace.com/cosmosmoon/ .

-Germany's Deadsoil will tour the US in February with Reflux, Calico
System, and The Warriors as follows:
2/10 - TBA, Sacramento, CA
2/11 - TBA, San Francisco, CA
2/12 - TBA, Fresno, CA
2/13 - TBA, Bakersfield, CA
2/14 - TBA, Lancaster, CA
2/15 - TBA, San Diego, CA
2/16 - TBA, Hollywood, CA
2/17 - TBA, Ventura, CA
2/18 - TBA, Anaheim, CA
2/19 - TBA, South Gate, CA
2/20 - TBA, Las Vegas, NV
2/22 - TBA, Albuquerque, NM
2/23 - TBA, Tulsa, OK
2/24 - El Torreon, Kansas City, MO
2/25 - Creepy Crawl, St. Louis, MO
2/26 - Shorewood Legion Hall, Milwaukee, WI
2/27 - Emerson Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Prior to the tour the band will play Zeche Carl in Essen, Germany, on
December 7 with Madball, and Moritzbastei in Leipzig, Germany, on
January 28 with Heaven Shall Burn. The band will also shoot a video
for the song "History Retold" this month. See http://www.deadsoil.net/
for more.

-The End Records release schedule for 2005: 1/18 - Darkthrone's
SARDONIC WRATH (Moonfog/The End), Yyrkoon's OCCULT MEDICINE(Osmose/The
End), Chris Caffery - FACES/THE DAMN WAR (digi-pak) (Black Lotus); 2/8
- Franctic Bleep's THE SENSE APPARATUS; 2/22 - Oathean's FADING AWAY
INTO NOTHINGNESS; spring - newies from Epoch Of Unlight, Novembers
Doom, Crisis (DVD), and Antimatter. See http://www.theendrecords.com/
for more.

-Freak is a new(?) hard rock band from Argentina with a Web site at
http://www.freakheavy.8k.com/ .

-Headless Cross is a new "emerging British metal act" that compares
its sound to that of Testament, Iced Earth, Metal Church, Overkill,
Vicous Rumours, and Savatage. Sound clips are available now at
http://www.headless-cross.co.uk/ , and the band has an EP out.

-Judas Priest and special guests Scorpions will play the following UK
dates in March:
3/16 - 3/17 - Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
3/19 - NEC, Birmingham, UK
3/21 - 3/22 - Apollo, Manchester, UK
3/24 - King's Hall, Belfast, UK
3/26 - SECC, Glasgow, UK
3/27 - Arena, Newcastle, UK
3/30 - Arena, Cardiff, UK
3/31 - Pavillions, Plymouth, UK
See http://www.judaspriest.com/ for more.

-Law And Order's comeback album THE GLASS HOUSE is due January 5 on Z
Records. Track list: "Sold," "When It All Comes Down," "Blind Guides,"
"The Pouring," "Like Animals," "Never Satisfied," "In The Middle,"
"Memphis," "The Pain Is Gone," "The Crushing Weight," "Four Walls,"
"Recognized." See http://www.zrecords.net/ for more.

-TotalRock.com reported the store at Manowar.com has an unusual
special deal going: During this holiday season if you spend over $150
you will receive free domestic shipping plus a "Free Exclusive MANOWAR
Chocolate Ingot" that is "the size of a gold bar right out of Fort
Knox comprised of pure custom made chocolate fudge with the MANOWAR
logo branded across the bar." No joke. Check it out at
http://www.manowar.com/fudge/ .

-Early next year Motley Crue will reportedly release RED, WHITE AND
CRUE, a new compilation with "at least one new song," according to
TotalRock.com.

-Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, and an opening band are set to tour North
America next year as follows:
4/18 - Quest Club, Minneapolis, MN
4/20 - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
4/21 - House Of Blues, Cleveland, OH
4/23 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA (New England Metal And Hardcore
Festival)
4/25 - B.B. King's, New York, NY
4/26 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
5/8 - Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
5/10 - ShowBox, Seattle, WA
More dates will be added.

