****Volcanic - Anhedonia - CD
(Rut Records 1091 Castle Dr. Watkinsville, GA 30677) You pronounce the name
as Four-Star Volcanic. From what I can tell that is the most clever
thing about this band. They are a decent rock band verging on punk with
an almost Dead Kennedy's like quality to them. However, the songs
run on too long and really don't catch me at all. They are decent and better
than a lot of the crap out there, but I find myself skipping through songs
on the second listen just wanting it to be over.
-- Grog Mutant (2003)
.And Oceans - AM God - CD
(Century Media Records)
Black metal band's fourth full length release and first release for Century
Media. Aggressive blasting black metal with shrieking vocals and very unique
keyboard sounds. Makes me think this might be what Pink Floyd would
sound like doing black metal covers. It is nice to see songs with themes
other than the typical worship Satan idea. A very excellent black metal
release that offers a unique sound, and has much more to offer than the
typical and often boring black metal sound.
-- Johnny Death (2001)
...Year Of The White Buffalo - Year Of The White Buffalo - CD
(Black & Blue
Star Records) This CD starts off good enough with a haunting guitar
instrumental. However, the melody sounded familiar to me. I couldn’t quite
place it and checked the liner notes to see who it was a cover of, but the
liner notes say that Dave Black wrote all the songs, so I guess it is an
original. Too bad the song quality heads south from there on out. The music
has a weak ‘80s rock feel, and the heavy breath in the vocals on the tune
“Fall to the Gun” is just too much.
-- Mite Mutant (2006)
2AM Project,The - Well Hello, Mr. Fancypants! - CD
(E-Mail 2AM Project) This is
an all-acoustic, very Indigo Girls sounding EP. Excellent vocals,
local folk fans should check this out.
-- Regan (2001)
2Pac - Thug / Life - 2CD
(Universal Records)
Listing to this 2-pack 2Pac best of release, I have to say that I
still don't get his appeal as a rapper. Disc 1 is subtitled Thug, while
Disc 2 is subtitled Life, and as far as the music goes I can't really tell
the significance of why which song went on which disc. If you are a fan
of 2Pac looking to freshen up or tighten up your 2Pac CD collection
or just getting into rap, then yeah check this out. But if you're like me
and find it strange that a song called "Never Call U B**ch Again" is presented
as a romantic tune, then just stay away from these two discs. (*Note: 2Pac
was commonly known as Tupac Shakur until recently. I have no idea
why this change happened...it just did.)
-- Mite Mutant (2008)
3 Doors Down - The Better Life (Deluxe Edition) - CD
(Universal Music
Company) The music of 3 Doors Down is decent enough, but I have
to say I don't think it warrants a Deluxe Edition release, especially since
all you get is their debut release The Better Life and an extra CD
of a live performance. The cover sticker to this release lists four 'classics'
by the band, but I only recall two major hits, "Kryptonite" and "Loser".
I just don't see how this album makes the rank of a legendary album, especially
when compare to other releases in this series like Marvin Gay's "What's
Going On", Bob Marley's "Legend", Sonic Youth's "Dirty", etc.
In the end, I also wasn't too impressed with the live bonus material that
makes up disc two of this release. And while I can say I did like disc one,
I didn't like it enough where I would recommend it to anyone.
-- Mite Mutant (2007)
4 in tha Chamber - Existence. - CD
(Da Core Records) File
under the same old boring punk sound.
-- Mite Mutant (2001)
6X - Thunder Bomb - CD
(Daemon Records)
I've loved everything I've heard from 6X, and I still consider Lara
Kiang one of the goddesses of rock. This is straight ahead rock that
kicks and is fronted by a cool as hell woman.Think of Joan Jett,
mixed with Shonen Knife and a bit of MC5. Hell Yes!!!
-- Grog Mutant (2001)
28 Degrees Taurus - How Do You Like Your Love? - CD
(28 Degrees
Taurus) "In Review"
-- (2008)
30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie - CD
(Virgin Records)
This is the second release by actor Jared Leto's band, and unlike
other bands that include a popular actor this is a real band (Dogstar
I'm looking at you). 30 Seconds To Mars is a better than average
rock band with an industrial slant. However, the lyrics seem a bit trite
and the music is a bit too clean for the look and style they're trying.
