The Story of U.F.O.:
Too Hot To Handle (1969-1993) DVD
Cherry Red Films/MVD Music Video Dist.

The British rock invasion of the '70s was a stellar time in classic rock that brought a whole new breed of hard-edged music. U.F.O. is easily one of the British acts that garnered rave reviews and captivated audiences with their melody-driven riffs and smoking live performances, but somehow got lost in the shuffle of success in the good old U.S.

Well, now the legacy of U.F.O. has finally been captured on this unique DVD; and it was done quite well indeed. Spanning their early years and showcasing assorted live shows, Too Hot To Handle easily gives diehard fans more than enough insight on this classic British export. Included in this overview of their career is a great look at how guitar shredder Michael Schenker brought a whole new edge that helped move U.F.O. into the ranks of worldwide radio airplay. As well as the live footage, the interviews tend to be entertaining, to say the least. Members of acts like Def Leppard and Iron Maiden also add a great view into how this incredibly influential band made lasting impressions on their musical careers.

If you're a fan of U.F.O., then Too Hot To Handle is exactly what you've always hoped for, but never thought would ever happen.

NEW YORK DOLLS:
All Dolled Up DVD.
MVD Music Dist.

Famed rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife, Nadya, have finally released their epic film footage collection of the infamous New York Dolls. With over 40 hours of black and white film footage to sift through, Mr. Gruen has hit the virtual glam rock jackpot. This historic All Dolled Up DVD is beautifully put together considering what equipment was used, and in all honesty this tends to work very well in its favor. Never intended to be a film at the time, All Dolled Up sincerely gives a glimpse into this vicious band and their abrasive lifestyle without holding back anything.

The New York Dolls were a huge influence on such hard-hitting acts as Motley Crew and a slew of other half ass copycat acts of the early- to mid-'80s. Their 'live fast die young' attitudes were a fitting addition to their already over-the-top image, giving the New York Dolls just what was needed to draw the attention of the seedy club youth of the '70s.

Not the most talented musicians, but all the same, New York Dolls were spewing attitude that was unbridled and honest to say the least. Leaving a dirty little spot in rock 'n roll history, this DVD is sure to add a little more grit to the Dolls' already notorious background. All Dolled Up captures a movement that had no clue how big of a lasting impression they would leave, making this film a nice educational lesson in the fine art of glam.

QUEEN: Under Review 1973-1980 DVD
MVD Distributors/Chrome Dreams

Featuring Brian May along with Paul Rogers on vocals, Queen is getting ready to embark on a full-fledged tour across the U.S., and has struck interest in the music industry to say the least. Under Review 1973-1980 is a definitive DVD collection of live footage, interviews with friends and music journalists, and classic Queen footage. Although it gives fans a great insight into one of rock's mightiest contributors, Under Review is not all what it could be. Sadly, it showcases a little too much input that to the average person probably will seem unimportant and boring. Although this release is not authorized by Queen, Under Review does have some awesome visual live material that will give fans worldwide a great view into Freddie Mercury and why some have called him possibly one of the finest entertainers of all time. Packaged in a beautiful slipcase as well, Under Review would make a great Christmas present for any diehard Queen fan.

SAMHAIN: Live 1984 at the Stardust Ballroom DVD
MVD Distributors

Back in the days before his neck was the size of my ample thigh, young Glen Danzing and the monochromatic Samhain played one hell of a show at the stained-ceilinged, bygone Stardust Ballroom in Hollywood, CA. You can almost smell the sweat just watching it on DVD.

Some asshole kept turning the lights off, and most of the video looks like it was shot by a drunken midget, but through technical difficulties and broken strings, the band played on and somehow the poor filming, audio and video just enhance the rawness of an original, hardcore 1984 punk show. The bad technique also gives you a great glimpse at the crowd, cementing this DVD's place as an essential wardrobing tool for retro fans everywhere.

Danzig's voice is full of former Misfits, and Danzigs to come, yet reminiscent of Mick Jagger, with Eerie Von, Steve Zing, and Pete "Damien" Marshall as backup, and followed up with classic lead ins like, "1,2 3, go!", you can't help feeling like drinking a couple of PBRs and punching some punkass in the eye after you've watched this.

Unmistakable favorites like a fervent, unpolished version of "Die, Die My Darling" and the (at the time) new, re-vamped "Horror Biz" make this a must-have for Samhain, Misfits or Danzig followers. The convenience of being able to skip to the beginning of each track makes this DVD a worthwhile purchase as well. If you're good this year, maybe Santa will bring it for you.

If not, maybe Satan will.

