Clandestine

Self-Titled

www.clandestineband.com

Style (Rock / Progressive)

There’s something to be said about presentation because I grabbed this one from the pile because the CD arrived in a large clear envelope containing a decent glossy band picture on the front, a bio written on stylized paper, and interesting thought provoking artwork on the CD cover.  But all fluff and no fold still makes for wrinkled cloths.  In all honesty, if I came upon this band live on stage I’d give them a glance because the female lead singer isn’t bad on the eyes.  But after the visual stimulation waned my ears would tell me to keep steppin’.  That’s not to say the music is awful because it’s not.  What I’m saying is that the songs aren’t inspiring enough to keep my focus.  Musically I can hear these guys know a thing or two about scales, music theory, arrangement, tempo, etc and I really dig the progressively gritty raw muscle sound.  But what’s really sending me off to get another drink is the very thing that made me stop and stare in the first place, the singer.  Vocally she’s in tune and can belt out a note effectively, but unfortunately she doesn’t possess a quality of voice that keeps my concentration.

Rating 2 ½ (just OK)

Fat Wreckchords

“Wrecktrospective”

www.fatwreck.com

Style (Punk)

Sometimes a milestone celebration CD comes along that deserves recognition.  For this go around I’m honoring the 20 year history of Fat Wreckchords (pronounced Fat Records) and wish Fat Mike, founder and also lead singer and bassist of the punk rock band NOFX, another 20 years.  Fat Wreckchords is an independent record label for the punk rock masses based out of San Francisco.  I won’t play it off like I know anything about the punk movement or that I know a damn thing about any of these bands on the 3-disc release.  However, I do know the sound that gets me motivated and energized and this stuff does the trick.  This enormously complete release consists of 3 disc’s with each different from the other.  Disc 1 contains 33 songs and represents the greatest hits from the record label.  Disc 2 contains 28 songs representing an array of unreleased demos and other rarities, which in itself is a cool thing to have in a collection.  And finally disc 3 (27 songs worth), contains the entire Fat Club 7” series for the first time on CD.  Included with the release is a large pull out poster that contains every single Fat Wreckchords every released.  The punk artwork alone is truly amazing and speaks volumes to the personality and culture of what being “truly punk” is all about.

Rating 4 (an outstanding collection of Punk)

Maura Kennedy

“Parade of Echoes”

www.myspace.com/maurakennedy

Style (Indie / Singer Songwriter)

I can sum up this CD in three words and the first two don’t count – FORCED, FORCED, and FORCED.  Like a skipping needle on an LP, the consistency of the contrived labor running through these 13 songs and the photos is eerily spooky how close the CD titled nailed the description.  I’m sure inside there’s an artist with something on her mind, but maturity, examination, and understanding of the best method for delivering such thoughts to the masses needs to be evaluated because the musical path is definitely not getting’ it done.  If Ms.Kennedy and Phoebe from Friends were having a battle of the songwriters at Central Perk I’d rather hear “Smelly Cat” on a continuous loop than anymore of Ms.Kennedy’s whimpering attempt at tormented longing.  Ms.Kennedy’s writing, musicianship, not to mention her desperately pushed, lazy, and often out of tune vocals, remind me of those awful hippy songs of the 60’s I despise so much.

Rating ½ (at least with “Smelly Cat” I know in advance the cat smells)

The Fall of Troy

“In The Unlikely Event”

www.thefalloftroy.com

Style (Alternative)

This musical genesis explodes into your ears with ambitious ferocity and exceptional musicianship.  At first listen I was ready to write this trio from the Pacific Northwest off because none the songs related well commercially.  But I stuck it out for one main reason, Thomas Erak.  Thomas Erak is both singer and guitar player, and though his vocals are a cross between a mediocre American Idol karaoke contestant and a hardcore howler monkey, it’s his guitar playing that sparked my rubbernecking curiosity to see what’s happening up ahead.  To say Erak shreds on guitar is simply understating a fact.  Erak’s six string musicianship is fresh and exciting, and much different from those lame ass guitar shredders who keep saturating our ears with the same ol’ same ol’.  Erak plays with an unrelenting and unsympathetic energy, sharply changing direction faster than a cheetah chasing lunch, and smartly placing his licks within rhythms and choruses that actually make sense.  The song writing style for this trio is high octane up-tempo with an unimaginable amount of tangents.  The nearest comparison I can think of is Rush intensely fueled by a three-way cocktail of cocaine, red bull, and 10cc’s of adrenaline.  This CD is a great example of skilled musicianship (all three musicians to be exact).  However, my one knock against the music is the same that almost sent me away in the first place, which is the lack of marketability and commercial stamina to garner attention from outside the industry people who already know these guys for their playing ability.

