It rocks, but lacks...
921871
This is a decent album.  The only 2 great songs are All Roads to Fault and Iron Chef.  The rest are ok, even though there's 6 songs total.  I never heard of ycni:m before, but I saw them open up for Funeral for a Friend in London, on 6-12-04, and I was impressed by ycni:m's live show.  They are worth checking out.
3732352
I originally ripped this as 'Nowhere close to the quality of their&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Halestorm/dp/B001SGEUNI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Halestorm</a>&nbsp;debut, one of my favorite female rocker albums ever.'  But after multiple more listens, that may have been too harsh.  I was just expecting better after their awesome debut.  If not compared to that & just taken on its own merits, it's not bad.  But I still think they have better stuff in them.  Hopefully they'll combine the best of their 1st 2 for #3.  I also still recommend the "Deluxe" version for its 3 nice Bonus Tracks.
539120
Granted, the sound is amazing. Granted, Kevin Shields is an unbelievable guitarist. Granted, Bilinda Butcher's voice is gorgeous. But...

...but half of these songs either suck, don't make an impression, or are just plain unremarkable. I mean, a couple songs really suck, which automatically disqualifies a 5-star rating. "When You Sleep" has one of the worst hooks I've ever heard in my life - it sounds like incidental music from a particularly bad knockoff of "The Legend of Zelda" - and "I Only Said" sounds like "When You Sleep Part II" except with a better rhythm, and while that does improve it, it doesn't improve it much. I can't remember a damn thing about "What You Want," other than the fact that I didn't like it very much, and Debbie Googe's awesome and heavier-than-hell distorted bass on "Come In Alone" doesn't change the fact that the song itself is totally, completely run-of-the-mill average. "Blown A Wish" is all right, but the Bilinda Butcher vocal hook gets annoying after a while, especially since you can't ever understand what anyone is singing on this record anyway, so it just sounds like a repeated vocal noise, which isn't that interesting to listen to repeated ad infinitum.

But...half the songs kick ass. I mean, really kick ass. "Only Shallow" is an astounding opening rocker that, despite it's Bonham-heavy drumming, is submerged under the deluge of Shields' and Butcher's massive guitars. The druggy sexual haze is mind-boggling, and this song is brilliant. "Loomer" and "Touched" follow, and they too are fantastic. No drums, so nothing to distract us from the brain-melting guitar sound. These textures and black-on-white-on-pink-noise sound structures are really something to hear. "To Here Knows When" has drumbeats way, way, way off in the distance, and the textures here enfold your eardrums like some kind of combination of radio static and silk. Absolutely gorgeous stuff. Without drums again, "Sometimes" is one of the album's true highlights, hooked to an emotional and well-written melody, which makes the insane guitar textures that much more great. And then there's "Soon." One of the great singles of the '90's. Easily the best song here, "Soon" is - unbelievable. That's all. Dance beats begin the song, then the heavy-pink-noise-MBV-guitars come in, and then...oh...that bassline...simply, again, unbelievable.

But no matter how great a song "Soon" is - and it is a truly, breathtakingly great song - that really doesn't change the fact that this LP is grossly overrated and that half of it is a near-total washout. Which is a huge bummer to say, but...that's the way I feel about it.
820910
Dream Theater have set the bar very high, and... while this has all the inventiveness, creativity, amazing level of musicianship and proficiency on all their instruments - something is missing. After having listened a dozen times at least, I still feel it doesnt measure up to their previous work. I will continue to listen, and expect that there is some unique aspect that I am not hearing yet, but... it seemed appropriate to set expectations.
1974612
I'm a very large fan of Zao, they've always impressed me.  Though I find the two released with Shawn to be their best and most energetic.  There is something, to me, that Dan simply lacks with vocals.  However, this is made up for on this CD.  Scrapping the Carcass-esque vocals of the past, Dan takes on the style of bands like Pig Destroyer, both in vocals and in production style.  This is a very high plus.  Funeral of God was far too overproduced, and completely lacked in energy.  Something I dislike hearing in Zao CDs.  The Fear is What Keeps Us Here, gives the listener a peak in on what Zao is like live with Dan, because live Dan is just a ball of explosive power, and that is shown here.  My one hit from this CD would be "Pudgy Young Blondes With Lobotomy Eyes."  The vocals are in a rhythm to mock those rhymes sung in games like jump-rope.  Why it this my hit?  Because it's DIFFERENT from every other song on this CD, whereas every other track pretty much sounds the same. The lyrics themselves are lacking in their usual flair, they don't show as much passion, but as an added bonus a few of the songs are political.  I do not agree with their stance taken in those songs, but I do respect it. If I was to describe the sound...I'd say it's a rock band trying to play Pig Destroyer.  Not quite capable of it, but it still sounds good, and it for sure isn't techmetal. Some people may have trouble with the drumming style.  It's different than old Zao, that's for sure.  But it isn't bad, and it's more than just speed. The drums are raw, and upfront.  Pay more attention to them when the guitars slow down, and you will hear the talent that Jeff has on the drums.  BTW: If you ever get the chance to speak with Jeff, do it.  He's a great guy, as are the rest of the band members.