-Upcoming Nuclear Blast USA release schedule: 1/25 - Agnostic Front's
ANOTHER VOICE and the "Alone In The Dark" OST; 2/8 - Sonata Arctica's
RECKONING NIGHT, Samael's REIGN OF LIGHT, and The Apocalyptic Riders'
SAMURAI; 2/22 - Pungent Stench's AMPEAUTY; 3/8 - Soilwork's STABBING
THE DRAMA. See http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/ for more.

-Salem's videos for "A Moment Of Silence" and "Creating Our Sins" are
now both available for download at http://www.salemband.com/ . The
videos are from the band's LIVE DEMISE DVD.

-Neal Schon (Journey) will release a new instrumental solo album
called I ON U on Favored Nations in February.

-Shadowside's debut full-length release THEATRE OF SHADOWS is
currently being mixed Fábio Haddad at LCM Studio in São Paulo, Brazil,
and will be mastered by Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark.
The disc should surface next summer. See http://www.shadowside.com.br/
for more.

-Starwood will play a free show on Tuesday, December 14, at the Whisky
A Go-Go in Hollywood, CA, for the Metal Blade Records Christmas party.
Doors open at 9 p.m. and Starwood will hit the stage at 10:15. See
http://www.starwood-band.com/ for more.

-TotalRock.com reported Waysted and M.ill.ion will play the following
UK dates next year:
1/20 - Stables, Milton Keynes, UK
1/21 - Park, Newcastle, UK
1/22 - Point, Cardiff, UK
1/27 - Brook, Southampton, UK
1/?? - Mean Fiddler, London, UK
More dates should be added soon.

Thanks to Jacob H. Christ, matias_freak@..., Dave Silver,
Mark Valentino, Dave Brenner, Mike Clark, zrtenenb@...,
and Costábile Salzano, Jr. for help gathering some of this
information.

*
*** FROM THE MEGA-VAULT ***
*
by Keith Abt (keithabt@...)

-This Week: "NIGHT OF THE LIVING OLD GUYS"

Greetings once again from the Mega-Vault compound, located deep in the
wilds of New Jersey! It's been a few weeks since I last assaulted your
in-boxes, so I've got quite a heap o' DVDs and discs to review this
time out. Rather than take up even more precious space than usual, I'm
going to keep the introductory blather to a minimum this week and let
the music do the talking. Roll 'em!

...Since I'm the Resident Ramones Geek on the Detritus staff, I guess
it would be obvious that I couldn't wait to check out the RAMONES RAW
DVD (Image Entertainment), which came out only a few weeks after the
tragic passing of Johnny Ramone. Much of the material on this DVD came
from private footage shot by drummer Marky Ramone with his own hand-
held video camera during the band's worldwide touring in the late '80s
and '90s, but like most "home movies," some of it is fascinating but
much of it is unfortunately quite mundane. The scenes of overzealous
South American fans gathering outside the band's hotels or crowding
around their tour vans (Some of the faithful actually chase the van
down the street in one clip, and even try clinging to the windows!)
are fun to watch (especially since the band never saw much of this
kind of fanaticism in the US), but the program does get bogged down by
seemingly dozens of clips that begin "Hey, how ya doin', this is (name
of band member), we're in (name of city/country), here's the view from
my hotel room, we're going to get somethin' to eat." After a while I
began to know how Bart Simpson felt when Aunt Patty and Selma came to
his house armed with hundreds of their vacation slides. Thankfully the
travelogues are broken up with lots of backstage shenanigans (young
bassist C-Jay is quite the comedian!), interviews, and lots of never-
before-seen live footage, which are the true treasures of this
collection. Believe it or not, the "bonus features" turned out to be
more interesting than much of the main program, compiling tons of rare
TV appearances from a variety of sources, including Howard Stern's
early '90s late-night show on WWOR-TV in New Jersey, "The Uncle Floyd
Show" (Jersey's infamous no-budget public-access variety show), and a
rather bizarre children's program called "Steampipe Alley," where the
Ramones line up after a short interview to hit the host in the face
with pies. (I wonder if any of the little kids sitting around during
the "Steampipe" interview even knew who the band was...) The comedy
sketches from the USA Network's "Up All Night" show featuring Gilbert
Gottfried as "The Fifth Ramone" are a treat as well, but the real
prize is the half-hour concert special, "I Ramones," which was shot in
Rome during the band's END OF THE CENTURY tour, aired on Italian TV
and was lost in the network's vaults until now. Seeing the youthful
Ramones tear it up on stage is worth the price of the DVD all by
itself, even if the interview segment is still dubbed over in Italian
and the song titles thrown up on screen during the show are wrong half
of the time. :-) You diehard Ramones fans will find much to enjoy on
RAMONES RAW, even if you will have to do a bit of searching to uncover
the best goodies.