Rating 2 ½ (low because the songs aren’t catchy)

Taking Dawn

“Time To Burn”

www.takingdawn.com

Style (Rock)

The bio tells me these guys are out of Las Vegas and are inspired by rock and roll bands like Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and the like.  Musically though, I hear more mythology based anthem style rock ala Iron Maiden.  Complementing the music, the CD artwork’s symbolism projects a mythological path with fire and brimstone, an Austrian Military Merit cross (made famous by the Red Barron), and an ouroboros.  I’m just a little confused by the bio when compared against what I’m hearing and seeing to know where this band is heading.  My confusion aside, Taking Dawn’s sound is intense, loud, energetic, fun, and full of youthful exuberance and definitely something I’d stick around to check out in a club.  One problem I hear though, which is both good and bad, is that this band’s sound is incredibly full and built for large venues and stadiums.  An interesting problem if taking Dawn is cutting their teeth on the club circuit because the fullness of their sound in a small club may be too overpowering.

Rating 3

Incite

“The Slaughter”

www.inciteband.com

Style (Hardcore)

WARNING!!!  Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, go from a vente chai latte chilling with some smooth jazz to this hardcore monster.  This is the one time I really should have paid closer attention to the warning label.  Damn does this animal voraciously wake your ass up!  Playing through this CD I feel like a dogs chew toy that’s been mauled to only be saved by getting tossed into the rinse cycle of an old Whirlpool with a busted drum.  Four songs into the 11 total and I’m already worn out.  Talk about taking control with zero let up.  The last time I was in a moss pit I got a rib fractured by a dude pushing 300+.  Being in this bands moss pit all I can hope for is that the 300+ pounders will be too damn tired so the old guy can get in the mix.  These songs are imposing, intense, brash, full of raw muscle and power, exceptionally well-orchestrated mayhem with killer punch, and exactly what good hardcore sounds like.

Rating 4 ½ (HIDDEN GEM – the energy level start to finish is fantastic)

Genitorturers

“Blackheart Revolution”

www.myspace.com/genitorturers

Style (Industrial Metal / Techno / Gothic)

I dig the music but hate the band name.  That name is just too much to think about and spit out.  As for the music, I’m on board with about half the CD and am totally jacked up on the song “Devil In A Bottle,” which is rough around the edges with its raunchy and throaty female vocals accompanied by hard driving rhythms delivered like lustful pounding pile driving sex.  The band’s sound and presentation is sexual, sleazy, aggressive, sex techno, gothic, and industrial.  Listening to the CD I’m picturing a Helmut Newton, Rob Zombie, and Manson collaborated gothic style dominatrix naughty Halloween party.  The female vocals are throaty and sexually gritty, the guitars are raw with that nasty grind quality, and the drums and bass back it all up with that back alley energy that’s both scary and unstoppable.  This CD, unlike many others, comes in pairs like butt cheeks.  One butt cheek (the first half of the CD) has the nasty, rip your clothes off roughness, and the other cheek (the second half of the CD) is a more lacy tantalizing tease.  There are a few songs on the CD I feel pull the energy level too far down with their 180° style tangent from rough grinding metal to industrial techno rave dance party.  I’ve listened to many CD’s over the last couple years and I honestly can’t recall any other band with two distinctly different musical personalities on the same CD.  Song number 3 “Devil In a Bottle” has strong possibilities on hard rock and metal playlist’s, and song number 8 “Cum Junkie” has strong possibility on the techno dance playlist.  I’m a little bummed out though I got the advanced media copy because it lacks all the full CD artwork.  Checking out the band pictures on their MySpace I can only image how over the top decked out in leather and latex dominatrix these guys and dolls are.  This is the first time I’ve come across Genitorturers and from what I’ve heard and seen I’d say these guys and doll will be musically and visually stimulating live for both sexes.

Rating 4 ½ (careful with that riding crop)

Note:  I need to move this review up to “4 ½”   I’ve had this playing in my truck for a week and even though there are some songs I feel could have been replaced 90% of the CD is quite good. 