My major problem with this CD, and the reason it didn't get 5 stars was because of the vocals.  They really should have spent just a little more time making them match up with the music, or do anything to change up the vocal style and rhythm.  They got boring.

About the lyrics:  You can find them, in whole, at the SongMeanings website. The "problem" with the lyric book, is not a problem.  They caught the problem on the first set of prints, instead of fixing it however, they liked it, and so they continued to print them with the same error.  They believe it adds more to the "chaos" of the CD as a whole
4672534
Daughtry has a very '90's rock feel to it.  The problem I have with the album is that it goes soft and stays like that for far too long.  Let me put it this way, It's Not Over is one of maybe 3 harder songs on the cd.  Everything else sounds like small variants of Home.  Now, don't get me wrong some of the softer songs are amazing such as Crashed, All These Lives, and What About Now.  The inclusion of the other softer tracks on the cd such as Used To, Over You, and Gone really make the album drag and dive into boredom.  A couple of tracks on this cd stand out and generally get like a 4 star rating----It's Not Over, Crashed, Breakdown, There and Back Again, All These Lives, What About Now, and What I want.  That's 7/12 that rate about 4 stars and then like another 3 that rate 3.5 and the rest are three's.  Special mention goes to There and Back Again, Breakdown, and What I Want as being one of the best and hardest tracks on here.  The guitar work is decent/good (in certain songs) but in certain areas it shows monotony and it's partially responsible for dragging the album.  Oh, and the solo in It's Not Over is pathetic!  I'm sorry I just had to say it.
1760901
Well, I would have to say, this is not as good as I would have expected. After listening to "Curb" and "The State", it just seemed a bit to commercial. But, back with the good thoughts, this album deserves to be in every rock lovers sound system. From Chad's beautiful vocals, to Nik's pounding drums, this CD is brillient. some of the stand outs, (other than the 2 singles) are "Where Do I Hide?" yet another of the songs based on a true event, "Woke Up This Morning" (about Chad and Mikes Grandmother, among other things), and "Good Times Gone". GTG is a bit on the softer side, contrary to other Nickelback, but, is a lovely song nonetheless. From "Never Again" to Good Times Gone", this is a bloody good album. Now go out and buy it :-D
Blessed be,
Ashlii
3120750
I've been planning on reviewing this album for years now, and as I'm about to do it, it occurs to me why I've been putting it off: There just isn't that much to say about it.(provided you want to ignore the tedious sell-out debates, which I do)  It's got a few great tracks, a few good ones and a whole bunch that are alright, but not really worth your time.  This is especially sad, because, as many have suggested, they could've made a genuinely great album had they simply culled the best material from Load and Re-Load rather than just releasing it all.(Hell, I actually think Re-Load is a pretty great album by itself, though a few tracks definitely shoulda been cut) But this is what we got, so this is what I've gotta review.

