|
JACK FROST
T.A. 5/10 |
|
|
|
JACK STARR'S GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME
A.S. 8/10 |
|
|
|
JADED HEART
A.S. 7/10 |
|
|
|
JAMISON JIMI
T.A. 8,5/10 |
|
|
|
JANE'S ADDICTION
A.S. 6,5/10 |
|
|
|
JAZAN WILD
A.S.
7/10 |
|
|
|
JEREMY
A.S. 7,5/10 |
|
|
|
JETTISON EDDY
A.S. 7,5/10 |
|
|
|
JEZABEL
G.K. 6,5/10 |
|
|
|
JOE LYNN TURNER
T.A. 7/10 |
|
|
|
JOE LYNN TURNER
A.S. 7,5/10 |
|
|
|
JORN
G.K.
8/10 T.A. 7/10 |
|
|
|
JOSH’S APPLETREE
A.S.
7/10 |
|
|
|
JOURNEY
I
almost know what’s going on here. I have seen this movie twice in the
past with Judas Priest and with Iron Maiden. Those bands were trying to
sustain their vocalist choices and they were saying that with the new
singers are moving ahead and there is no need to talk about the old ones.
But how long did it last? Both bands released two studio albums while the
fist one was better than the second one. The same goes for Journey. So,
Judas Priest and Iron Maiden saw that their choices wasn’t so good and
they started sounding like a shadow of themselves or like a band that was
copying them! They both afterwards did the best move and brought their
singers back. Everyone was happy and especially the die-hard fans of the
bands. They gained back their popularity and people’s love. That’s the
path that Journey should follow after “Generations”. I do not mean
that Steve Augeri or “Ripper” Owens or Blaze Bailey are not good
singers but they do not fit in these historical bands by any means.
Journey should reconsider the fact of bringing back Steve Perry if they
want to be successful again or to call it a day after this album. Yes, I
love this band very much but I can tell the truth whether it hurts or not.
The trio Perry, Schon and Cain can bring back the freshness and the
originality that Journey has lost after 1996. Talking
about the album I must say that in the first listening it doesn’t sound
like a Journey imitation like “Arrival” did, but they wanted to make
it different and that’s why they all sing in this album according to my
opinion. The first three songs of the album are good (“Faith In The
Heartland”, “The Place In Your Heart” and “A Better Life”) and I
must also say that Deen Castronovo sings quite good. Then the album
becomes kind of boring and to ears is like I’m listening to a third rate
AOR band that’s want to be like Journey within the years. Some other
good songs are “Beyond The Clouds”, “Out Of Harms Way” and
“It’s Never Too Late”. Can’t you see it? The best songs of this
album are haunted by Perry’s presence. Those songs that remind the Perry
era are the best songs here. As for the others that has some modern
elements or some Tall Stories influences is like a band copying Journey.
It’s so sad to listen to songs like “In Self Defense” (Neal please
do what you do better and this is not singing) and “Gone Crazy” where
Ross Valory sings. Why? Why is there such a bad song in his album? Why
Ross decided to sing after so many years... it’s like listening to a
southern rock n’ roll band trying to write good songs. If
Journey does not face the truth everything will be lost. No, this album is
not crap but I would rather call it a simple, good, melodic rock album. Is
that good enough for a band like Journey? Is that the way that the
ultimate AOR gods like to be called? I do not like to say anything else
about Journey ‘cause I still love them and I will never quit listen to
the eternal hymns they offered us during the years. There are two ways to
follow after “Generations”. Either you bring Perry back and become the
real Journey or either you quit before all your faithful fans leave you. I
do not think that this album is going to satisfy any “old” fan of the
band and also isn’t going to bring any new fans over the board. One good
album, one crap E.P. and an average album are enough. Re-group and then
the world will be yours again. All your fans are waiting from you to do
the right move in the right time. Do not let us down once again. T.A. 6/10 |
|
|
|
JUDGEMENT DAY
T.A. 4/10 |
|
|
|
JUNKYARD
T.A. 8/10 |
|
|
Jack Frost (what a really smirk name for a band…also they had nothing
to do with the known guitarist Jack Frost.) is a band that is coming from
Austria. I don't know, how things are going up there with the rock/metal music, but Jack Frost seems to have found what they really
like to play. They play gothic music, which has a lot of influences from dark wave and also some rock elements are appear. The sound of
the guitars is really heavy and the vocals of the singer are pretty
hypotonic! The fact with this band is that you cannot characterize them as an absolute gothic band, cause they have nothing to do with
great gothic bands like Scream Silence or Joy Division. The songs that they have written are quite simple and their vocals melodies are
so incredibly common. I've listened to the whole album 6-7times or maybe more, but I still cannot remember a single vocal melody or a
guitar riff! The production of the album is quite good and clear for their kind of music.