...Blind Guardian's new IMAGINATIONS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS live
DVD (Century Media) is impressively packaged with tons of "Lord Of The
Rings" inspired artwork and has a nice assortment of bonus features,
but like the Ramones DVD mentioned above, it's definitely geared
towards hardcore fans. Casual listeners (i.e. like me, who only owns
one Blind Guardian CD) might find this heaping helping of fantasy
metal a bit hard to digest. IMAGINATIONS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS was
filmed during the band's own "Blind Guardian Open Air" festival in
Coburg, Germany in June of 2003, and it features 24 of the band's
greatest hits (20 on the main disc, with four "bonus songs" on disc 2)
amongst lots of other extra DVD goodies. I was impressed with the
band's enormous stage and light show (and with the fanatical devotion
of the huge crowd) but overall I was left kinda cold by the band's
performance. Blind Guardian seemed to be so busy basking in the
adoration of the audience that they didn't really put on much of a
show. Hansi Kursch spent much of the set standing in one place (mostly
on an "ego ramp" that juts out into the crowd) and the other band
members didn't move around much either. Not being an expert on Blind
Guardian's catalog, I think I was seven or eight tracks into the DVD
before they finally played a song I knew (I was disappointed that "I'm
Alive" was not a cover of the Helloween song...), but I will admit
that some of the unfamiliar tracks (particularly "Nightfall") did
sound quite cool. If you or someone you love actually knows all the
lyrics to the 14-minute epic "And Then There Was Silence," consider
IMAGINATIONS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS to be the ultimate stocking
stuffer from the band.

...Staying on the German tip: I hadn't bought a Scorpions CD since
1990's still-awesome CRAZY WORLD, but I'd been reading so many amazing
reviews of their new UNBREAKABLE disc (Sanctuary) that I finally
succumbed to curiosity and checked it out for myself. There may have
been a few lineup changes and experimental albums since I last tuned
in, but the rock-solid triad of Meine/Schenker/Jabs remains intact
(Schenker appears to have had a "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"
makeover, though; I swear he looks like the guy from Everclear now!)
and UNBREAKABLE definitely represents a massive comeback for the
venerable Deutscher-Rockers. The throbbing "New Generation" opens the
disc in classic BLACKOUT/CRAZY WORLD style, while "Deep And Dark" has
a bit of Def Leppard flavor with those "HEY HEY!" backing vocals. The
ballad "Maybe I, Maybe You" is another entry in the band's catalog of
get-out-the-lighter-and-sing-along songs (i.e. "Wind Of Change,"
"Still Loving You," etc.) while the infectious "Can You Feel It"
simply begs to be blasted out to a packed house. If this album had
come out in 1991 or 1992, I probably would've thought "Ahhh, rehash,
I've heard this all before," but it's been so long since I've heard a
good classic-sounding arena hard rock/metal album that I guess I
missed that sound even more than I thought. It's true; absence really
does make the heart grow fonder. :-)