H.E. Miller

“Apocalyptic Dreams”

www.apocalypticdreams.com

Style (Indie / Folk)

I don’t know if the U.S. military has any napalm still on hand but if they’re looking to unload some I’d suggest this dudes recording equipment.  This music is horrendously awful!!!  If given the choice to hear these songs again or to listen to a rooster crowing while using a jackhammer, I’d pick the rooster every time.  It was to be expected this stuff would suck given Mr.Miller is credited with playing all the musical instruments.  Might I suggest the next musical instrument be the silent cotton ball, although I’m sure he’ll suck at playing that too.  There are 14 songs too many on this 14 song disk which are absolutely pure misery to listen to.  And if the music wasn’t bad enough, Mr.Miller decided the songs needed some crappy low resolution 64kb first generation camera phone snapshots to help bring down the quality even lower.  Everything related to this chicken scratch has me picturing this hillbilly living out in the middle of nowhere sucking back mushrooms and moonshine.  Then I read on the website Mr.Miller is actually thinking about taking this trash on the road.  All I can say is I feel sorry for those craft shows and county fairs.  My sympathy goes out to the pigs and cows because at least the people can run away from the train wreck that is “Apocalyptic Dreams.”

Rating 0 (by far one of the worst CD’s I’ve ever heard)

My rating points: 7 out of 10

Track Listing:

1. Jesus Frankenstein (5:22)
2. Sick Bubble-Gum (3:44)
3. What? (2:48)
4. Mars Needs Women (4:59)
5. Werewolf, Baby (4:00)
6. Virgin Witch (3:39)
7. Death And Destiny Inside The Dream Factory (2:19)
8. Burn (3:04)
9. Cease to Exist (3:39)
10. Werewolf Women of the SS (3:01)
11. The Man Who Laughs (9:44)

Famed musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie returns with his fourth studio album after a gap of almost four years since the last effort. This is also a follow-up and companion to the triple platinum ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’. Even though the album was recorded in 2008, this long gap can be explained by the fact that he was caught up in his ‘Halloween II’ movie commitments. Even then, the album was supposed to be out by November 2009 but pushed further back due to lack of publicity. Well here we are finally, less than a week away from its release and here’s a track-by-track review for you.

The album starts off with some dark, doom metal type overtones in ‘Jesus Frankenstein’ and reminds the listener instantly of the song ‘Black Sabbath’ by the band of the same name. The song remains dark and heavy throughout with amazing interludes that give it a typical Rob Zombie sort of atmosphere. After listening to the whole album, I can say that this song is definitely one of the best. A good way to kick off the album, making the listener hungry for more!

Things get heavier with the next song titled ‘Sick Bubble-Gum’ and its your signature Zombie track, with heavily distorted and down-tuned guitars accompanied with lyrics that sound very easy to sing along with. There is more than a hint of guitar riffs and solos in this one, as compared to the opening track.

The tempo picks up just a little bit with one of the shorter songs in the album, ‘What?’ From the feel that I get out of it, it should be a good live song. Despite not having anything musically outstanding, the average Zombie fan should dig this. The album has progressed quite nicely so far, each song offering something different and adding to the previous one. No reason not to expect even better things from the rest of it you would think.

Acoustic guitars take a prominent position for the first time with the first minute and a half of the next song ‘Mars Needs Women’. It comes off as quite refreshing and possibly the most unique part of the whole album. After that though, the song settles down as the usual slow tempo industrial rock tune with repetitive lyrics. This is followed by the track ‘Werewolf, Baby’, which isn’t a bad song by any means and goes very well with the rest of the album. The main riffs are quite interesting and can be described as a sort of heavily distorted blues-country composition.

The doom-laden ambience of the first track returns with ‘Virgin Witch’. I wouldn’t expect anyone to go crazy head banging or singing along to this one, neither is it likely to feature as a regular live track. But musically it is one of the best songs in the album, specially the delightful solo at the end of it. This surely gives a lot of depth to the album and goes a long way in preventing it from sounding one-dimensional. ‘Death And Destiny Inside The Dream Factory’ is quite a contrasting follow up to this, being the shortest song on the album and a typical rocking number. The next song ‘Burn’ has nothing wrong with it from the musical point of view, but the ‘lyrics’, if you can call them lyrics, are such that it might be enjoyable to some while a turn-off for others.