Many people have accused this album of being 'alternative' and this just doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me.  Simply put, I've listened to plenty of alternative radio in my day, and this just doesn't sound much like what you find there.  But it certainly isn't thrash or any sort of traditional metal either.  It's largely a sort mid-paced, groovy, vaguely southern hard rock/metal album.  This is particularly unfortunate, because it insists that all the songs be of a similar tempo while it de-emphasizes the riffs, thus making it a bit repetitious and bland much of the time.  Though the riffs have been severely blanded, I must say that I still really like Hammet's lead work.  It fits the material pretty well, and I, personally, really like the extensive use of the wah pedal.  This isn't his best work, but I still enjoy it a lot, and it really helps the album.  And I still really like Hetfield's voice.(Frankly, I think the vox are better here than on most of their classic albums, though that is largely due to their crapola porduction)

Pretty much everything here sounds alright when your listening to it, and is frequently a bit catchy, but it hasn't much depth, for the most part, and this, combined with a lack of variety makes much of the album get pretty old after a while.  Still, it can work.  2x4 is fun and cathcy and grooves well enough, and I really like King Nothing, though it's enjoyable in pretty much the same way.  I would even say that King Nothing is a great song, for it's decidedly modest goals.  Cure is pretty good too. It's got nice atmosphere and a good riff, though it doesn't really do all that much.  That's 3 good songs in that basic style, but about half the album is like that, and the rest of it isn't terribly inspired.

The other, more varied tracks are a mixed bag as well.  The 2 epics, Bleeding Me and The Outlaw Torn are both excellent.  They both have great solos and great vox, and a good heavy yet catchy and melodic main riff.  And Until it Sleeps if pretty good, though it lack any real depth.  But Hero of the Day is pretty much just a stylistic extension of that track, but with severely diminishing returns.(Though I rather like the ending of it)  The House that Jack built has a nice mood to it, but, once again, it fails to do anything terribly interesting.  Mama Said is interesting in that it is quite different from anything else Metallica has ever done, but not really interesting in and of itself.  Ronnie is one of the weirder pieces here, and I actually rather like it.  The twanging and shrieking riff they use if actually pretty fun, and it's just a nice groovy, catchy song.

Well, I guess it's about times I scored things and wrapped it all up.  In the end, Load has 3 great tracks,  4 good tracks, and 7 ones, that while not particularly offensive to the ear, are not inspired or terribly interesting.  So that all adds up to a slightly generous 3 stars and Metallica's weakest album.
2048146
On paper, Audioslave sounds like the ideal fusion of the talents present in Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden. Wrap your head around the potential--the talents of Rage guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Cumberfield, and drummer Brad Wilk (maybe not as talented as the rhythm team of Ben Shepard/Matt Cameron, but more than adequate) with the soaring vocal prescence of Chris Cornell instead of Zach De La Rocha's harsh rapping. Good idea, right?
It should be said that I am a fan of both bands, and both had their own unique values and characteristics that endeared them to me. I enjoyed RATM's political message and the unique feel that Zach added, and I loved Soundgarden's "Black Sabbath-meets-Led Zeppelin by way of Seattle" sound too. But Audioslave, in the end, does these influences a disservice by being inferior to both bands.
The lyrics ditch the political aspects in favor of philosophical/mystical subject matter, and I'm fine with that. The problem is that the sum of the band members just isn't as strong as it should be here. While Tom Morello's guitar work is still unique and powerful (listen to that solo on Like A Stone and try telling me you don't get goosebumps), the rest of the band feels somewhat uninspired. The rhythm section is solid but dull compared to their work with RATM, pretty much just bashing out imitations of what they did before. Most importantly, Chris Cornell's voice has degenerated badly since his Soundgarden days, and has become much too raspy. He's lost his patented banshee howls, and while his softer vocals are passable they certainly aren't as powerful. The overall effect is that of a second-rate Soundgarden.
Alright, perhaps I'm being too critical, as there is enough good material on this debut to make it worth buying. The opener and single Cochise is a great song to start, and it's followed by good tracks like Gasoline, Like A Stone, Exploder, I Am The Highway, and Hypnotize (which features neat, almost spoken word vocals). My pick for favorite is Shadow On The Sun, which features a mind-blowing solo and shows what this band *could* create if they put some more work into it.
I'll throw this album a three-star score. Looking at it from the angle of a brand-new band, this is a good debut (especially given its mainstream competition). However, as a Soundgarden/RATM fan, it is very disappointing to see this level of talent go to waste. I won't write them off just yet, as their upcoming second album may be a lot better. For now I give this album a tentative recommendation.
1994699
I want to love this CD. I really do.  I do love the lyrics, they're deep, moving, beautiful. I'm giving them 4 out of 5 stars. But here's my laundry list of what would make this album so much better: 1) I wish that the lead guitar could be dialed down considerably, at times it's soaring and really puts the song in a new place, but often it obscures the brutal heavy riffs in a negative way and seems to make the songs all kind of run together. (2) I wish the vocalist would venture outside of the low guttural zone a lot more; I believe in one instance he does, triggering a "HECK YES" moment, but that's the only one like it on the album. (3) This is just my personal nitpick, but the guitars could sound better. I understand they were 're-amped' which never sounds 'real' to me, or for lack of a fancy word, it nevers sounds as good as it could.

