4 stars - "Thrash" by JC Emery
590903
I have been literally waiting on pins and needles here to read Dukes book. I did not have have a much of a connection with Ryan (aka Trigger) in Ride, but that because he was a jerk. ButDuke, he caught my interest the minute he was introduced and I have been waiting to find out who he would end up with. Who would tame the other bad boy of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club?

I was a little confused in the book because I did not realize that JC Emery has some of the story from the previous book in Thrash, but in a different side of it. You have the secondary characters viewing what is happening from Ride in Thrash. Once I knew what she didI actually was fascinated on how she was able to tell the same storybut actually not tell it repeatedly. She made sure to include just a bit of what was happening into Ride and then picks up with Dukes dilemmas and his Old Ladys dilemmas.

The best part of the book was the beginning. Lets just say JC Emery started off the book with a major hot smoldering scene between the two main characters, Duke and Nicole. Be prepared for lots more to come throughout the book. (I am giving you a warning a head of time) =)

Then JC Emery makes the characters not see each other for a whilebut if you have read Ride, you will understand why those months were apart. Nicole is the main female character of the story and you will get a chance to read everything she is going through. The poor girl is trying to make ends meat taking care of her brother, while her father (stepfather) is in jail due to a being caught doing something. She has tried to forget what she did with Duke, but how can she when the man has a way of getting into a girls head and staying there. She had every right to go through moments of denial and trying to avoid the Club that she has been apart of for a while, but the Club is definitely not something you run from.

I loved Nicoles character due to her determination of trying to stay strong even with certain situations that I feel she should have kicked some chicks butt and kicked Dukes butt. She proved time and time again though, she is able to survive, but it took her a while to know that she could.

Duke on the other hand is a stubborn, crazy fool, who is just trying to figure out Nicole. He wants her more than just being a play thing for the Club, he wants her permanently as his. Of course, he messes up, but hes trying to prove he can change. Hes very alpha and domineering, but he knows how to win over a girl, especially in the bedroom. Oh boydoes he know how to win over a girl. =)

I could go on and on about this book, but don't want to give something a way. I give this book 4 full moons and recommend it to readers out there that love hot tattooed bikers.

If you are a fan of the Sons of Anarchywelllets just say this book and the first book is for you. You have the Forsaken Motorcycle Club that take care of business and make sure to also take care of their Old Ladies. Their Old Ladies even know how to handle business. Be prepared for moments of tension, romance, and suspense all in one book. =) Lots and lots of steamy romance!!!

I look forward to reading more from JC Emery and hopefully even more from the Bayonet Scars series in the very near future.