‘Cease To Exist’ is slow, dark, heavy and almost gothic in its musical atmosphere. The vocals too are a lot softer than the other songs so far, sounding electronic for the most part. Drums are quite prominent and take the foreground in the interludes and latter part of it. Its hard to really get into this song after just a few listens, but it has the potential to grow on the listener. The tempo finally picks up again with ‘Werewolf Women Of The SS’, which is perhaps the fastest song of the album, having some tight guitar riffs and a more than decent solo. The last song ‘The Man Who Laughs’ is the only one written collectively by all four members of the band and is quite progressive in nature, at first sounding like a continuation of the previous song, going from that into a slow interlude and then a drum solo which lasts for four minutes, no less. Because of this I am pretty sure that this song will feature in their live shows.

So overall it’s a good album from Rob Zombie and co, very well written, and very creative particularly in the case of songs like ‘Werewolf, Baby’, ‘Virgin Witch’, ‘Cease To Exist’ and ‘The Man Who Laughs’. A Rob Zombie fan should enjoy this effort from its start to finish and even a new fan or a person unfamiliar with the band should find a lot of reasons to like this, save for one or two filler songs. I don’t expect this to reach the heights that ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’ did, but it is guaranteed to keep the fans happy.

For more information about buying this album, go to www.robzombie.com or order the soft copy of it on iTunes.

My rating points: 8 out of 10

Track Listing:

1. The Green and Black (8:12)
2. Ironbound (6:33)
3. Bring Me The Night (4:15)
4. The Goal Is Your Soul (6:40)
5. Give A Little (4:41)
6. Endless War (5:41)
7. The Head and Heart (5:10)
8. In Vain (5:12)
9. Killing For a Living (6:14)
10. The SRC (5:07)

New Jersey thrashers Overkill return after a gap of almost three years with their 15th studio release. It comes out in February and all the thrash fans out there can feel lucky to be able to treat themselves with some great music so early in the year! Here’s a track-by-track review.

The album starts off in blistering fashion with the song ‘The Green And Black’. Bobby gives indications that he still has what it takes to be a great vocalist. The riffs are solid and their combination with the ultra-fast drumming gives us a great track. The bass solo is delightful to hear, leading into the excellent guitar solos at the end. The lyrics are easy to follow and should make for a great sing-along. If this track is anything to go by, this album is going to truly rock!

The title song ‘Ironbound’ comes next. It takes off where the previous song left and as stated by Bobby himself in an interview with me, you can already feel that the album is very cohesive and each song compliments the one previous to it, something that cannot necessarily be said about other Overkill records. It is another very solid song, with some breathtaking double bass drums backing it all the way. Even the lyrics seem like a continuation of the first song. The interlude is quite melodious and very well followed up with another crisp solo.

The next song ‘Bring Me The Night’ keeps up with the tempo that’s being set so far. The performance on vocals is the best of three songs so far. The lyrics have more of an attitude in them as well. This is a flat-out rocker, much shorter in length as compared to the previous two and pretty much flies by, knocking down the listener on the floor with its speed and brutality. This will definitely be a great live song and should tear up many a venue on their upcoming tour.

Track four ‘The Goal Is Your Soul’ is the first occasion where the listener experiences a slight drop in tempo to start with. Having said that, overall it is not a slow song by any means. The song gradually builds up speed after the slowest part of it, the interlude and ends on a pace at par with the first three songs. It isn’t the best song on this record but a pretty solid one nonetheless.

The next song ‘Give A Little’ is of a slightly progressive nature. The various changes in vocal pitch and speed in this one will have the fans enjoying some slow as well as fast head banging. The band has been able to pack a lot of punch even into a short song like this, showing that you don’t always need a 15 minute long song to fill in the musical depth and variations you want to showcase.

‘Endless War’ keeps the relentless brutality going even more than the other songs because there isn’t really a slow interlude in this one. The song never lets up in its speed and the music certainly suits the theme of the lyrics here. A song very well placed in the album I must say, making sure that the album is neither top-heavy nor bottom-heavy.

The next track ‘The Head And Heart’ is another one of those with a very gradual build-up. It doesn’t go that well with the other songs in the album and stands out as the single most unique song, or the odd one out, whichever way you want to look at it. But still, some of the guitar work is its saving grace and is worth listening to repeatedly.

‘In Vain’ is yet another typically thrashing tune. It’s a good song but doesn’t have any outstanding qualities. But again it fits in very well with the album and sort of solidifies the whole effort. I can imagine circle pits going as wild as in any other Overkill song if and when this is played in front of a live audience.