For fans of Opeth and possibly older Meshuggah, check this out, it's good, it's just not amazing. Let me take that back; the song "Divine Amnesty" is amazing, but I don't feel any of the other songs approach its epicness.
128067
Lacking in something.

Being a big Eddie Money fan I waited anxiously for this CD and finally got it. And then I played and listened to it.. twice, just to be sure.

The good points are... Great song choices, couldn't get much better than this selection for a rock revival. Great musicians and music. Decent sound, although I think a little tweaking would have worked here.

The bad point, for me, was Eddie's voice. I know it's not going to be as good as it was... and boy was it good! But for some reason it just doesn't work here.

'Land of A Thousand Dances' seems to be the standout here.. his voice, the music and background all seem to meld perfectly. On all the other tracks his voice seems to be 'seperate' from the music and background. Almost as if they were recorded seperately and then just layered and nothing else done.

I was a bit disappointed but still happy to know that Mr Money is still in the game. I think with better production this could have been a more polished gem and I do hope he gives it another shot in that direction. For having one of the stronger voices in rock, I think the man deserves better than this.
2608534
I love Goldfinger. This is one band that is hard not to enjoy. Their songs explode with energy and get your adrenaline pumping. I've had a promo copy of OYE for about 2 months now, but unfortunetly, it really pales in comparison to their other efforts. Compare this one to Stomping Ground or the Self Titled and it really doesn't have a chance. This disc has a few good songs, but it ultimately winds up like their sophmore effort, Hang Ups. There is simply too much filler and mediocre songs.  Unlike on Stomping Ground or the Self Titled, the filler tracks really bog the pace of the cd down, and in those moments, the cd really loses energy. However, its not a total washout, I just wish it could have been a little bit better. Here's a track by track analysis:
Going Home - Great way to kick off the cd, fast, heavy and rocking, only its too short 9/10
Spokesman - Best song on the disc besides Radio. Great lyrics and an undenible ring of truth 10/10
Open Your Eyes - A different turn for Goldfinger, but still a rocking good song 8/10
Decision - Poppy, but still infectious, good track 8/10
Dad - Here's when the cd starts to lose its energy. This one isn't bad, but its not as good as the others 6/10
Tell Me - Again, its not bad, but its got nothing to hold against the others 6/10
Liar - Completely useless, 19 seconds long 2/10
January - A good turn for the disc, it starts to pick up again with this softer, almost acoustic ballad 8/10
Happy - Back to rocking. A good shout along track that really injects the disc back with energy 9/10
Its Your Life - Where did the energy go? It just kinda faded after Happy 5/10
Woodchuck - Hilarious new metal satire, 51 seconds long. Its good, but it dosen't do much for the disc 7/10
Spankbank - Hmmmmm, Its strange, by the end it gets pretty good, but it isn't worth the wait 6/10
Youth - Again, barely any energy with this one... 5/10
Radio - A great track! Shout along chorus and catchy as heck riffs. Where was this track when we needed it? 10/10
FTN - hysterical, vulgar, and loaded with profanity. Its good for a laugh 7/10
So, in all, the disc isn't terrible, but in some places, it really lacks. If this disc just delieverd a little bit more, it would surely be in my picks for best of 2002. However, due to a bit too much filler, it just dosen't flow well. Maybe I just expect a bit too much from them...
4656769
I've been putting off reviewing this album because it seemed like it would be hard to review. And the reason being is because on one hand, it has some really wonderful songs on it, but on the other hand, it has some very mediocre songs on it. Also, all the artifical percussion and programming really doesn't help out this album at all.