GREEN DAY Bullet In A Bible
DVD/CD
Reprise Records

Love 'em or hate 'em, Green Day kicks serious ass live and that's a fact, pure and simple. With their explosive live performances already a well-known attraction worldwide, this California punk export has now just released what could be one of the most captivating Concert DVDs ever.

All the angst and raw abrasive visual eye candy has been captured with a combined two day foray of Billie Joe and co. pounding it out at the Milton Keynes in England. Anybody who has sweated it out at Green Day's live shows will easily be pleased with how director Samuel McKean has captured all the power and raw abrasiveness of one of the best damn rock shows to plague any city. As well as the smoking live DVD, you get the whole audio version on CD, making Bullet In A Bible one big bang for your buck.

DVD/CD

American Idiot
Jesus of Suburbia
jesus of suburbia
city of the damned
i don't care
dearly beloved
tales of another broken road
Holiday
Are We Waiting
St. Jimmy
Longview
Hitchin' A Ride
Brain Stew
Basket Case
King For A Day/Shout
Wake Me Up When September Ends
Minority
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Good Riddance (time of your life)

Rainbow Six
Lockdown Soundtrack/
Calvin Records

Just listening to the Rainbow Six: Lockdown Soundtrack got my adrenaline pumping -- it's no surprise that the video game soared to the top of the ratings. Each testosterone-loaded track MADE me want to run, duck, hide and blow stuff up, although this album could just as easily be called a killer stand alone metal compilation. The brainchild of Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory) and Laddie Ervin, The Rainbow Six: Lockdown Soundtrack is the first of its kind to be compiled by 3Volution (Herrera's and Ervin's video game audio company) and released by Calvin Records.

Award winning composer Bill Brown once again works his magic on the theme tracks and the list of bands included is amazing: Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Soilwork, Killing Zone, Kush, Not Forgotten, Last Armada, Trivium, Mnemic, Bury Your Dead, 36 Crazy Fist, Chimaira, and Devil Driver. Not only do you get 16 raging tracks, two of them are previously unreleased and recorded exclusively for the album: Fear Factory's "Lockdown" and their remix of the Rainbow Six Theme. Also included in the set will be a bonus DVD containing music videos, interviews, a game trailer and a virtual comic.

Mark November 15 on your calendar...you won't be sorry you picked this one up!

Xenn
The Eleventh Hour/Xenn Productions

A trio started in Trinidad, West Indies, Xenn combines some nice crunchy guitar and bass riffs with clean drumming and an emotionally infused vocal quality I haven't heard since Rob Thomas was still cool. Overall, Xenn produces a tasty rock/grunge/metal flavor with some classic rock ballads, 80s guitar wails and hardcore industrial techno thrown in for spice.

Although all 13 tracks were good (12 of them originals), the one I found to be a favorite was Xenn's completely re-vamped rendition of old fat Elvis' "Suspicious Minds". This track rocked hard and incorporated a Police-like quality that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Brothers Nigel and David Khan blend well together on strings and vocals, and drummer Jay Blass does an excellent job of keeping the sound tight, making this an enjoyable CD to listen to all the way through. I would encourage rock fans everywhere to pick up this album, and I hope that Xenn garners the recognition they deserve from fans worldwide.

Yngwie Johann Malmsteen
Concerto Suite For Guitar And Orchestra In E Flat Minor with the New Japan Philharmonic Live DVD/Eagle Rock Entertainment

Finger gymnast Yngwie Malmteen has entranced guitar geeks for years. His early days as guitarist for Alcatrazz put this Swedish sibling on the map in a time when many of today's metal heads were still wandering aimlessly in diapers. With his over the top speed shredding and classical background training, Malmsteen has now finally released the daring experiment that his fans have been demanding. Yngwie included a few older tracks from his Rising Force releases, and composed the rest of the entire musical score, proving his abilities as not only a metal ripping lead master -- and somehow pulls this off very well. The New Japan Philharmonic at first seem a little out of place, but as the DVD moves along, they seem to fit right in with a very powerful sound that adds a whole new realm to the art of shredding. This is by far nothing new, hell Metallica tried with mixed reviews, and other classic rock acts in the past have attempted to blend rock with big orchestral shows but so many have failed. Easily not for the commercially minded, this DVD can be hard to sit through for the entire 84 minutes, but any person who appreciates fine musicianship will easily be entertained all the same.

