Welcome to a new look of MMM.
CD Reviews
To my surprise the new Van Halen album A Different Kind Of Truth
Generation Wild by Crashdiet is a wonderful collection of trash glam rock that could have come out of the Sunset Strip, circa 1988. The sneering Swedes have got the whole thing down to a science. Their latest is infectious and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It is perfect music to put on before a night out.
Another candidate for your sleaze choice is a band called Nitrogods, with their self-titled release. While not as instantly gratifying as Crashdiet, there is a good bit of promise on here and it is worth your time. Nitrogods' adoration of Motorhead is hard to miss.
If the night out goes well, you might want to have Mr. Big's Live from the Living Room ready to go on the stereo. It is Mr. Big playing their hits acoustically to an adoring Japanese crowd. The fact the gig features their "classic" line-up makes it all the sweeter.
In a similar AOR vein is a band called Xorigin, with their latest release State of the Art. This a damn solid CD with a good mix of rockers and ballads. None of the ballads make you wince.
"In the Blink of an Eye" gets the power ballad just about perfect, but try not to sing along. It is a solid release from a quality band that deserves AOR fans' attention.
Speaking of the mellow side of AOR, there is a new release from the Michael Thompson Band by the name of Future Past. This has a strong West Coast vibe and will be great for open top driving come spring.
Toby Hitchcock's Mercury Down shows that this guy certainly didn't release a bunch of throwaways for his solo album while he waited for Pride of Lions to come off hiatus. It contains strong hard rock tracks from an impressive vocalist. Check out the soaring tracks "Let Go" or "One Day," either of which could be prime cut Survivor.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
In spite of the single "Tattoo," which is possibly the worst song on the album, I bought the new Van Halen album and was surprised by its heaviness. The album should go over well in concert. I do wonder, however, if they will write new material for their next album or go back to old demos from the 70s as they did in this case.
2 - Marty Dodge
Fair enough... I do miss Michael Anthony's backing vocals on the songs. I don't think "Tattoo" is that bad to be honest. I guess my expectations were pretty low on this release. Considering the last Van Halen album (III) can you blame me?
3 - El Bicho
Agree with Triniman. Tattoo is the worst song on the album, which is in the running for my favorite of the year to my surprise. But at least it's better than Jump.
And if the songs are good, who cares when elements of them first originated? People seem awfully fixated on that aspect as if every band starts anew when creating a new album.