My favorite song on the disc is "The Fantasy", which is nicely done and
a step above the other tunes. I think this is better than a majority of
the crap that gets released out there and since it features an actor I really
like, I give it a few bonus points.
-- Grog Mutant (2006)
35 Days in May - Bobo in the Bronx - CD
(New Indie Artists)
Industrial and jazz aren't two musical forms that you see together in the
same sentence, but "Out of the Blue" the opening track to this disc merits
the coupling of these terms. In fact, many of the songs on this release
can be best described as industrial jazz. The music on this release would
be something I would image playing on the jukebox in a William S. Burroughs
novel. Great sound and great CD.
-- Mite Mutant (2007)
.38 Special - Anthology - 2CD
(Universal Records)
My very first real rock concert (I saw Sha Na Na when I was around
12) was Bon Jovi opening up for .38 Special. I remember having
to 'bend the truth' for my parents so I could go. While I wasn't a big fan
of .38 Special, I would have to say they put on a good show, with
the highlight being the opening with the two drummers.This is an anthology
CD, which is why it's a double CD release, and is more for the hard core
.38 Special/Southern Rock fans. For the general music lover I think
they would have done better just to release a greatest hits CD since I don't
think they are willing to pay the price of a double CD for the nostalgia.
-- Mite Mutant (2001)
44 Long - Hangover Heights Part 2 - CD
(In Music We Trust)
Some bands begin to stagnate on their third effort, but not 44 Long.
Brian Berg's growth as a musician/songwriter is self-evident. This record
has a definite groove with great guitar licks and some rockin' piano work.
There are a wide variety of instruments employed here and they all fit exactly
where they are put. The banjo on the sixth track is great with an unexpectedly
Appalachian feel combined with wistful lyrics. "Don't Let Me Die Today"
is my favorite track on this CD hands down, with track 11 coming in a close
second for its pedal steel guitar. I am a sucker for steel guitar, especially
when it's used correctly. There isn't a bad song on this CD, I highly recommend
it!
-- Chavez Trepas (2006)
The 65 Film Show - Breathing will be Assisted - CD
(Law of Inertia)
Wow, I really like these guys, actually they remind me of Fugazi
which is a comparison I'm sure they hear often. This is truly a keeper and
a band to watch out for in the future.
-- Grog Mutant (2001)
311- Evolver - CD
(311 Music) This is
their latest full length. None of the songs particularly stood out, but
none of them sucked either. This is a decent album by a band that has their
own sound and has been writing constantly good songs for many years. I'm
not a huge fan, but I do like some of their music. Not their best album,
but better than most of the tripe clogging up today's airwaves.
-- Grog Mutant (2003)
311- Creatures - CD
This is a single of their latest radio song. It includes two versions, which
are virtually identical. The song is pretty good and catchy in that 311
way, but it's not one of their best. Still it's better than most songs on
the radio and in the upper realm of the hybrid bands.
-- Grog Mutant (2003)
1888 - Honey, I'd Kill... - CD
(Clay Garden
Records) Yup, it was easy to call this one. While listening to this
CD I could tell that the drummer had some hand in the production process.
I look at the disc and there it is. The drums are so far out in the mix
that it’s just annoying. This is most noticeable on the tune “Son So” which
make the piece completely unlistenable. This is why band members shouldn’t
have a hand in the production of a CD.
-- Mite Mutant (2007)
1986 - Nihilism Is Nothing To Worry About - CD
(Palentine Records) Take one parts The Replacements and combine one
part Dinosaur Jr. and you would probably have yourself a winning
combination right? Well that's what the band called 1986 thought,
and they almost got it right. The only problem is that they forgot that
aforementioned bands also had some songs that were stinkers, and sadly those
managed to slip into the musical mixing bowl on this half-decent release.
While 1986 have the sound combination down to a tee, what they are
missing is the infectious hooks that made these two bands so memorable.
The two exceptions on this disc are the terrific Dinosaur Jr. leaning
tune "Mechanical Dreams" and " Holiday," which is closer to The Replacements
end of the spectrum.
1986 has the sound down, now all they need to do is hone their songwriting
skills and they will be a force to be reckoned with.
-- Mite Mutant (2006)