Bam Margera Presents
Viva La Bands/Fourfivesix

With all the hype surrounding Bam Margera, one wonders how a single human can live up to such a legendary status. I'm usually one to stay way clear of any music television celebrity but damn, this guy's got the life. When I saw he had a CD compilation, I knew already that this wasn't going to be your ordinary run of the mill cash cow of re-released overheard bullshit. Viva La Bands is by far the most rockin' concoction of down and dirty rock-n-roll that kids must hear. Screw all that regurgitated emo-screamo-whatever you want to call it this week corporate rock. This is the real deal. Hell, anyone who's been so instrumental in force feeding America such incredible acts as H.I.M., Clutch, and a slew of other hard working real rock bands should rightfully have a comp this awesome in their collection. Plain and simple, you must get this if you have given up on the state of rock-n-roll. Bands like 69 Eyes, Atrocity, Fireball Ministry, and so many others featured on this smoking slab of plastic easily will re-inspire the most depressed music fan into hunting out more than a few of these killer bands. GO GET IT!! NOW!!

Voivod
DVOD-1 DVD/MVD Distributors

This year we lost one of the most original and talented guitarists to ever grace underground metal. Piggy, main axe swinger for Voivod will always be remembered as that quiet, low-key non-rock star that was leaps and bounds beyond so many other copycat artists rampant in this industry. With his loss, we gratefully have a full length DVD that captures his talented contributions to what can sometimes become a very stale and un-original genre of music to say the least. DVOD-1 captures all Voivod's extremely raw and downright dirty metal from their early days as noisemaking outcasts, to their transformation of becoming an art metal band that has gained a lot of respect by a slew of artists throughout the music world.

With a mixture of videos, studio footage, live footage and extras, DVOD does a great job at giving the diehard fan a great view inside the world of Voi Vod. This Canadian export still somehow could never seem to make a commercial break, which to many fans was what kept them in demanding cult status dear to their hearts. PIGGY R.I.P.

Turbonegro
Party Animals/Abacus Recordings

This Norwegian rock group (or what ever you want to call them) are back -- so beware, you've been warned. Always having been somewhat of a strange underground attraction, Turbonegro blasts dirty rock in your face that has somehow achieved hardly any success in America, but seems to keep growing by leaps and bounds in cult status worldwide. With all of their over-the-top gay references and Village People meet Dimmu Borgir image, Turbonegro is not for the trendy-minded mall kids of America. And that's what makes them so worth checking out. Compared to past efforts, Turbonegro seems to have finally nailed down their sound, adding a slick production to boot. If bands like Nashville Pussy stroke your love muscle, then Party Animals is a sure winner that will rock your homophobic asses deep into your intoxicated evenings.

Black Label Society
Kings of Damnation/Spitfire

Big bad Zakk Wylde is back and tougher than beaten leather. Kings Of Damnation is a firm collection of Black Label Society material spanning 1998-2005 that is sure to please all Zakk's denim sporting, society dwelling Chapter members across the land. With nineteen tracks in all, this is an awesome look into why Zakk has made such a lasting impression on his own as front man for B.L.S., not to mention his incredible contributions to Ozzy. Not only do you get 17 classic skull crushing metal tracks from past efforts, you get two brand new tracks to sink your whiskey stained teeth deeply into. Such powerhouse cuts as "Bleed For Me", "Stillborn", and "Stronger Than Death" are but just a few of the scorching tracks that makes Kings Of Damnation such a blistering release to add to your metal collection.

As a guitar player, Zakk seems to be heading to extreme rock god status and this is a perfect retrospective to his highly respected talents as a lead guitarist. If ripping leads and straightforward heavy metal is your thing, then by all means don't miss this.

Foo Fighters
In Your Honor/RCA Records

Dave Grohl's back again with his band of trusty cohorts known as the Foo Fighters. Whether you like him or not, one thing's for sure, he is a former member of one of the most groundbreaking acts to grace rock 'n roll so it's always nice to check out his ventures. With that said, we move on to this double disc that seems to have a whole hell of a lot of hype built up behind it's release, to say the least. Ten songs of straightforward raw produced rock 'n roll have the Foo Fighters attempting to regain some of the steam from their harder more gritty efforts. At times In Your Honor has some pretty heavy riffs, but all the same, this just isn't as potent a release as one is lead to believe.

Turn to disc two, and we find the Foo Fighters stripping down to a very mellow acoustic vibe. Sadly these songs wear very thin quite quickly. At times a few songs capture some sweet moments, but all in all, Dave should probably stick to just rocking out the way he used to back in the day.

