Saturday Shuffle: Skid Row, Danko Jones, White Wizzard, Luna Mortis, Hellbound Glory

Some old-fashioned hard rocking, a little bit of extreme, and some nontraditional traditional country this week ...

Skid Row, “Sweet Little Sister.” From the album Skid Row (1989). Skid Row’s debut album was a little more in line with the 1980s glam rock scene than their later, heavier albums, but there are still some great songs on it, and this is one of them. Energetic, catchy, fun, everything that was good about 1980s rock. This is one 1980s band that I would love to see back together.

Best of 2009: Top 10

1. Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know. Call this a fanboy pick if you want, but I’ve continued to return to this record time and time again over the course of the year. I really think the songs here blow away much of the stuff being done by musicians who could be their great-grandchildren.

2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle. Fans waited a long time for this one, and it was worth it. It’s got a good blend of rock and classical, with some of the most metallic moments on any of their records. There are also a couple of Savatage covers thrown in for good measure.

3. Alestorm, Black Sails at Midnight. Alestorm’s second record is just as much fun as their first was, and the music is better.

4. Amorphis, Skyforger. I find myself firmly back in the Amorphis fan fold after this record. To me, it’s easily the best thing they’ve done since “Elegy.”


5. Saint Deamon, Pandeamonium. This was my introduction to Saint Deamon, and I was immediately impressed. It’s got a great blend of heaviness and melody.


6. Megadeth, Endgame. No, it wasn’t “Rust In Peace” part 2, like Mustaine promised, but I didn’t expect it to be. It’s a rock solid record that’s among the best, if not the best they’ve done since the 1980s.


7. Luna Mortis, The Absence. I’d reviewed a record from this band under their former name, Ottoman Empire, but couldn’t remember much about it. The first album as Luna Mortis, though, pretty much blew me away early in the year.


8. Machines of Grace, Machines of Grace. The band features two former Savatage members, and it’s no secret that I’m a Savatage fanboy, but the music has little to do with that band. This is old-fashioned 1970s-style hard rock with a few progressive leanings.


9. Black Water Rising, Black Water Rising. I’m not sure if this record has officially been released yet, but I’ve been digging the promo since April. It’s some of the best straight-up hard rock I’ve heard in a while.

10. Alice in Chains, Black Gives Way to Blue. I didn’t want to like Alice in Chains without Layne Staley, but I do.

Best of the year so far

I'm running a couple of weeks late on my roundup for the first six months of the year. In these days, of course, that's not the only thing I'm running late on. At any rate, here's a look at my top 10 so far:

1. Heaven and Hell, "The Devil You Know." I'll be very surprised if anything unseats this in the next six months. It's the band's best work since "Heaven and Hell."

2. Alestorm, "Black Sails at Midnight." Just as much fun as the band's debut record and better musically.

3. Amorphis, "Skyforger." This one's fairly fresh, but I think it's their best since "Elegy." It hasn't left my CD player in weeks.

4. Lazarus A.D., "The Onslaught." This is one of the best records that I've heard from the new thrash movement. There's an energy that's lacking in many of the others in the genre.

5. Lacuna Coil, "Shallow Life." It's probably their most poppy record to date, but I like it.

6. God Forbid, "Earthsblood." Another solid outing from one of the most underrated bands out there.

7. Lamb of God, "Wrath." An early favorite for album of the year in my book, this one has slipped down the list. Still a really good record, though.

8. Luna Mortis, "The Absence." The blend of power, progressive and melodic death is interesting and very catchy.

9. Candlemass, "Death Magic Doom." A solid addition to the Candlemass catalog. Robert Lowe continues to impress on vocals.

10. Spheric Universe Experience, "Unreal." Nothing fancy here, but some very well-played prog metal.

Album I'm reserving judgment on for now:
Dream Theater, "Black Clouds and Silver Linings." I wrote a quick, negative review of their last record and ended up liking it after more listens. I'm going to give it some more time before reviewing it.

Disappointments so far:
Queensryche, "American Soldier." At this point, I don't know if I can call a Queensryche album a disappointment since my expectations are low. Still, it was a good concept, and I'd hoped for a better record.

Tim Owens, "Play My Game." (review coming soon) Fairly solid musical outing brought down by weak lyrics and a lack of hooks. Not a horrible record, but not what I was hoping for.

What I'm looking forward to:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Night Castle." Years in the coming, the most recent update was that it should arrive in October. We'll see.

Anthrax, "Worship Music." I'm a fan of John Bush, and I thought "We've Come For You All" ranked among the band's best. They'll have to really impress me with new singer Dan Morgan.

Megadeth, "Endgame." I like what I hear from "Head Crusher" and hope Mustaine and Co. continue the momentum from "United Abominations."

Slayer, "World Painted Blood." It's Slayer, what else is there to say?

Machines of Grace, "Machines of Grace." As a Savatage fan, I've got to check out this project of Zachary Stevens and Jeff Plate. Look for a review soon.

We could also possibly see new records from Ozzy (hope it's better than the last one) and Black Label Society before the year is up.

Review: Luna Mortis, "The Absence"

I was a bit surprised on picking up Luna Mortis' "The Absence" to find that I'd heard the band before. I remembered reviewing 2006's "Way of the Blade," which they recorded under the name Ottoman Empire. I didn't remember being very impressed by it. Maybe I should dig it out and give it another listen because their debut as Luna Mortis is a completely different story.

Blending elements of thrash, power metal, progressive and even melodic death metal, the Wisconsin-based band takes its cues from all over the metal map. Opener, "Ash," starts with an old school thrash gallop, then drops into an entrancing prog/power mode before exploding into a snarling Swedish-influenced death metal monster. It settles into a blazing power metal mode for the bridge before returning to a prog chorus. In some hands, that could become an unlistenable hodgepodge of styles. Here, though, it flows smoothly and naturally, which is the real appeal of Luna Mortis.

Vocalist Mary Zimmer has a nice middle-ground voice for female metal singers. While she can pull off the expected angelic bits, there's no overbearing soprano. She's, at times, reminiscent of Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia, mixing tenderness and toughness, and her vocals are often hypnotic, as on the pure prog number "This Departure." That is, of course, when she's not snarling like a rabid beast on the death metal-influenced portions of the record. Guitarists Brian Koenig and Cory Scheider deliver tight, memorable riffs along with smooth and enticing leads. There's nothing incredibly fancy in their guitarwork, but it's perfect for the sound of the band.

Over the course of the record, Luna Mortis bounces in and out of styles with reckless abandon and marvelous results. The title song is pretty much a full-on melodeath number with just a few interludes of the more mellow stylings. It's an interesting counterpoint to a song like "Forever More," which is more of a straight-ahead European power metal number with soaring chorus vocals and upbeat guitar riffs. But the true strength of Luna Mortis is when they blend the styles together with songs like album opener "Ash," the aggressive thrasher "Never Give In" and the haunting "Phantoms."

"The Absence" is sure to bring plenty of comparisons, and if I had to simplify things, I'd say Luna Mortis reminds me a little of a cross between Dream Theater and Arch Enemy. But I think that would be really shortchanging the band and the ground they cover. The songs are memorable, the transitions are seamless, and though the year is young, I'd guess this record is destined to be one of my favorite of 2009.

Get "The Absence."