The first few seconds of the song ‘Killing For A Living’ are just a little too similar to Metallica’s ‘Damage Inc’, but the rest of the song is surely an honest and original effort and doesn’t stray much from the norm of the other songs, having its fast and slow parts and being kept heavy throughout.

The album comes to a close with the track titled ‘The SRC’. The band have got the ordering of their compositions close to perfectly right as this sounds like a very good last song. It sort of represents the style of music this album is all about and leaves an impression on the minds of the listeners which would make them go back and listen to track 1 again.

Although the structure of almost every song is pretty much the same, it doesn’t get boring, at least to me it doesn’t. In my opinion, bands should stick to the style of song writing that they are most comfortable with and something that works best for them. Trying to change it up drastically just for the sake of doing it, isn’t what I like to see. I’m glad Overkill here are doing what they do best.

My picks for best songs here would be ‘Green And Black’, ‘Ironbound’, ‘Bring Me The Night’ and ‘Endless War’. The album should appeal to all Overkill fans old and new, and shouldn’t disappoint people. This promises to be one of the better albums being released this year.

www.wreckingcrew.com

Prog rock and post rock have in some ways travelled along similar lines, but in different time frames. Prog was an early 70′s genre, bred out of post psychedelia. Post rock came out of post punk/new wave of the late 70′s. early 80′s and developed through the late 80′s into the 90′s. However what links them is an attitude to produce music that pushes the boundaries of “standard rock” into some form of art rock. Strangely, both have rarely co-joined. The reason for that is probably more to do with attitude. It’s that prog vs. punk thing again. Imagine Labradford jamming in the garage with Godspeed You Black Emperor!, on a bunch of classic Pink Floyd tunes, and you’re going some way towards understanding what this awesome album sounds like. Quite simply, this is an absolutely stunning work of art that repays repeated plays and makes you realise that much of what passes for modern music is derivative and uninvolving. Over the course of 77 minutes ‘Crippled Black Phoenix’ take you on an aural journey like little else I can remember in recent times. The music is progressive without being pompous, post-rock without being boring, sombre without being depressing and at times almost impossible to pin down. Critics have complained that there is just too much going on here and that the band need to focus their attention, and their sound, but I reckon that it’s this unfocussed approach which is at the root of their greatness. All great art should be self-indulgent and this marvellous album certainly follows that template. It has to be said that this is not music that you can stick on in the background whilst you do something else. Rather, it cries out for your undivided attention, holding you in its thrall until the last notes fade away. This is an album of great and rare beauty, and trying to single out highlights is almost impossible, but try the opening three tracks; as good a thirty four minutes of music as you’re likely to come across this year. This is beautiful and deep music which really has something to say. I cannot recommend this album highly enough.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I would have to say the latest release from Warren Haynes and the boys is the Mule’s best studio album to date. “By A Thread” touches all their familiar bases and then some. It’s a work of remarkable variety and maturity which never loses sight of the band’s southern rock roots.

Proceedings start with a bang, the rocking ‘Broke Down On The Brazos’ given one mighty turbo charge by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons – his most blistering guitar work in recent memory. ‘Any Open Window’ also keeps the pedal to the metal whilst other highlights include the grimy sleazy blues of ‘Inside Outside Woman Blues #3′, ‘Railroad Boy’ – a Warren Haynes arrangement of a traditional English murder ballad and the jazz-rock / psychedelic ‘Scenes From A Troubled Mind’. There’s even room for a gentle ballad ‘Forevermore’ providing colour and texture to a strong and well-balanced set that shows a band unafraid of stepping outside its comfort zone. In my opinion, Warren Haynes has got to be one of the most hard working and talented musicians around. If you love Free, Humble Pie, Allmann Bros, Mountain, Crowes etc you’ll love this. They’ve never released a poor album yet. Haynes has a fantastic voice and he plays a mean Gibson to boot! ‘By A Thread’ is an amazing record, as good (or better) than Deja Voodoo. And considering it was co-produced by Gordie Johnson (leader of Canada’s underwhelming, overly loud Big Sugar, now defunct) that’s no small matter.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Date: 02/02/10

A little girl, who must have been around 2 or 3 years of age at the most, was wearing a shirt that said ‘Ozzy Rules’, pretty much summing up the general opinion among the huge crowd that had gathered on the Sunset strip outside the Book Soup today. The reason and the occasion for this gathering was to meet Ozzy Osbourne and get copies of his recently released autobiography signed by the man himself. The queue of people extended well beyond the block within which the book store is located. It turned out to be a good decision for me and my buddies to join the line early, almost five hours before the signing started at 7 o clock!