I received a complimentary copy of the book for the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.
2919776
Metallica's sophomore album, "Ride The Lightning" certainly showcases some interesting and classic thrashers. It's hard to imagine what the metal community nowadays would be like without gems like this album. It seems that this album seemed to be an overlooked one in Metallica's early catalogue, considering "Kill 'Em All" is generally considered the birth of thrash metal, "Master of Puppets" is regarded as Metallica's magnum opus, and "...And Justice For All" got Metallica some mainstream attention with the music video for "One".
Regardless of whether or not "Ride The Lightning" is overlooked or not, it's still a classic that should be in every metalhead's collection. One interesting thing about this album is that while it still captured the raw power and fast energy of Metallica's debut, it seems to have a thicker, more polished, and at times, more epic sound. Don't get me wrong, though, I still think "The Four Horsemen" off their debut is one of the finest metal epics, but to get a full review of "Ride The Lightning", simply read on.
"Fight Fire With Fire" starts things off with some classical acoustic guitar playing for a bit over half a minute. Suddenly, a crushing riff rips its way into your sound system at about a hundred miles an hour. The massive drums crash their ways in and you have a fast and furious headbanger about the evils of pollution and nuclear warfare. The singing is also very raw, with James singing a very staccato pattern, "Do!...Un!...-to others!...As!...They've!...Done to you!". Great way to start off the album.
"Ride The Lightning", the six and a half minute epic title track starts off with some high-pitched guitar notes before going into a thrashy, Devil's Tritone riff. Some epic guitar soloing is featured in here, along with an interesting storyline that shows how the band is against capital punishment.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a progressive, five-minute classic with plenty of great guitar riffs that occupy the first two minutes of the song. The nastiest riff of them all is featured in the chorus, and some wild guitar playing closes this war song out.
"Fade To Black" is a personal favorite of mine, one of the best songs on the album, and one of the very best songs Metallica's ever written. Some sad but beautiful acoustic guitar work opens with a lovely electric solo. Mournful but poetic lyrics occupy the verses, then comes a powerful chorus riff. More great guitar soloing fills the rest of the song out.
"Trapped Under Ice" is another heavy song about struggle, featuring some dirty riffage and wild soloing that definitely makes itself worthy to be on the album.
"Escape" is a more melodic, radio-friendly sounding song, but nonetheless a great track, as well. A bit shorter and a pretty cool song.
"Creeping Death" is a song that defines thrash metal. This is an overall great song that you gotta hear. Its lyrics refer to the Seven Plagues in the story of Moses in the Bible, and the thrashing riffs pummel their way into your brain. And, as always, Kirk Hammett shows us why he's an amazing guitarist when he screeches out those awesome guitar solos.
"The Call of Ktulu" is a nine-minute, progressive instrumental. A cool way to end the album, it has an odd but mesmerizing tone that features some mighty and powerful riffs and drums, alongside solos that give the song quite an epic tone. I personally prefer "Orion" off "Master of Puppets", but this song is definitely a great one, too.
So as you can see, "Ride The Lightning" is undoubtedly a classic metal album. I've seen it ranked as being one of the top ten metal albums of all time, and when you give this a listen, you'll see why. All of the tracks are very strong, the songwriting's great, as are the singing, guitar-, bass-, and drum-playing. Get this, along with the other three Metallica releases in the '80s, and even "The Black Album" if you're interested. Overall, this is a very strong and solid album that I would recommend to all fans of thrash metal, and heavy metal in general. Good job to the 'tallica guys! Thanks for the time, and peace.
1487798
This is one hell of an album. The songs on this are melodic while still packing the power of thrash metal, the lyrics are well written "For a hill men would kill, why they do not know"-from For Whom the Bell  Tolls, the instrumental work is top notch (check out the guitar solos on  Ride the Lightning and Call of Ktulu), and you also have the slower, more  acoustic Fade to Black. If you enjoy this check out all of Metallica's  stuff up until ...And Justice for All. Now to the songs.
Fight Fire with  Fire: Good acoustic intro going into an incredibly fast rhythm guitar and  drums. An excellent song that packs a big wallop and is very  explosive.
Ride the Lightning: The first half of this song is average, as  are the lyrics, but the second half is great kicking off with an awesome  guitar solo.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Excellent song with lots of power,  the riff is very good and the lyrics are too.
Fade to Black: Very good  song, acoustic first half is very good, the lyrics adress suicide and  descending into depression. The second half is also excellent with an great  descending staccato riff to kick it off, with this song they proved they  are not mindless metalheads.
Trapped Under Ice: Decent fast song, with  decent lyrics, not a real standout like most of the songs here.
Escape:  Not really that good, this is the only song that seems like and album  filler.
Creeping Death: Great fast song- about the plague of the  first-born that went through Egypt. Explosive and fast, another awesome  song.
Call of Ktulu: My favorite song by Metallica, and on this album. In  essence a metal symphony, great guitar solo, great intro, great riff,  incredible power chord ending, metal doesn't get any better.
In  conclusion if you like heavy metal, get this, you can't go wrong. This is  the best metal album of all time, second only to Master of Puppets.
BTW:  If you have a big stereo, it is awesome hearing Hetfield yell "DIE, BY  MY HAND, I CREEP ACROSS THE LAND, KILLING FIRSTBORN MAN"
Bye people,  remember what metal was and truly is.
3985374
Many people seem to think this album is a Godly return from Testament, which I disagree with, however, that's not to say this isn't a good album. The Formation of Damnation is definitely a good thrash album most definitely in the same vain as the other classic Testament albums. There is literally not much more you could ask for from the band, because they put it all out there on this album, creating some great riffs that received substantial airplay on satellite radio and underground Internet stations. This is well worth the price you'll have to pay for it, especially for classic thrash and Testament fans.
1442461
Got this the day it came out last year and have loved it ever since.  This is a return to their thrashier roots, which was evident on st anger.  While st anger had a poor production and was rather sloppy, the band thrashed it up again on that release.  One of the few that I know, that still enjoy it.  Well Death Magnetic saw the band bring back the amazing solos and thrash elements, with a decent production.  I think one of the big issues is kicking Bob Rock to the curb.  I feel he was most responsible for changing their sound.  Bring in Rick Rubin who basically says, guys listen to your first 3 records for inspiration for this new release.  That was just your life races out the gates and is pure thrash as is the closer My Apocalypse, which has a riff from Damage Inc. in there-towards the end-it's a great throwback to the early days.  Anyway the album is not perfect.  There is still some load moments and the middle of the cd has some parts that do drag.  However this is a great cd that is heavy and has James growling like he used to.
794782
earlier i was reviewing what most thrash fans call the classic vulgar display of power. i said that rust in peace was defidently the most enfluential and best thrash cd alongside puppets. mustaines vocal throughout the cd are incredibal. the drumming is awesome and the guitars shine throughout the album. if you are a metal fan you need this cd. if you are also a megadeth fan and you don't have it get it right now. after listening to this cd i appreciated megadeth a lot more. the first cd i bought was cryptic writings which was good but after listening 2 this i liked a lot more songs on that cd that i never really appreciated before.

