Review: Brainstorm, "Memorial Roots"

I’ve been a big fan of Germany’s Brainstorm since I discovered them with 2003’s Soul Temptation, and their last outing Downburst remains a favorite from 2008. When it comes to power metal with traditional leanings, the band is about as consistent as they come.

Their latest effort, Memorial Roots, which came out last year overseas and makes its way to the U.S. this year, doesn’t quite hit me as hard as Downburst did, but it’s still a solid and enjoyable effort.

Ronnie James Dio, 1942-2010

There’s no shortage of great things to say about metal legend Ronnie James Dio based purely on his body of work, from his earliest recordings with Elf and Rainbow, to his multiple stints with Black Sabbath and his stellar solo career. Inarguably one of the greatest voices in metal and the guy credited with bringing the “horns” hand gesture into the metal world (his superstitious grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye) Dio made the kind of impact on his genre that few artists achieve.

But in the hours after learning about his death, it isn’t so much his music that I keep thinking about, but a moment in the summer of 2002 when I had the pleasure and privilege of spending about half an hour with him.

Review: John 5, "The Art of Malice"

To be honest, I’ve been over the guitar god shred instrumental album for a long time now, but in recent years, I’ve become more and more impressed with the work of John 5 every time he pops up somewhere. That interest was enough to get me to give his new record “The Art of Malice” a shot.

Granted, there’s a lot of showy shredding here, as on any instrumental guitar record, but by and large the songs here are actual songs, not just a conveyance for John 5 to pack as many notes as possible into. Like any good tune, the songs here follow progressions and have solid hooks, albeit musical ones rather than vocal ones.

Review: Extreme, "Take Us Alive: Boston 2009"

Extreme’s return to the music scene in 2008, “Saudades de Rock,” was a pleasant surprise, packing a 1970s hard rock flavor. They finished up the tour for that record in 2009 in their hometown of Boston and have captured that performance for their new CD/DVD “Take Us Alive.”

The record offers up a nice mix of new and old, even throwing in some tracks from their 1989 eponymous debut, which guitarist Nuno Bettencourt once spurned, and even the all-but-lost 1995 record “Waiting for the Punchline.”

Review: AC/DC, "Iron Man 2"

This record is such a softball that it’s hardly fair for me to review it at all. A collection of previously released songs from a hard rock icon like AC/DC is so easy that I almost feel bad about it, but for my three loyal readers, I’ll persevere.

I’ll admit that I’m not a huge AC/DC fan. They’ve always been one of those bands that I enjoy in small doses. If “Dirty Deeds” or “Hell’s Bells” comes on the radio, I’ll crank it up and rock out, but you’ll only find a few of their records on my CD rack.

Review: Krokus, "Hoodoo"

Life is full of surprises.

When the link to download a promo of Krokus’ latest arrived in my inbox, I rolled my eyes. I never was a big fan of the band in their heyday, and I doubted they could do anything to win me over at this late date. But about halfway through the second track, “Hoodoo Woman,” I was stunned to find myself grooving along to the 1970s Aerosmith feel of the track. I had pictures of that goofy video for “Screaming in the Night,” and I couldn’t believe I was really digging this.

Review: Mob Rules, "Radical Peace"

Germany’s Mob Rules fits in that large category of European power metal bands that have just never connected with me personally. Generally, I prefer the mid-tempo style the band employs more than the speedsters, but, despite a few bright moments here and there, I’ve largely been unmoved by their work.

After draggy album opener, “Children of the Flames,” which feels like it goes on forever despite the fact that the running time is only about seven and a half minutes, I thought I was in for more of the same with their latest, Radical Peace. Things picked up with second track “Trial by Fire,” though, a more uptempo galloping piece with a big chorus.

Review: Slash, "Slash"

Despite an impressive list of guest artists, Slash’s self-titled solo CD never climbs beyond the mediocre.

There are usually two main problems with records like this. Either the songs end up sounding like the guest artists rather than the primary artist or the collaborations sound forced. This album has both.

There are some surprising guests and some not-so-surprising guests here. You might expect a Slash record to feature guest shots by the likes of Alice Cooper (who he’s played with before), Ozzy Osbourne or Ian Astbury. You’d be less likely to think of pop singer Fergie, rappers Cypress Hill or Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. They’re here, too, with mixed results.

Review: Paradox, "Riot Squad"

Being the thrash fan that I am, I’m almost ashamed to admit that Riot Squad is my introduction to Germany’s Paradox. It’s their fifth release, and they’ve been kicking around in various incarnations since the late 1980s. Admittedly, I was a little America-centric in my thrash listening during that time period and discovered most of the German greats a little later, but you’d think in nearly 25 years that I would have heard this band at some point.