AUDIOSLAVE
Live In Cuba DVD. Epic/Interscope

Filmed at the Anti-Imperialist in Havana, Cuba, Audioslave takes their dark melodic rock to a place no American band has ever played. All of your Audioslave favorites are performed as well as a few Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine classics to top it all off for fans seeking that flash back to when hard rock flourished. Chris Cornell sadly seems a little weak on vocals at times which was a huge let down, but as the show moved forward his voice improved and gave him some great moments all the same. The potent, groove-driven talents of Tom Morello are probably the best part of Live in Cuba by far. All of his noise making, knob twisting, distortion fueled talents are captured on film to lay witness to the fact that he has a historic sound all his own.

Eighteen songs in all, Live In Cuba manages to capture a moment in Cuban/American music history that shouldn't be forgotten. You also get a CD that includes the classic Soundgarden track "Loud Love", so for that alone this is a must for die hard fans.

Ghost Machine
Ghost Machine/Black Blood Music

This is one of those CDs you just have to listen to loudly to get a true feel for the album. It's very complex for a quartet, embodying many layers of sound: samples, keyboards, dark sultry vocals reminiscent of 80s Goth. Though it rocks hard in places, Ghost Machine never becomes unpleasant and even-atypically for an industrial type band-includes (my favorite) an erotic, haunting marimba-and-tympani infused instrumental track called "Scarred by Happiness (L.S.D.)". and a lighter-waving beautiful classic rock ballad titled "Burning Bridges" that would bring a big-haired, half shirt wearing, camel toed drunk to tears.

I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who is looking to listen to a fresh album with a lot of variety, talent and an industrial/nu-metal/goth edge. Something tells me that Ghost Machine is an up-and-coming band you should definitely keep an eye on. I would love to experience these guys live.

Look What I Did
Minuteman for the Moment
Combat Records

This is another album that I'm sitting on the fence on. There were some nice tight bass lines, good guitar work, and top notch drumming, but the vocals wavered back and forth between wanna-be Deftones and earwax curdling screaming, and tended to be out of tune at times (maybe purposefully, but it didn't really work).

I think that Look What I Did would probably be a great, energetic band to see live, however listening through Minuteman for the Moment, I couldn't think of a purpose for the CD. If I listened to it a work, they'd think I was on drugs, if I listened to it in the car, my passengers would probably throw it or me out the window, and if I tried to clean to it, I'd most likely end up breaking things instead of putting them away.

Its not a bad attempt at trying to be original and put together a stimulating album, conversely though, it has a sophomoric quality. Altogether, I think that they have a lot of potential, and with time and more practice (and maybe a new lead singer), Look What I Did could go far.

At All Cost
It's Time to Decide/Combat Records

Listening to this album is rather like being stuck in a car with a person with ADD and a penchant for death metal in charge of the radio. Although it is primarily filled with the heavy bass and drums, noodling guitars and raspy, screaming vocals of Cradle of Filth-like bands with a hardcore punkish-edge, passages that sound like they kidnapped Blink 182, Pink Floyd, Dio, Blondie and gay bar Cher pop in, leaving you to wonder if you're still listening to the same CD. I applaud their attempts to sound unique and incorporate many different influences, and it does help break up the chalkboard-scratching monotony of straight death metal, but the total effect comes across kind of choppy, especially since the majority of the tracks are short. I actually ended up listening to this CD two or three times though, and it kind of grew on me--the weird riffs seem to have a way of getting stuck in your head and sometimes the lead growler sounds like Cookie Monster. All in all, I think I'll give At All Costs another chance.

Sevendust
Next / Winedark Records

Getting back to basics after the recent departure of guitarist Clint Lowery to Dark New Day, Boston's own Sevendust are back with one powerhouse of a new album. With a heavier edge than past efforts, Lajon and the boys are in fine form with a much more pissed off edge sure to bring back fans-and gain a few more if they're lucky.

Staind
Chapter V / Flip/Atlantic

After a less than impressive release of their last effort "14 Shades of Grey", Staind return with vocalist Aaron Lewis and his Mass. cohorts gaining back all the strength of their earlier efforts, with an added maturity that shines bright track after track. Lewis has as well picked up the guitar on most tracks adding a more thickly layered sound to the already well-crafted song writing of main guitarist Mike Mushok. Moving obviously to a much more commercial vibe, Staind have gained as many fans then they have lost with their move to more mid-tempo, richly textured, radio friendly writing that will easily stand the test of time. With this most recent release they have firmly disposed of the nu-metal tag that has seemed to have latched onto their careers since their debut.