i have heard from other reviews (since i have never heard the original) that mustaine re-records the vocals. while this may be true don't let that slow you down. even if he redoes them it is still a classic and great metal cd and you should still buy it.

holy wars 10/10 i did not like the song 2 much when i first heard it but it eventually grows on you. cool guitar riffs but even better vocal phrases. one of my favorites is "some people risk 2 employ me some people live to destroy me either way they die" listen and youll understand.

hangar 18 10/10 again, great song. great guitar riffs probably best megadeth riffs ever. pretty cool lyrics. i liked this song right a way. defidently 1 of their greatest hits.

take no prisoners 10/10 incredibal drumming. i luv the drumming a lot and, of course, the guitar is awesome. just like holy wars their are a lot of cool phrases you just have to read the inside because the song is pretty fast. its obviolsy about war.

five magics 10/10 great guitar and drumming again. this song really grows on you after you get tired of listening 2 some of the other great songs. it has more cool lyrics like "he who lives by the sword will surely also die...he who lives in sin will surely live the lie" again you have to hear it.

poison was the cure 8/10 cool drumming and guitar work but this song doesnt do 2 much for me. it is a good song but i won't usually listen 2 it 2 often. when i do it is always a treat tho.

lucretia 10/10 my personal favorite. it has incredibal drumming especially at the end, cool guitar riffs and great lyrics. u will like this song right away.

tornado of souls 8.5/10 i don't know. its got a really addicting chorous. mustaines vocals shine but this is defidently not the best song on here. still a good listen of course.

Dawn patrol 7/10 i don't care for this song 2 much either. it is kinda cool but i don't go out of my way 2 listen 2 it.

rust in peace 10/10 i down and out luv this song almost as much as lucretia. really good guitar riffs and the drums shine throughout the song. mustaine said he got the idea of a song from a bumper sticker that said "may all ur warheads rust in peace" and thats what its about. very cool lyrics again only i cant think of a good 1 to post.