But the songs I do like on this album are "Rush"(very melodic, heartfelt and beautiful), "Open Mic"(has a good solid groove to it), "Up"(very energetic and joyful sounding...and probably my favorite song on the album), "Different Kind Of Love"(a really nice and sexy ballad), "Oso's Groove"(this song has got a really good funky groove), and "West Bound"(a fun, enjoyable sounding song).

However, I was bit disappointed with the 'big' funky groove song on the album, "Why Don't You..." And IMO, I don't really think that the song was really 'funky.' Plus, the song seemed to drag at a medicore, midtempo pace. Although actually, I thought that "Up" was more of a 'seriously' funky track than "Why Don't You..."

Also, another song that I didn't care for was "Lost In You" because it sounded like a knock-off of a Brian Culbertson song. And I checked the credits and Brian neither wrote or produced this song. Therefore, please leave Brian Culbertson sounding songs to Brian Culbertson...and please try to come out with something that's more original.

But anyway, this album has some good songs and some songs that I didn't care for. Plus, the artificial drumming and the programming machine made much of the album sound sort of amateurish. Therefore, in summary, in grading this album, I would give it a "C."
2257078
When the singles "Hero" and "Monster" came out, the style of the cd was set for a rock side. That is almost true. With Comatose being an incredible success story for the band, "Awake" had plenty of expectations. Would it surpass Comatose or not?

That simply depends on what your style is.

This is by far the softest Skillet CD. Period. If you were hoping for the wonderfully hard sound of "Collide", you will be dissapointed. That being said, if you didn't enjoy the hard songs of Comatose, you will find this enjoyable. It feels as if Skillet has gone mainstream for this CD, which you will find a new sound for the band that most will question, and quite frankly, turn off some (if you want a good taste of that new sound, listen to the song "Never Surrender". It's a good blend of the whole sound of the songs).

John's vocals have taken a stronger approach in even the softest songs. His voice is definantly Skillet, but at times feels overdone. Ben Kasica's side is very experimental for this CD, but he is a stellar guitarist and deserves major credit. Kory's voice is nowhere to be found on this CD, which feels strange after her major involvement on Comatose, and for her keyboard skills nothing feels new (unlike Ben). Jen Ledger, the new drummer, steals the show with her duets with John. This is where the mainstream side comes into play - Jen's voice is lovely, but lacks the emotional depth of Kory's voice. Her drumming skills are great for the band but nothing extraordinary.

"Hero" , "Monster", "Awake and Alive", "It's Not Me It's You", "Sometimes", "Never Surrender" and "Lucy" stand out as the hits of the CD. The songs above are the hard songs (except Lucy) that seem to feel the most like Comatose Skillet yet with a different sound. The songs themselves are great, with catchy choruses, John's powerful voice and Ben Kasica with a twist ("Sometimes" flirts with an 80s rock sound before getting back to Skilletland"). "Lucy", however, is one of the softest songs in Skillet's arsenal, but will pack a punch with the emotion in John's voice.

"Don't Wake Me", "One Day Too Late", and "Should've When You Could've" are the softer songs, and they are without a doubt the weakest on the CD. First of all, "One Day Too Late" is a flat-out ripoff from Nickleback's "If Today Was Your Last Day". The sound is softer, but the words are so incredibly similar. "Should've When You Could've" challenges "Those Nights" and fails. The song is nothing special, very lackluster. "Don't Wake Me" actually starts out good, but when the chorus comes, it falls. Honestly, "Don't Wake Me" is a very dissapointing song. After coming off of "Yours to Hold", this song will make you cringe. Avoid it.

"Forgiven" is a worship song that is more on the soft side. Christians will eat it up, but those who don't acknowledge Christ as Savior will be turned off be it, unfortunantly. The song itself isn't bad; it's not worthy of the good songs list, but putting it with "Don't Wake Me" and the others in the catagory would be harsh.