...Saxon may not be German, (They love 'em in the land of Bier and
Bratwurst, though!) but they're just as old (if not older) than the
Scorpions, and they're also kicking massive amounts of ass on the new
LIONHEART disc (SPV)! I thought 2002's KILLING GROUND sounded a bit
more laidback and "hard rock" than you'd expect from these NWOBHM
legends, but LIONHEART roars out of the gate immediately with the
blistering "Witchfinder General" and lets you know that Saxon are
still a HEAVY METAL band. "Man And Machine," "Justice," and the damn-
near-thrash "English Man O'War" also keep the pedal to the metal,
making this the heaviest Saxon material I've heard in some time. Biff
Byford may look old enough to be my Grandpa, but his voice is
apparently ageless, judging from the impressive performance (complete
with some out-of-nowhere Halford-style shrieks!) he pulls off
throughout the CD. Denim and leather is what brought Saxon together,
and even after all these years it's obviously still pulsing through
their veins. As Biff himself might say, LIONHEART is "Fookin' 'eavy!"
:-)

...Before I go, I wanna squeeze in a brief rant about VH1's hilarious
"40 Most Awesomely Bad Metal Songs Ever" countdown show, which aired
over the Thanksgiving weekend. I couldn't really argue with most of
the program's picks (even if many of them were songs that I liked),
but I was actually angry that Accept's mighty "Balls To The Wall" and
Dio's "The Last In Line" were included. How the HELL could those two
classics be considered "Awesomely Bad" songs? Maybe if you were
talking about awesomely bad metal VIDEOS, you might be able to make a
case for them (particularly "The Last In Line;" that video was cheesy
as hell in '84 and it's even more laughable now), but the songs
themselves had no place there. That aside, "Awesomely Bad Metal Songs"
was a fun couple of hours that will probably spark lots of heated
discussion among the metal community. VH1 should drop all the
"Fabulous Life Of Paris Hilton" type programming and concentrate more
on shows like this!

-Till next time...enjoy your holiday shopping, and remember: it never
hurts to pick up a few CDs for yourself while you're out there
fighting the crowds at the mall. :-)

-THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST: W.A.S.P. - LIVE IN THE RAW; Shout/Tamplin - AT
THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS; Sacred Warrior - MASTER'S COMMAND; Bruce
Dickinson - ACCIDENT OF BIRTH; Dokken - SHADOWLIFE.

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
GUN SHY - AFTER DARK (REISSUE) (B-/C+) Perris Records, 2004
16 tracks, RT: 66:16
[ http://www.perrisrecords.com/ ]
This now-defunct Philadelphia band originally released AFTER DARK
independently about a decade ago, after the Great Purge left the North
American melodic hard rock world gasping for breath. Members have gone
on to other projects but now the eight-song disc, with production
courtesy of Michael Kelly Smith (Britny Fox, Razamanaz), is being
reissued with eight bonus tracks. The press kit pegs the band as
similar to Skid Row, Warrant, and Black 'N Blue, and that's pretty
accurate, but let's add Babylon A.D. to that list as well. The "'80s
metal" staples are all here, right down to the flashy guitar rockers,
a pair of ballads, and a song with "hold on" in the title: "Hold On To
Yesterday." The bonus tracks consist of decent live recordings of four
albums tracks, a demo of a fifth (probably the most accomplished song
on the disc, "Society"), a cover of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.," and two
more studio tracks: "Wonderland" and "Christeen." (Although the latter
is wayyyyy glammier than everything else and I have a hunch it's
actually from Tommy Krash's post-Gun Shy band, SINN.) This is
definitely a niche release and shows its age, but in a good way. - Tim