i don't really count the bonus tracks but they are very fun 2 listen 2. if ur thinking of trying megadeth out this is defidently the cd 2 try. after getting this 1 is ur looking where 2 go id say either countdown 2 extinction or peace sells...but whos buying. when i listen 2 this cd it makes me sad 2 think that thrash metal died out.
2017574
Forbidden was one of my favorite thrash bands. I saw them three times in concert and they never disappoint. Russ Anderson's vocals are awesome. Even my friend who hates all thrash told me "well the vocalist is really good". Of the two guitars Alen Alvelais playing is cleaner and faster. He does some insane guitar work especially on "Through Eyes of Glass". However Craig Locicero gets most of the writing credits so I assume he was the core of the band. If you like your thrash with sharp clean riffs check this one out.
3138173
This is the best thrash album that I have ever heard. This is one of the best Metallica albums that they ever came out with.(between Master of Puppets or And Justice for all). This album came out mouths before Cliff's death(basses) so this was the last album that he did with the band. The tracks listings on the record are Battery,Master of Puppets(those two are my favorite songs from the album),Thing that should not be(an awsome heavy metal song),Welcome Home(very good ballad form the record),Disposable Heroes(great song to get your head going to the music),Lepper Messiah(another one of my favorites),Orion(the best instrumental that Metallica ever made)and Damage(not my favorite but a good song the least to say).That is it, if you want Metallica at its best go out and buy this album or go out and buy And Justice For All. This is a must have for any Metallica fan anywhere
733549
Evil Army plays the type of fast, aggressive, hardcore punk-influenced crossover thrash that bands like D.R.I. and Cryptic Slaughter were playing 20 years ago.  There isn't much variation on this album:  it's pretty much loud-fast-rules all the way, and the riffs are pretty basic.  But the band plays the material with a lot of enthusiasm, and the result is damn fun to listen to.  My favorite tracks on this album are "Wrong Approach", "Conquer Human Life", "Satan Made Me Do It", and the Taxi Driver inspired "Scum of the Earth".
816672
First of all, let me say that Kreator is a spectacular band that ought to be considered one of the best thrash bands ever. They bury alot of the early American thrash. I have come to favor Kreator even over Slayer. In fact only Canada's own Sacrifice can top Kreator's best efforts in my honest opinion. With that being said, this album is one of those efforts. Some people complain that there might be less speed on this album than previous ones. This is just barely true, but one would be hard pressed to complain against the vast harmonies that now intermittenly mingle with Kreator's staple of speed. To put it plainly, when they aren't playing a million miles an hour they are producing brilliant melodic harmonies. Sometimes, if you listen closely, they are doing both. This album, in retrospect, was a template for the most recent stuff that they have released. Which to me, is probably the best stuff. It's still fast as hell, but now there's a little more going on. If you are a fan of early Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Testament or the like and you haven't heard Kreator before... do yourself a favor and pick this up or one of their latest albums. Not to discount the early stuff which is mind blowing, it's just that these albums are a little more immediately accessible.
687321
Ahhh.  Static-X is back, along with guitarist Koichi Fukuda who played for Static-X on 'Wisconsin Death Trip'.  True, they have not put out a CD that I didn't like, but 'Start A War' takes us back to the 'Wisconsin Death Trip' days, wild and frantic and driving, yet expertly put together and in-sync.  Thrash with a beat that doesn't break, it doesn't get much better than this.  As a side note, if you ever get the chance, be sure to catch Static-X live, aside from being great musicians they are excellent showmen and put on great concerts.

There isn't one bad song on this CD, showing how strong Static-X has become with their unique style, vocals, and thrash/rock flavor.  My favorites would be the title song 'Start A War', frantic with Wayne's classic growling in both whisper and shout.  The driving beat of 'Pieces' gets you out of your chair every time.  'Dirthouse' another favorite, bringing in some electronica to the mix, with more of a "railroad" beat to the thrash.

'Just in case' is awesome, beginning with a feeling of marching to one's doom.  Whispers, pauses, lyrics, all make up a perfect song, with nice "railroading" at the end.

'Night Terrors' starts out as almost traditional rock song, less growl and thrash but great nonetheless, with moving drum and bass breaks.  'Ostego Amigo' brings back memories of 'Ostego Undead', though nothing will ever beat 'Undead'.

'Brainfog' brings in some really great electronica along with some unique percussion, using only the word "Brainfog" as vocals, but ends at 2:20 minutes with silence following it.  There is a five minute blank gap until some senseless vocals without instrumentation come in, lasting for another three-plus minutes.  'Brainfog' would have been great, but I hate those silence gaps.