The best song of the album - and one of Skillet's new hits - is the acoustic "Believe". The production quality of this song is incredible. An acoustic fingerpicking intro, with some of John's finest singing, along with strings and a nice touch of a Van Halen-style speed tap solo make this song stand out in all regard. I've listened to this song more than the rest of the songs combined. You may not like the style of the song, but you cannot ignore the amount of creativity this song has.

All of the songs sound good, are excellently mixed and produced, and feel like Skillet in some regard. Falls short of Comatose, and honestly Collide has more to this CD than I'd like to give credit to. Overall it is a fine CD, but after coming off the Comatose high, those with the most expectations will be the most dissapointed.
426794
I really want to love this CD

the guitar playing is mindblowing...but the album is over before you can really get into it

and for such a short album having 2 very long guitar solos seems a bit much,even though they are great,it just seems to be too much

however songs like All Night Long and Since You've Been Gone make this a worthwhile addition to any good hard rock collection

Alcatraz is a great band,with some of the fastest guitar solos on the planet and this album captures them live,there is some real nice crowd interaction but unfortunately there aren't enough songs to really build a mood...there are definitely some nice moments and if they could have kept the momentum going with songs like Islands In The Sun into Since You've Been Gone to All Night Long it would have been a classic but it seems to get drug down by the extended guitar solos and strange choices like Kree Nakorie

the studio albums are much better and I would recommend seeking them out,Alcatraz is a great band and worthy of more attention then they got

If you enjoy great rock music in the style of early Rainbow,Fastway,Waysted etc...then check 'em out...and if you are a guitarist then check out the live album and the studio albums because they had both Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen in the band at different times...you can't get much better then that

but as for the live album on it's own merits,it's too short to be effective,sorry

the upside - great guitar playing,and the outstanding songs 'since you've been gone' 'Islands in the sun' and 'All night long'

the downside - too unbalanced and far too short,especially at the asking price

the bottom line - the studio albums are better,but if you are a huge fan,check this out...donutman says so!!!
1035547
First of all, I love everything that the Derek Trucks Band has recorded thus far, and I'm a fan of Susan Tedeschi too. Enjoyed their last album together very much. Thus, I had very high hopes for this album. But I have to be honest and say I'm  a bit disappointed with this newest Live album. I suppose I shouldn't quibble about quality, but these folks have set the standard so high by recording such outstanding previous albums that I felt this live set could have been much stronger. No doubt you get a lot of music on here, and for a 2-CD set the price is very fair. One reviewer raved about this album and it's improvised jamming. Well, that's probably what tended to annoy me the most. I realize that we're talking about an outstanding group of musicians who like to stretch out in concert and not repeat the same licks that they played on the studio album. That said, it feels like there are TOO MANY loose and improvised jam bits, so many that I started thinking of the Grateful Dead and their old trick of napping in the middle of a long jam. Hey, wake up dude, the drum solo is almost finished! Perhaps I'm being too critical, because many of the tracks on here are actually quite good and Susan's vocals are strong and powerful. I'm no diehard audiophile, but I'd also agree with the reviewer that was less than impressed with the sound quality on this recording. To my ears, a few too many muddy passages, plus some songs didn't end as much as they withered away. Plus, the  pacing of other songs was odd. It's pretty hard to record a dull and uninspired version of "Wade in the Water," but the version on this album qualifies as such. Obviously, many of the other fans love this live set, and I'm not going to say they are wrong or missing something. We all hear something a little different at times. But there is no doubt that this is a great band. But for me this live recording was just not as exciting or dynamic as I had hoped for.
4838610
One of my favorite bands, ever. Seeing Cheap Trick and AC/DC back to back in the late 70's may be one of the best concerts i ever attended. You just can't beat Southern Girls, Come On Come On, Surrender, Hello There, Heaven Tonight, California Girls, Auf Wiedersehen, etc. But, unfortunately, This DVD does not live up to the quality of the Live shows, nor the studio albums. Both the video and audio, simply put, are inferior. In Addition,  most of the classic songs I just mentioned are not played on this CD. The set list could be better. But, I still recommend it, because its a glimpse of a great rock and roll band. Simple songs, yet superbly written and eloquently played by Robin, Rick, Tom, and Bun E.