A nice collection of reviews for you, all in anticipation of the post-NYE onslaught of review material that is about come down on me like a ton of bricks. A mixed bag here, only one of which actually involves "new" material but overall quite a good collection

DVD reviews

Pink Floyd: Pulse

Finally out on DVD this live testament of their last major tour is quite a site and sound to behold. The fact they play the entire Dark Side of the Moon makes it all the more pleasurable. To fully grasp how professional this lot are, one of their backing singers Sam Brown is a talented singer in her own right. She is on tour in the UK right now. A mate of mine has described this DVD has having the ability to get you stoned without having to smoke anything...it is aural and visual drugs.

You are lulled into a sublime sense of delight as you listened to one of the most amazing lives bands on the planet. If you love Pink Floyd this is essential, if you like them it is probably essential as well. There are some nice goodies including, a tour diary movie, as well as promos and other movie clips with the band's music. Excellent package, music and performance. What else could you possibly want?

Styx: One With Everything

Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland who only play contemporary music, hence the name. They selected Styx for this one-off performance which makes sense as much of Styx's music is composed rather than written and has a symphonic edge to it. This is quite an impressive DVD of Styx hits with two new songs for good measure. The band seem to meld rather well with the Orchestra/Choir with none of the awkwardness that you seen on other such outings.

Of course there are all their great hits played with oodles of pomp and flair. Laurence Gowan continues to eradicate the memory of Dennis DeYoung with both his keyboard playing (on a rotating stand to boot) and excellent singing. Those of you into your extras will enjoy the Quake cam which follows the drummer, the extra interviews and if you watch it around Christmas time the two Xmas songs. (Thankfully not included in the proper gig to annoy at other times of year.) If you enjoy Styx, you will enjoy this. Period.

Music reviews

Jon Oliva's: Pain

The driving force behind the mighty Savatage, returns with his band Pain. Not surprisingly, this sounds quite a bit like his other band but with even more angst & pathos. This is obviously a highly personal album, with songs that show Jon's religious affiliation and his attempts to come to terms with the loss of his brother. Despite the passing of time he has penned a heart wrenching track in the form of 'Still I Pray for You Now'.

The opening track 'Through the Eyes of the King' evokes memories of Savatage's great rendering of 'Hall of the Mountain King'. Oliva still has one of the most powerful voices in metal; a metal Meatloaf without the campness. This is powerful stuff played with passion and belief. You cannot help be moved by it. Not exactly the easiest thing to listen to, not that Savatage was either, but well worth the time. Every listen this album gets better & better. I doubt you will hear a better power metal album this year.