Another thing that is annoying is the very "stuoid" title of
the album! Maybe the best song of the album is "Unseen Insane I" but the rest of the songs are a kind of
second-rate songs. The fans of this specific genre will maybe like the album,
but as for the others better stay away from Jack Frost. I strongly believe that they are not a bad band at all but they need more work
to become a really successful band.
Sweet like honey! For those who don't know, Jack Starr is Virgin Steele's first guitar player and forming co-founding member of the band along with David DeFeis. Unfortunately the co-operation of the two talented musicians ended prematurely, giving us only two records, one of the monumental "Guardians Of The Flame". Since then Jack released some solo albums (as Burning Star), which have been really good. But he had been absent for many years now, so currently the time came for him and his group to break the silence! Heavy metal in the old fashioned way that shakes us for good. For those not familiar with Jack's personal guitar style, imagine solid, sometimes mid-tempo but really heavy or fast, galloping riffs and magnificent solos, which constitute complete musical phrases. The sound is close to the US style power metal and those who have listened Steele's first two works know exactly what to wait for. Fans of power-epic music don't miss this one. For me it is for sure better than anything that Virgin Steele has released since 1998. Welcome back Jack!
Ok, we all know the contribution of Jaded Heart to what we broadly call “melodic rock”: guaranty for qualitative albums. Should we trust them this time again for some musical journey? Definitely! The band sounds rigorous in the 00’s and provides us with a complete album of melodic, kind of “symphonic” rock. I know that some of you might be already fed up with this sound, where artist’s albums and music is so similar to each other’s. But I think that it is quite important to listen to it from one of the pioneers of the genre. So Jaded Heart here follows its usual approach of rhythmical couples, catchy refrains, nice vocal melodies and imaginative bridges and it does it well. To my ears, though, the whole album sounds a bit “harmless”, with the band deciding to “play safe”. This is not bad. Songs that are able to become hit singles are present here. It’s just that the band does not make the desired overstepping. Anyway friends of the genre will like it very much. If you already have Seventh Key’s and Shylock’s recent albums invest in this one too.
I' m sure that you are all familiar with Jimi's voice and work of course. Just remember that in 1984 he became the new vocalist of the legendary band Survivor. "Empires" formally was released in 1999 and nowadays it is being reissued by Frontiers records along with some bonus material. Those who have listened or bought the album, know already its quality and the good songs that it contains. For the newer fans this album is a very good chance to listen to one of the best A.O.R. vocalists singing some of his own songs. The best proof to that are songs like the worldwide hit "I'm Always Here" (which was the titletrack of the popular TV series "Baywatch"), the melodic opener "Cry Tough", the heavy "First Day Of Love", the homonymous ballad "Empires" (this song is a duet of Jimi and Lisa Frazier), the rocker "Run From The Thunder", the sensitive ballad "Just Beyond The Clouds", the catchy "Calling America", the emotional Christmas song "Keep It Evergreen", and the melodious 80's rocker "A Dream Too Far". The special bonus additions for this new release of the album are the Christmas song "Keep It Evergreen" and a live version of the Survivor classic "Too Hot To Sleep". "Empires" gives the chance to new fans to be familiar not only with Jimi's incredible rock voice, but also with some of the best melodic rock songs of this genre! As for the old ones, Jimi's voice will bring them back memories from the good "old" days of Survivor! Besides what else can we expect from an album… just great songs and good memories! Personally I'm totally satisfied with "Empires" and I' m sure that you will like it a lot too.
Thirteen years after their last (and very successful) album, "Ritual De Lo Habitual", Jane's Addiction is reunited and releases a new CD. The original line up is gathered here (with the absence of Eric Avery) to thrill their fans... but only them I'm afraid. The new album is quite good, but nothing more. How can they create something like "Nothing Shocking" (1988)?? Things like that are pretty difficult. The band here produces some really good songs like "Just Because", in their usual rock meets the grungy sound approach. To be honest there is nothing bad that one can write about this album: the songs are good and dynamic with fresh production. However I think that they have nothing to offer and to be honest I find the whole sound a bit out of date. I'm quite sure that their fans will love the album. However the new generation (13 years is a long time), which is not familiar with the band, should better start with "Nothing Shocking". On the other hand I wouldn't be surprised if this CD sold more than Talisman's "Cats and Dogs" for example, because of good marketing and the strong name that the band still has.