Beautiful Creatures
Deuse / Spitfire

Bringing back the vibe of old school hair metal from the sleazy decadent 80's, Beautiful Creatures gives a fresh injection to an all-but-buried sound that most of us would just as soon forget. At a time where most metal bands seem to just chug along to the same down tuned testosterone fueled riffs, Beautiful Creatures attempt to revive straight forward rock with just enough modern influence to sound surprisingly fresh to the ear. Nothing ground breaking by any means, but at the same time, "Deuce" comes at a time where most hard rock seems to be stuck in a deep rut of following trends that will be long forgotten in years to come.

Fear Factory
Transgression / Calvin Records

Promoted as an experimental effort, Fear Factory is back with their most recent attempt of recapturing the power of their earlier days. Not nearly as potent as their earliest efforts by any means these cyber metal merchants all the same seem to be getting back on the right track. Transgression is by all means a firm step forward in recovering all the inventive futuristic metal sounds that these guys have been respected for over the past years.

CKY
An Answer Can Be Found / Island

With a rabid fan, base CKY is a band not to be taken lightly. Too bad the CD isn't nearly as cool as their past releases. Don't get me wrong, "An Answer Can Be Found" is not all bad, as a matter of fact, if you dig stoner rock, it might just be headed straight to the top of your play list. With all the repetitive so called future of metal acts flooding the scene, CKY aren't a bad buy if you seek more rock in the vein of such a musical mixture as the Foo Fighters meets Fu Manchu.

Kings X
Ogre Tones / Inside Out

Years ago, Kings X were considered masters of progressive rock, but at the same time never reached the commercial success that their label anticipated. Mixing well-crafted rock/metal riffs and groove-oriented, radio friendly written songs, with a religious fan following to boot, Kings X pushed on but never found a spot in the modern rock industry. "Ogre Tones" might just be the best effort in years from this all but forgotten so-called "one hit wonder" of the nineties but sadly it's a shame. "Ogre Tones" is a slick, well produced attempt at getting back to the earlier days when Kings X was at their obvious best but all the same, this release will probably easily overlooked. Many of the songs are heavy, but catchy as hell, proving Kings X haven't lost their writing talents over all these years. It's nice to see a band that can still create rock-n-roll that can capture an honest, no frills feeling that's hard to come by these days. Too bad they probably won't go very far as far as record sales go.

F5
A Drug For All Seasons / Deadline Music

Promising to "be heavy" and "always melodic", F5 put forth a pretty decent effort-if Disturbed and bands of that vibe are your thing. David Ellefson (former bassist of Megadeth) seems to be still capable of being involved in a band that he feels (and states) "could live beyond the trends of today and stand the test of time" but those are some pretty mighty words for what is sadly just another power rock band with a fair album at that much. F5 at times sound a little retro metal but do attempt to blend a heavy influence from the new generation of acts including Sevendust and Soil.

Stratovarius
Stratovarius / Sanctuary Records

If Opera-like vocals and melodic-driven guitar riffage is your cup of tea, then this Finnish Quintet might just be what the Doctor ordered. It's hard to believe that this band is one of Finland's most successful; its cheesy lyrics alone are hard to gag down only minutes into the first song. The musicianship is very talented, with over-the-top classically influenced solos and extremely complex compositions, but as far as ground breaking goes; Stratovarius falls short in sounding very relative whatsoever. The vocals are probably the hardest thing to get past, but the music is pretty self-indulgent as well, in their attempts to make a splash on the commercial rock scene in America.

Horse the Band
The Mechanical Hand / Combat Records

Labeled by some as Nintendo rock, Horse the Band kicks some serious ass all the same. Twisted beats mixed with over-the-top keyboard playing is just scratching the extremely warped surface that is Horse the Band. Mixing Emo, Metal, Punk, and Hard Core and whatever stupid tag you may choose, one thing is for sure, this is very original. With mind-bending samples and vicious vocals, somehow Horse the Band has mastered a concoction that blends so much variety it's sometimes scary. Hell, I even hear Death Metal as well as other quirky influences that mix with what sounds like samples directly from some Atari video classic of my early childhood. By all means, please check this out for something that is so damn original. DON'T BE SCARED...

Orange Sky
Upstairs (CD/DVD) / Grazite Records

Hailing from of all places, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad (the capitol of Trinidad and Tobago), Orange Sky is obviously something of an oddity in the rock world to say the least. Mixing such bizarre genres as Reggae, Calypso, and Modern Metal, these guys are true creative artists that have a very special sound all their own. Vocalist/guitarist Nigel Rojas is a very emotional front man, giving Orange Sky a very visual presentation that has a soulful side-which could easily have commercial appeal if they play their cards right. Orange Sky are by no means going to have an easy time breaking into the music market of the U.S., but with such a solid debut, they will find a fan base that appreciates the passionate blends of World Music and Metal that they have so perfectly crafted.