The anticipation and excitement was apparent among the waiting fans and some of them went totally wild when cameramen from some news or TV channels started going around filming. One particular young fan even started singing ‘Diary Of A Madman’ which was quite amusing for everyone around him.  Even a team of Romanian TV personnel were going up and down the queue, asking people how they felt. They asked us too, and of course we were excited. When I told the guy that I’ve read the book already, he asked me how the book was and which was the best part.

We finally got in at a few minutes past 7 o clock and first we saw Ozzy’s wife Sharon, daughter Kelly and a couple other people standing and talking among each other in the space between two shelves. The moment finally arrived when I got to see Ozzy, get my book signed and say to him, ‘Thank you Ozzy!’ The man looked happy doing the signing session and didn’t seem to be grumbling or complaining, unlike some of the other famous rockers whom I’ve met recently. When I thanked him, he looked up and said with a smile on his face, ‘You’re welcome’.

All in all, it was a great event and a wonderful opportunity for fans to meet the legend.

Check out the book store’s website: www.booksoup.com

www.ozzy.com

Broken Teeth return with their latest slab of pure uncut rock fury with, ‘Viva La Rock Fantastico’, and just like their previous outings, this one is a rattlesnake with one bad ass attitude. The new album is a power-chord bonanza that is sure to get your blood pumping in no time flat! If you’re an AC/DC fan and you haven’t heard Broken Teeth, shame on you! Where have you been?! Broken Teeth are a guaranteed can of whoop ass who take no prisoners! As the boys serve up with the new album. Some of the standouts are the ball breaking movers like “Twister”, “Bullet”, and “Blackheart”. Danko Jones lends his vocal chops on the adrenaline induced title track and “Big Spender” (by the way thanks to the fan that sent Jason the CD that featured Danko Jones). Then you have “Exploder”, proving once and for all why Broken Teeth are a force to be reckoned with. If you’ve listened to Broken Teeth before you already know what to expect. Nothing fancy, this is Jason McMaster and the boys coming out swinging and going for the throat from the moment you press play. If McMaster’s straight from the gut lyrics, guttural vocals, and the bands scorching guitar riffs don’t get your blood boiling, then you are simply D.O.A! Like I mentioned before, if you love AC/DC and Rose Tattoo, there is no way you are going to get off with Broken Teeth. These a rock and roll renegades love this music too and they are not ashamed to acknowledge these influences. However, what they do, and do so well, is to drag rock music into the new millennium and give it a kick up the ass for good measure! If you want great rock ‘n’ roll – loud, hard and fast with great guitar work, sing-a-long choruses and heavy drum beats, Broken Teeth’s ‘Viva La Rock Fantastico’ is sure to satisfy. They say, actions speak louder than words, get your hands on this bad boy and hit play. You’ll hear and feel what I mean! THIS ALBUM ROCKS! VIVA BROKEN TEETH!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

OUTLOUD is a brand new Greek-American melodic rco band with strong 80s vibe. The band’s self-titled debut release, is probably one of the biggest surprises in the genre of melodic hard rock scene as it brings together some of the greatest musicians from the US and Greece; FIREWIND’s Bob Katsionis (keys-guitars) and Mark Cross (drums) join forces with the voice of TALON ChandlerMogel. The line up is completed by Greek newcomers Tony Kash (guitars) and Jason Mercury (bass). The result is top notch melodic hard rock/metal with nod to the great vibe of the 80′s rock music scene. The melodies go straight for the heart. The arrangements quite proudly use plenty of great guitar solos and killer gang chorus effects and it’s a great disc for driving down the highway to. Weirdly enough it’s the uniform quality of the CD that detracts from it slightly as there are few peaks and valleys to break up the record for the listener. But if pressed I’d have to point the prospective Outloud fans to the rocking numbers “What I Need” and “We Run” as being very good examples of the sort of rocking experience that awaits you. And they’ll show you how this band play both loudly and proudly with the aim of blowing you away. The songs are attacked with verve and spirit and I defy anybody to listen to this album without cracking a smile.  All in all every track is guaranteed to rock. Need to mention that the production of the album is very good which allows all the listeners to listen to every single detail. Hope you enjoy this album as much as I have. Great job guys!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bruce Kulick did a short show to celebrate the release of his latest solo album ‘BK3′ here at the Cat Club tonight, probably the smallest club on the Sunset strip which made for the most intimate atmosphere you would ever be a part of. Quite a few familiar faces and big names from the rock n roll fraternity were seen at one point or another, including Rudy Sarzo, Steve Lukather and Bruce’s producer Geremy Rudolino. Nick Simmons was also present along with the camera crew of the show ‘Family Jewels’, who filmed a major portion of the proceedings.