This
can be a very attractive to purchase release, especially for comic freaks
and collectors in general. That is because the CD can be completed by the
relevant comic Jazan Wild’s Carnival of Souls #1, which in essence
describes the story narrated in the lyrics of the album. I can tell you that
the comic is a kick ass, with the drawings being made by famous comic
makers. Now, concerning the music (which is what interests this site the
most) things are not as good as the comic book. Jazan plays a kind of hard
rock, with many alternative rock elements and a breath of industrial music
as well. At times the sound here reminded me a lot of Skid Row’s early
works, or the latter efforts by WASP. Very good production here (quite
modern too, Bob Kulick has done it), but I feel that the whole thing is not
much inspired. The riffs seem to repeat again and again, while they also
sound a bit one-dimensional. Some very good moments, like “Haunted” and
“Nothing Left” and “The Rain” will surely satisfy the readers of the
comic book as well. I feel that the band is defeated in the refrain front,
as most of those aren’t as clear cut and direct as this kind of music
demands. Anyway, the whole thing (especially in artistic sense) leaves many
promises for the future.
Wow,
this is a retro listening indeed! What the hell is going on here? Are The
Beatles resurrected?? Are we back in the early 60’s?? Well in order to
understand what we are talking about, imagine that you are indeed living
in the early 60’s, the cultural revolution is boiling and Beatles’
songs are heard everywhere. Well, then Jeremy would have been a band that
wanted a share of the success and released this album! Yes, the early days
of The Beatles are revamped here. We are talking about old-fashioned rock
and roll... silly, itchy, bithcy, funny, teasy, sleazy etc etc. I feel as
if the glorious Motown Records has released part of its back-catalogue.
The only problem is that I can hardly find the target audience of such a
retro release... but on the other hand I know many who are longing for the
good old days, then when everything was pure. Well this CD is for them...
after all you can hardly find such a good retro-rock and roll album
nowadays...
This is actually a late 2003 release... but it is worth presenting here. I think this is the debut album of the american band.... which actually sounds like british! No joking now, I would bet the band came from the UK, because its sound has many similarities to the british pop-rock of the late
90’s. But don't be mislead by the “pop-rock” I mentioned - we can find much more in here. Sometimes the band resembles to “light” prog rock, imagine something like a happier version of Marillion of their latest albums, or of
Spock’s Beard of the “Day For Night” era. Although the music here treads solidly on melodic rock, it is powerful enough to convince us that it is not another easy listening. Eddy manages here to present eleven songs with a good deal of variety, which precludes that no one is going to get bored. Furthermore
band’s members seem to know how to write good, melodic, catchy refrains that stick to your mind. This is more than just a good effort.... and the opening track, “Long
Break”, is an anthem!
Jezabel is a group that was formed back in 1993 and comes from Argentina. They managed to release their first album in 2001 and since then, they signed in Cruz Del Sur Music and now they release their new CD. The 6-piece metal band plays melodic power metal and makes a nice mixture of Helloween, Gamma Ray and Stratovarius power metal. The sound of the drums and keyboards reminds me of Stratovarius and the very good vocalist (Leandro Coronel) will bring on your mind, Michael Kiske pretty well. Everything seem to be working very good because this album has many good riffs, wonderful solos, melodic keyboards and marvelous vocals, but here comes the problem with this album… When you first listen to the songs and try to catch phrases from the lyrics you will understand after a while that you can’t understand anything! That is because all lyrics are in Spanish! I don’t know what the band wants to succeed with this innovation, but I believe they will loose many listeners because this album corresponds more to those who speak and understand Spanish. On the other hand, the production places high standards for their next release. Finally, the CD includes a video from the catchiest track included in this album: “Sigue Un Paso Mas”. The grade would be higher if the band didn’t decided to sing in Spanish. I hope for their good, and for our pleasure, to sing in English from now on.
New
album for one of the “oldest” voices in rock music, which is titled
“The Usual Suspects”. Joe is a true rock singer and he had never
betrayed his fans in the past by doing something that was out of his
boundaries. This time he has beside him Karl Cochran and Al Pitrelli on
guitars. The album is good and offers some very good hard rock songs like
“Power Of Love”, “Devil’s Door’, “Into The Fire”,
“Unfinished Buziness” and some nice ballads such as: “Rest Of My
life” and “Rest Of My Life” and “Live And Love Again”. The
production is excellent and very powerful. Joe sings with passion and power
and he seems to be in good shape. There are no more things to say about
Joe… if you love him then you will like this album a lot, especially if
you liked Joe’s two previous works. Personally I had a good time wile
listening to the album, mainly because songs reminded me of Joe’s Deep
Purple/Rainbow era! Teachers not usually go wrong!