'Skinnyman' is the star of this CD, possibly the best song Static-X has ever done, in my opinion.  Addiction.  Strong and slow, passionate beat, and powerful lyrics make it the one song I play over and over.  "As my skin turns yellow, I forget this hell.  As the skies are bruised, and the rain comes down.  As my face turns pale, I try to deal with these thoughts.  At the end of it all....I still miss you."

If you love Static-X, this CD is a must buy.  Even if you are lukewarm and felt disappointed in 'Shadowzone', you will still like 'Start A War'.  Grab up the CD and take that ponytail out of your hair.  Enjoy!
4742789
Emery has given us a wildly fun ride through it's first two releases: beautifully powerful and complex music with mix of melodic and chaotic vocals - topped off with witty, satiric (and often cynical) lyrics. Emery's latest production, "I'm Only a Man", has it's better and worse moments than their previous releases - while still maintaining the Emery flavor we've all come to know and love.

This could be, by far, the most commercial production they've put out there.  With an acoustic feel in some songs and the use of synths in others, Emery truly reveal themselves as uncommonly brilliant musicians. They've pushed themselves and truly made music worth listening to. Granted, it'll take a few listens to really appreciate their new sound, but, when you do, you'll just know that this is what Emery is all about: taking an all-too-worn-out genre and raising the bar. Lyrically, it's not that different from their previous efforts. Cynic and critical, shallow and deep - all Emery.

There's only one thing, if anything, lacking from this album: Emery doesn't really exploit the truly remarkable vocal talent that taunted us in "The Question". With songs like "Miss Behavin'" and "In a Win-Win Situation", one just knew that this band had something better than your average, two-voiced chorus. The amazing and melodic choir-like interventions are minimal (because there are some). Kudos, however, on the  vocal effects on the song "Can't Stop the Killer" - they are nothing short of fantastic.

This is the a great album from one of the best bands of the genre as of late. If you're looking for fantastic musicianship an a flawless production, you can stop your searching. Great effort from an even greater band. I'm already looking forward to their next album!

Enjoy!
4692095
In the four styles of ICP music (Old Skool Rap,Horrorcore,Rap/Rock,and Almost All Rock) this falls into the Rap/Rock days of ICP, soon after the Great Milenko has been heard I was feeding for more of the true Wicked stuff, but this CD does not dissapoint, ICP feels they needed a change and this CD has brought it. Here is a Track Listing and my view on each song.
Intro: A great way to start the CD basically this carnival room pops outta nowhere and leads a costumer into the action.
Jake Jeckel: Jack throw another Jake catch one more...they'll try to catch all thats in store for you. Yes, Jake is the good guy in this.
Bring It On: ICP always seems to hit each Jokers Card with a funky opening song, this song is if you enjoy crazy background beats and ICP screaming in the lyrics.
I Want My S--t: Ah yes, this song is a fine example of Rap/Rock style, the rhyme itself is pure rap. But the courus is Rocking in the background, kinda catchy, you'll be singing this.
B*tches: Throw ODB in the mix and you get cool rhyme that kicks it hard.
Terrible: Rock is laced all over this, if you are a diehard fan of ICP you'll live with this. But the song makes alot of points about celebs and life itself.
I Stab People: A Prequel to a song on Bizzar/Bizzar this is Violent J's first rap about stabbing. Oh the insanity.
Another Love Song: ICP made this one a pure hit, its a soft smooth song and it really makes you juggalos wanna make this your song for your girlfriends.
Everybody Rize: This song is underated, this coulda been another wicked hit to play on TV but fell short, its a great song, nice how it mixes in right after Another Love Song.
Play With Me: In the eyes of Violent J the ignored toy in the box he vows to get revenge one day.
Jack Jeckel: Similar to Jake the rest of the album gets more Wicked after this.
F*ck The World: ICP says it all in this song 93 Times.
Shaggy Show: Shaggys very own show, famous from thier website, this is the original song itself, pretty cool as Shaggs takes on a talk show form.
Mad Professor: Voilent J the mad man biuld what appears to be Shaggy 2 Dope, Wicked lyrics and background too.
Assassins: Hard Rap that is mad fresh, sounds alot like what most rap today.
Echo Side: A dark song w/ ICP and Twiztid, basically Damian the soul finds his way to hell and back......to hell.
Nothings Left: A song that may shed a tear, as the song says "On the day when the wagons come, I just pray that you let me on"
Overall its a great buy, pick it up.
4511439
Gama Bomb are a band principally from Northern Ireland, who play a very strict 1980's influenced form of Crossover/Thrash Metal and incorporate a lot of humour into their lyrics.