THE JELLY JAM - 2 (C) InsideOut Music, 2004
12 tracks, RT: 45:37
[ http://www.kingsxonline/jellyjam/ ]
[ http://www.insideoutmusic.com/ ]
[ info@... ]
First let me say I have a great deal of respect for the individual
musicians on here and their main bands: Ty Tabor (King's X), John
Myung (Dream Theater) and Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs). The Jelly Jam
is a project which developed in the aftermath of Platypus, a super-
group which originally included Derek Sherinian on keyboards. The
music on 2 can best be described as alternative rock with a '60s
psychedelic influence, similar to many of the alternative/grunge bands
of the early to mid-'90s. The production is very good and the playing
is solid, but I would have preferred to hear something different from
these guys. I'm sure the whole point of The Jelly Jam was to get away
from the style these talented musicians are usually known for, and in
that respect they have pretty much succeeded, as of the three source
bands only King's X has a significant influence on the songs. Several
of the pieces on here remind me of a combination of Blind Melon,
Soundgarden and Nirvana, with a prominent Beatles influence present
throughout. Besides the strong alternative flavor, one of the things
that really detracts from a better enjoyment of the songs is the use
of excessive vocal processing, which I am not a huge fan of. For
example, two of the better tracks are "Drop The Gun" and "Allison"
(essentially one piece that segues), but the vocals are so processed
that they are actually depressing to listen to, too distant and
strangely synthetic to appreciate on an emotional level. Another
distraction is the psychedelic guitar tone often used, Ty going for
the chorus/flanger/tremolo sound that quickly annoys. There are some
great guitar riffs on the disc (Ty Tabor has always been a master
rhythm player), and of course you have excellent bass and drum
support, but this is the type of thing many bands are capable of
doing, with nothing here really reflecting the reputations of the
involved parties. "She Was Alone" is a good pop song in the King's X
mold and things start rocking a bit more with "Runaway" and the more
technically impressive "War Is," but overall fans of progressive metal
will not find what they are looking for here. If you are a fan of
Platypus or alternative rock circa 1994, this jam may just suit your
taste buds perfectly. As for me, I'm off to check out the new Dream
Theater DVD... - Neal Woodall (MysticX10@...)

MISTHERIA - MESSENGER OF THE GODS (B+) Lion Music, 2004
13 tracks, RT: 78:51
[ http://www.mistheria.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
You may be familiar with keyboard virtuoso Mistheria from his
appearances on albums by Winterlong, Rob Rock and several tribute CDs,
as his technical skills are quite stunning and memorable. MESSENGER OF
THE GODS is unapologetic neoclassical metal, complete with overblown
arrangements, operatic singing and complex musicianship featuring over
30 (!) guest performers. If you are knowledgeable about the scene
you'll recognize many of the names: Alex Masi, George Bellas, Jeff
Kollman, Ron Thal, Barry Sparks, Anders Johansson, John Macaluso, Rob
Rock and Hubi Meisel are just some of the artists Mistheria has
recruited to help him realize his vision. Vocals are something I often
give Lion grief about as I feel that they have been a weak area on
their releases in the past, and once again the vocals seem to be the
Achilles heel of this disc, taking a lot of time to get used to. The
production on the CD is a bit raw which serves to reduce the overall
impact (this type of metal should sound fuller and more explosive),
but this is on par with what a small label like Lion can reasonably
do. OK, that's all the negatives I'm going to mention -- otherwise
what you have here is some excellent classical/symphonically
influenced metal sure to appeal to fans of bands like Ring Of Fire,
Artension, Yngwie Malmsteen's early work (including Alcatrazz) and
Symphony X. Some of the better vocal performances remind me of Graham
Bonnet, while Mistheria has obviously been influenced by Jens
Johansson and Jon Lord. The guitar work is just as shredding as you
would expect, with killer drums and bass clearly in evidence. Check
out the ensemble playing on "Zeus Will Storm The Earth," melodic "King
Midas," lengthy but dramatic "Dynasty Of Death" or the urgency of
"Dragon's Teeth" for some good samples. The title track is a tour-de-
force of orchestral shred that should place Mistheria up alongside
modern keyboard masters such as Michael Pinnella and Vitalij Kuprij. I
wouldn't be surprised if Yngwie called him up to play on his next
album -- he should... - Neal Woodall (MysticX10@...)