After two opening bands finished their sets, Bruce Kulick came out on stage to loud cheers from the small crowd, with his band mates Todd Kerns (vocals/rhythm guitar), Adam Kury (bass) and Brent Fitz (drums).  Although this was his CD release show, most of the songs were from his KISS catalog, which wasn’t anything to complain about at all. They did play two songs from BK3 though, ‘Hand Of The King’ with Nick on vocals and ‘No Friend Of Mine’ with Jeremy Rudolino on acoustic guitar. Nick Simmons was really great with his performance tonight, bringing a lot of energy on the stage. It is pretty obvious where from he got that stage presence and voice. They did that song twice and the second time it was merely for the Family Jewels filming purpose. Jeremy was really good on that acoustic guitar as well.

They ended the set with Bruce’s favorite KISS song, ‘God Gave Rock N Roll’. So it was a very short but entertaining set of songs. Tears Are Falling was the highlight for me. After the show Bruce was nice enough to come back out in the crowd to sign autographs and pose for pictures. All in all, a great night out for all KISS and Bruce Kulick fans, and I wish him all the best with the new CD, which kicks ass!

Here’s the complete set list:

1. Hell Or High Water
2. Hide Your Heart
3. Tears Are Falling
4. Heart Of Chrome
5. Hand Of The King (with Nick Simmons on vocals)
6. No Friend Of Mine
7. I Walk Alone
8. God Gave Rock N Roll

To buy the CD and for more information, visit http://kulick.net

More than 200 shows on 3 continents – even a lot of signed bands from Germany do not have a tour record like this. Still the pop punks of King’s Tonic have never had a record deal: “Because nowadays – economically understandable – labels will not invest sizeably in newcomers, signing away our freedom for only a small percentage of the takings never made real sense to us.”

Nevertheless by cultural and industrial sponsors King’s Tonic have always found the funds for music releases and tours. “To us touring abroad musically as well as personally is essential. We enjoy meeting people from other cultural backgrounds and get inspired by the new impressions. Music as the universal language makes you connect in a special way.” For example the band toured China, Malaysia as well as Singapore and a self-organised tour took the foursome around California and to Las Vegas in 2008. After their gig at L.A.’s Whisky A Go-Go booker Celina Denkins predicted: “King’s Tonic is a quality band full of energy and catchy tunes. Surely, they have a hit song in their future.”

At least they got as close as bands without a record deal in Germany get to a hit song: two of their songs went into the 2009 annual newcomer and unsigned radio charts of “DasDing”, the youth station of one of Germany’s biggest broadcasting stations “Südwestrundfunk”. The punk rocking “Naked” from the 2008 album “Fuck Your Neighbour” charted no. 9, while more metal inspired “21” from their recent EP took no. 1.

In February/March King’s Tonic will be back to California. “We had such a great time meeting new friends and bands, we’d like to repeat this experience.” That means, singer James Mean and bass man Swen O. Heiland will. Suiting the band’s credo: “Large arrangements are just needed to cover weaknesses, a good song sings with only a single guitar”, the two are going to play this tour unplugged. With Swen on guitar “Naked” strips into a ballad and James gains more room to play his smoke layered voice tinged with the metal influence in the pop punks’ songs, but other than that, their set keeps its rocking drive. “Interaction and – at best – emotional rapport with people enjoying our music is the fun part in playing live. Unplugged music brings about a denser atmosphere much closer to an audience, in other words: intensified fun.”

Convincing venues abroad without a local promoter or booker is rather difficult, but so far three dates are confirmed, for others King’s Tonic are shortlisted: “Since they have no means to make sure we rock a show, it’s fair they make certain that we rock up – and we will.”

Dates and venues:

28. Feb. 2010,  20:00 – The Rock it Room, San Francisco, California
05. March 2010,  20:00 – The Doll Hut, Anaheim, California
08. March 2010,  20:00 -  Puka Bar, Long Beach, California

www.myspace.com/kingstonic