Turner is not my favourite singer, probably because I have connected him with Rainbow's and Purple's decay. Otherwise I cannot say anything bad about his excellent voice. His previous solo album was good, but last year's HTP intrigued me for good, so I expected a lot by his new CD. And I wasn't wrong. The album is a great album of hard rocking blues, which flirts with AOR at times. Judging from the robust rhythm section and the burning riffs the band, which accompanies Joe here, seems to be a really good one. As a whole the songs burry a dirty feeling of vagabondage, as if you come out of a strip bar and take the road to nowhere. Plus there are these heartbreaking ballads - like the wonderful "Love Don't Live Here" - which give a "Whitesnaky" feeling to the album. Joe's voice is dirty-yet sentimental enough to deliver great performances in amazing songs like "In Cold Blood" and "Let's Go" with the monolithic riff. The main disadvantage I can point out is the existence of one-two songs like "Excess" that are soooo 80's and common that stand quite below the generally high standards of the album.
Jorn
Lande, one of the best rock singers of all times, releases a new solo
album while we are waiting the second album of his main band, Masterplan.
I think that all of you must have listened to at least one song that he
has sung in his carrier and the many projects and bands that he has taken
part in. The other musicians that took part in the recordings this time
are: 
This
is the debut album from a band that (according to its members) started as
a fun thing. The musicians started jammin’ and realized that the outcome
was good, so they wrote some songs, based on their jam sessions, and
released a CD. The roots of the sound go back to the hard rock of the
mid-70’s, and reminds me a lot of bands like Deep Purple (especially
because of the way the keys are played - Hammond), Whitesnake and the
likes. However the approach here is (of course) a lot more modern and
heavy, I can say, as some tracks flirt with heavy metal forms. Good
compositions, “loose” feeling, a lot of fun and heavy rock is what you
will find here! Good effort, for die-hard rockers!
I’ve
been longing for this album for almost 4 years now ‘cause Journey is one
of my all time favourite bands. I’m also a big Steve Perry fan and I was
rather disappointed seeing the band moving without Perry on board. I’ve
listened to this album several times in order to let it grow on me... but
nothing really happened because this album isn’t a “grower” as some
say. Where are the divine Journey melodies, where are the extraordinary
hooklines and where are the band’s anthems? Anyway, the right thing is
to put this album in the third era of the band (which begins with
“Arrival”) and to be honest in this third era, Journey hasn’t
offered us something top notch. “Red 13” is still the worst release of
Journey ever and “Arrival” is a good album from a band that wanted to
sound like Journey!
Judging by the name of the band I was expecting to listen to hard rock music or at least traditional heavy metal but I was only hoping… cause at the end I listened to annoying american brutal death metal which is influenced from bands like Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under. I cannot say by sure if this album is good or not but at least to my ears was sounding like I was listening to the same song for about 40 minutes! Of course at the end the song turned from fast tempo to mid tempo and vice verse but that’s I do not believe that was such an incredible change! Well if you like bands like the aforementioned ones and brutal death metal vocals along with fast drumming then… I do not know… I won’t listen to this album again in my life, so do what you wanna do. I was never into this kind of music and I will never be. Before I put an end to this review I must tell you that the production is very good and the booklet very well designed… but are those things enough for you and me in order to listen to such irritating music? I do not think so. I will put right now something more melodic in my stereo to calm down a little.
Wow… this is a truly interesting comeback! After almost 10 years one of the bands of the
hard/sleaze rock genre that had all the potentials for a bright future is back again with a new
E.P. Of course grunge music cut the way of many good bands back then and finally made them split up but nowadays those bands are coming back with even more power! Naturally grunge music is now an old bad joke and it didn’t make it through time (how could it anyway?!) but those bands that truly love and have offered to hard rock/glam rock music are back again to offers us the music and the melodies that we all missed all those years! Do you remember almost two years ago that I was talking about a comeback of the
glam/hair/sleaze rock and hard rock music? Well I do not think that anyone has any doubt about that now! So, Junkyard are one of that bands that can help this genre,
to claim what it deserves and to gain its glamour back! I’m telling you that this
E.P. “Tried And True” is very good and surely songs like the homonymous semi-ballad “Tried And True”, the rocker “Waste Of Time”, the “country” southern “Old # 4”, the acoustic version of “Simple Man” (Do you remember it from their homonymous debut back in 1989?) and the
sleaze “Holdin’ On” will make happy all the fans of good melodic glam rock music! The production also is very good and clear. Personally I’m very satisfied with this
E.P. cause it shows that Junkyard are full of energy and they are hungry to play the music that they, and we, love! Thus, if you consider your self as a fan of
glam/sleaze/poser – rock and hard rock music then grab this
E.P. right away! I’m waiting with great impatience
for their new full-length album. Till then, some beers and “Tried And True” will keep me good company!