VARIOUS - THE GLAM THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS (B/B-) Perris Records, 2004
11 tracks, RT: 35:48
[ http://www.perrisrecords.com/ ]
I'm a sucker for hard rock Christmas songs -- I've got all the Trans-
Siberian Orchestra albums and I've (painstakingly!) compiled my own
personal mixes of metallic holiday offerings -- so I was eager to
check out this new Perris compilation. At under 36 minutes it's quite
short, and it features a mix of covers, traditional songs, and
originals. American Heartbreak's "The Greatest Christmas Song Ever
Written" starts off with pretty much a fun, old glammy Poison vibe,
but the vocals are more nasally and whiny than Bret Michaels'. Lillian
Axe's PSYCHOSCHIZOPHRENIA-era "Here Is Christmas" is a nice, lush,
full ballad. The fidelity of Kristy Majors' "Christmas (Baby Please
Come Home)" borders on being too distorted because it was recorded or
EQ'd a little too high, but the song itself is rollicking yet
laidback. Loud'N'Nasty's "Christmas Time," if you can get past the
heavily accented vocals, features the full band plus piano and
strings, with kind of a serious power ballad vibe in the verses, but
then becomes a bouncy jaunt in the choruses. Chris Heaven & Michael
Gapys' "I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Christmas" at first sounds
*very* similar to the Bon Jovi (or was it Jon Bon Jovi solo?) KEEP THE
FAITH-era version, but then a bunch more guitar soloing emerges. Big
Bang Babies' "Winter Wonderland" is a bouncy, heavy version of this
old chestnut that plays a lot like a cover of Stryper's rocking
version, right down to the in-song banter between band members, but
the lead vocals have a really goofy nasal vibe that almost ruins the
song; it's saved by good guitar playing though, with plenty of tasty
fills. Fizzy Bangers' "Hooray For Santa Claus" is a fun, silly, up-
tempo rocker but it suffers from poorer recording quality. Decadenza's
"Dead By X-Mas" has a fun, mid-tempo melodic rocker vibe but the
singer's David Bowie-esque, overly dramatic delivery is a distraction.
The Rockin' Scoundrels' "Rock 'n' Roll Sleigh Ride" is a good, glammy
rocker. (But it just about took my head off because I'd turned up the
volume so high to hear the previous two tracks... Note to production
crew: Even this stuff out!!!) Grayson Manor's "Blue Christmas" is a
Western/jangly version featuring only vocals and guitar; it's decent
but kind of a letdown because I really dug their track "Enemy" on the
previous Perris compilation, HOLLYWOOD HAIRSPRAY VOL. II. The closer,
American Smash's "Nuttin' For Christmas," had me convinced it's a
Ramones cover, until Keith "Resident Ramones Geek" Abt set me
straight. Overall this is a fun (but short) collection with the only
kinda boner track being Loud'N'Nasty's "Christmas Time." The
contributions from Lillian Axe, American Heartbreak, Fizzy Bangers,
Rockin' Scoundrels, and Chris Heaven & Michael Gapys are the
highlights. - Tim

WARRIOR - THE WARS OF GODS AND MEN (B+/B) Reality Entertainment, 2004
10 tracks, 40:31
[ http://www.reality-entertainment.com/ ]
I'd really like to hear the story of how Krokus vocalist Marc Storace
hooked up with this California-based, cult favorite band -- anyone out
there know? The band's previous three discs have featured vocalists
Perry McCarty (who also sang on Steve Stevens' ATOMIC PLAYBOYS disc)
and Rob Rock (Impellitteri, Axel Rudi Pell, solo), but now Storace's
in the fold...but for how long? Here's hoping it's for a while because
the band has a great thing going here. Wanna hear Storace sing much
heavier, Dio-era Black Sabbath-influenced material rather than his
main gig's AC/DC-type stuff? Then check out THE WARS OF GODS AND MEN,
pronto! Seriously, he fits the darker, churning, grinding stuff
perfectly. "Never Live Your Life Again," the title track, "Three AM
Eternal," and "Naked Aggression" all rule, and smack of the best parts
of Sabbath's DEHUMANIZER, and even "Hypocrite," while being overly
repetitive, is still pretty cool. The disc features tons of great
riffs from mainstay guitarist Joe Floyd, Rob Farr's bass work just
bubbles evilly under the surface, and Dave DuCey's drumming --
particularly the prominent cymbal work -- is killer. This album has
been out for a while but shouldn't be overlooked or lost in the
shuffle. - Tim

*
*** OUT ***
*

=====
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