House of Lords - Big Money

01. Big Money
02. One Man Down
03. First To Cry
04. Searchin'
05. Someday When
06. Livin' In A Dream World
07. The Next Time I Hold You
08. Run For Your Life
09. Hologram
10. Seven
11. Once Twice
12. Blood
13. Someday When (video clip)

Release date: 27 September 2011

I have been a fan of this band since way back. The band (originally brought to the market by Gene Simmons) has had many line up changes, and over the years has had some of my favorite musicians in the ranks (Tommy Aldridge, Ken Mary, Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright), and have consistently put out solid commercial hard rock with an edge. All along the way, the one constant was the powerfully beautiful vocals of James Christian. This band for me, is always just the perfect balance of commercial radio rock and hard rock, and album after album have never let me down from that expectation. And even with the change of personnel, the music has not suffered, and each release is as pleasing as ever.

Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare

1. I Am Made Of You
2. Caffeine
3. The Nightmare Returns
4. A Runaway Train
5. Last Man On Earth
6. The Congregation
7. I’ll Bite Your Face Off
8. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
9. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture

Release date: 13 September 2011

The master of macabre is back with what is to be considered part two of one of his most famous works, 1975's Welcome to My Nightmare. Joined by Bob Ezrin, who was the producer of the original 1975 multi-platinum seller, they again weave together another story from within the mind of the Alice Cooper character.

"This is Alice's nightmare 35 years later," explains Alice, "Bob and I created this character and we know how to write for him. I play the part but we're not writing for me, we're writing for Alice. We kept the first 'Nightmare' album very personal to us, on this one we found more humor and we were more open. This was our world and we want to present it to the fans. The original album was my first solo album after all those huge hit records with the original band and now that nightmare is exposed, this one can be a little bit more open. The music crosses all sorts of boundaries; we went where the lyrics took us."

Riot - Immortal Soul

1. Still Your Man
2. Riot
3. Crawling
4. Wings Are for Angels
5. Sins of the Father
6. Fall Before Me
7. Majestica
8. Immortal Soul
9. Insanity
10. Whiskey man
11. Believe
12. Echoes

Label: Steamhammer/SPV

Release date:
Germany 28.10.2011
EU October 31st
USA Canada November 22nd

Ok, I will admit upfront that I have not followed Riot's career for the past 20 years. I am an old school Riot fanatic, and cut my teeth on Fire Down Under and Restless Breed; I love the Rhett Forrester years the most, and just as much, the early Guy Speranza years. When Thundersteel came out in 1988 with new vocalist Tony Moore, I listened to it, and it was good, but the band "felt" different to me, and eventually got lost in the huge amount of 80's bands that were around at the time. Tony recorded two albums with the band before leaving in 1992, and over the years I have revisited a few releases here and there, but again, they just never grabbed me and held me (I guess I listen to way to many different bands).

The band has went through many line-ups, and different vocalists over the years, but now, with 2011, after more than 20 apart, they have come back around to the Thundersteel line-up consisting of Tony Moore (vocals), Mark Reale (guitar), Don Van Stavern (bass) and Bobby Jarzombek (drums) plus live guitarist Mike Flyntz, and I am again listening...and enjoying.

Y & T - Facemelter

Well, after 13 years of studio album silence, one of my favorite hard rock/metal bands has made it back into my stereo with a a supply of new tunes. In 2003/2004 they released a bunch of unreleased songs on the two volume Unearthed releases, which was great in itself, as it was basically equivalent to have new music from the band; but 2010 brings us the real thing. The boys are back, and they still have the chops, even after 35 years of making music.

Singer/guitarist Dave Meniketti has released a couple excellent blues rock albums over the years, but this is a band effort, with original members Dave and Phil Kennemore, and long time members John Nymann (guitar) and Mike Vanderhule (drums). The band has been doing this since the 70's and the talent sure shows.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Mojo

OK, it has been eight years since the band has put out a new album. The last one was The Last DJ in 2002, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Since that last album, Petty popped up in 2008 up with a resurrection of his original band Mudcrutch, and released an album of interesting tunes and jams, which I also enjoyed. And in 2006 he released a solo album,  Highway Companion (yes, I also really enjoyed it), which found Petty laying out an album way more laid back and smooth than previous releases. So, what does 2010 give us from Tom and the whole band? Well, it is kind of a combination of of his last two musical ventures; with the laid back mellower feel of Highway Companion, and the classic and looser jams of Mudcrutch.

This album is totally unlike anything the band has put out in the past, and gone are the big hits we're used to hearing, and instead it is almost like Mudcrutch album two, except it does have a more Heartbreakers feel to it than that release did. There are some good tunes on here, and some great musicianship, but the looser jam feel could be a turn off to many. Some of the reviews I have already read online seem to knock the album for that very reason - while others love it. I have mixed feelings. It is good, but it is a far cry from the greatness of am used to from these guys.

Ozzy Osbourne - Scream

It has been three years since the Oz man released his last studio album, Black Rain. Reviews were mixed on that one, but many thought the reign of Ozzy was over. Enter 2010 and the 61 year-old Ozzman cometh back with a new slab of metal.

I will admit right up front, as many of you out there, I am an early era Ozzy fan. I was there when Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman hit the racks. I was there in the glory days of Bark at the Moon. I never got to see Randy Rhoads live in concert, but I was there shortly after to see the short-lived Brad Gillis tour, as well as seeing and meeting Jake E. Lee during the Bark tour.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live From Freedom Hall

Yay, just what the world needed, another live greatest classics hits release by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Look, I love Skynyrd, have for decades, but I am getting tired of people keeping Skynyrd stuck in a box from the 70's.

With the exception of three songs ("Travelin' Man" from 1997's album Twenty, "Workin'" from 1999's Edge of Forever release, and "Red, White and Blue" from 2003's "Vicious Cycle) this is 12 songs from the early days of typical classic they always play. I love the classics, but how many live albums of them do we need?