Tales From The Grave And Space is their third full-length studio album, after 2006's Survival Of The Fastest and 2008's Citizen Brain. It was released in 2009 (re-released in 2010) on Earache Records and is currently available for free legal download off of Earache's website.

The musicianship is absolutely top notch and even more surprisingly, the production is of the absolute highest quality. This album sounds as almost as good in terms of production as other Thrash Metal albums from 2009 from long established bands like Exodus's Exhibit B and Megadeth's Endgame.

Highlights include `New Eliminators Of Atlantis B.C.' as well as `We Respect You,' and album closer `Mummy Invasion,' all of which are fast and straightforward thrash metal numbers; mostly with more of an East Coast feel than Bay Area if you want to get more specific, although that is reversed on tracks like `Polterghost.' The album is twelve tracks long, clocks in at half an hour in length.

As singer Philly Byrne has been known to say live `I hope you like songs that sound exactly like that one.' Gama Bomb don't incorporate anything else into their sound other than pure thrash metal; there are no ballads, no atmospheric buildups, no eastern scales and no fifteen minute progressive songs.

If you are a big fan of Nuclear Assault, S.O.D, Sacred Reich and more modern acts like Municipal Waste, SSS and Evile then Gama Bomb are certainly a worthwhile proposition that you should check out.

This album is very strong and no serious complaints can be made about any aspect of it other than the simple fact that it doesn't come from the 80s and that there isn't a whole lot of variety on offer, but if you expect any you may be missing the point of this band a little. If you hate humour in your thrash, you also may want to give it a miss, otherwise however Tales From The Grave And Space is a very good album that thrash fans should seriously enjoy
2586821
I love this style of thrash.  To me, it is more speed metal than thrash, but that term has ceased to exist.  For me, the difference is that this is heavy metal in the California style played extremely fast and masterfully with lots of variations in the notes.  Thrash is more extremely fast punk/metal blend with the emphasis being on the rhythms than the melodies.

The music also makes political points.  This is especially true for "Cause for Alarm", "Lost", and "The Evil Divide."  What convinced me to get this album was the video for "Lost."  Check it out on YouTube.  The song talks about 3 groups of people who society has basically forgotten and disposed of.  They are innocent Muslim children (attacked by both other Muslims and the USA in the video), those addicted to drugs, and those subject to cyber bullying.

This album is brutally fast but beautiful at the same time.  I particularly like the fact the lead singer is singing not growling like 21st century bands.
1668278
with occasional speed thrash.  I dig Fu Manchu.  These guys rock.  And without much ado - a totally non-poser outfit that manage to consistantly deliver the goods, if you like Sabbathy skate rock headbanging groove. Also check out B. Bjork and the Operators.
1468331
IMO, Defleshed are the king's of death-thrash, and "Under the Blade" still reigns as my favorite death-thrash CD of all time. Though this album doesn't quite match the greatness of that masterpiece, it's still a very good addition to the genre. Over the years, these guys have never written a thrash riff I didn't like, and this CD continues that streak with ease.
After five or so listens, my feeling is that this CD emphasizes thrash over death more than their past CDs. There's less in the way of pummeling blast beats this time, but don't worry. They still show up throughout the album and they're as blistering as ever. Just not as prevalent. I doubt anyone will complain however, as this CD totally rips from start to finish. It's also by far Defleshed's best produced CD. Both the drums and the guitars sound crisp and clear. It's a big step up from "Fast Forward," which sounded like mud (though it had good songs). And wait until you hear the solos. Just kidding! There are no solos. This band is about pure riffage, plain and simple.
Bottom line, if you liked Defleshed in the past, you'll like this one as well. And if you're new to death-thrash, this is a good place to start. With its crisp production, quality riffs, and lyrics obsessed with medieval warfare (cool!), it's easy to get into this one. This disc is a winner.