Megadeth - Super Collider

Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Tradecraft

2013

1. Kingmaker
2. Super Collider
3. Burn!
4. Built For War
5. Off The Edge
6. Dance In The Rain
7. The Beginning Of Sorrow
8. The Blackest Crow
9. Forget To Remember
10. Don't Turn Your Back...
11. Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy cover)

Ah, Megadeth. One of the first bands that got me into metal and still one of my favorites. Their classics have a special place in my collection and more recently the band has re-grabbed my attention with some very good albums like Endgame and The System Has Failed. I go into this one with a slight bit of skepticism though. Th1rt3en was an OK album, but has not really aged well for me and I can't remember the last time I felt the need to listen to it. It's just never the Megadeth album I reach for. Also, I do my absolute best to separate musicians as people and their work, but Mustaine really does make it a challenge. The more he screams his lunacy to the world regarding evolution or where Obama was born the harder I find it to take him, or anything connected with him, seriously. I'll try to push that to the back of my mind and hopefully enjoy some music that reminds me of my metal beginnings.

Well, it's hard to focus on the music when the music is this fucking boring. Listening to this album is just 45 minutes of your life you'll never get back. There's nothing about this album that screams "WTF?!" like say Risk, but I settled into utter apathy by the middle of this album.

Super Collider starts off alright with Kingmaker which at least has a little aggression, but even on that one the vocals are kinda phoned in and it never quite breaks out and shreds. The sad thing though is that this is as ripping as the album gets and the only decent song to make a single on an album full of mediocrity. By the time the second track Super Collider is done I feel a yawn coming on with it's sort of southern rocky/country-ish feel that recalls songs like Have Cool, Will Travel. This wasn't a particularly good idea for the band back in '97 and it's still not now. The Blackest Crow also has a similar feel and is similarly boring. Beyond this a lot of the album is just too mid-paced and trudges on as if the band is on autopilot. I think the only real time songs stand out on here is when they're worse than boring like Built For War which is disjointed and annoying. There's really precious little in terms of shredding guitar or intensity to make any songs or this album stand out and this kind of comes across as a more rock oriented album. Certainly, this is waaaay removed from anything thrash metal.

It is sort of funny that perhaps my biggest gripes going into this release turns out to be a non-factor though. I wasn't big on the idea of David Draiman on a Megadeth album, but if I wasn't told he was on it, I probably would not have noticed. His vocals are just buried backups that neither add nor subtract from the quality and it's pretty much anecdotal that he was involved.

This is just the sort of album by a classic band that nobody gives a fuck about. One of those forgotten releases that just make you shake your head and throw on one of their classic albums to make you remember what you loved about them. It basically adds nothing memorable to their song catalogue, and I'd say this is for serious fans/collectors only.

Highlights: Kingmaker

Rating - 2.0/5

Giant X - I

Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Steamhammer/SPV

2013

1. The Rise Of Giant X (Intro)
2. On A Blind Flight
3. Don't Quit Till Tomorrow
4. Badland Blues
5. Now Or Never
6. Nameless Heroes
7. Go 4 It
8. The Count
9. Rough Ride
10. Friendly Fire
11. Let's Dance
12. Soulsurvivors
13. R.O.C.K.

It's hard to blame Rolf Kasparek of Running Wild for wanting to branch out a bit. After doing the Pirate shtick for so many damn years it's gotta grow a little old feeling like you Have to write albums in that general theme. That being said, I love Running Wild and Rolf's last side band Toxic Taste was a total abortion. Considering how well Rolf's last side band went I had to go in skeptical. At least he handles the vocal duties on this one though so I could expect those to be good.

To start things off, On A Blind Fight is exactly what I like hearing from Rolf Kasparek. Speedy and powerful, this one could be a Running Wild song. It does leave one wondering why this even needs to be another band, but the band clears that up pretty quickly with sleaze rockers like Don't Quit Till Tomorrow and Badland Blues. Basically, from here on out this is retro rock and doesn't do a thing for me. This kinda material reminds me of Sinner's more recent albums and is at least as bad. Retro rock inspiration can work, but there's a fine line between retro and just an uninspired throwback. This falls on the later side of that line. I didn't really need to hear Rolf Kasparek doing a glam metal/rock ballad like Nameless Heroes. A lot of this is honestly pretty terrible. The Count in particular left me scratching my head. It sounds like a rock song done by The Count from Sesame Street. Seriously, the theme of the song is fucking counting. Thanks for spelling out R.O.C.K for me too guys. I should also mention that the only thing Lets Dance got moving is the tacos in my stomach that I ate earlier. Some seriously bad songs here.

Sorry Rolf, but I think if you want a successful band you're stuck with Running Wild. This is boring at best and annoying at worst. Rolf is no doubt one of the legends of power/speed metal... but yeah... maybe stick to that.

Highlights: On A Blind Fight

Rating - 1.0/5

Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth

Hard Rock
Interscope

2012

1. Tattoo
2. She's The Woman
3. You And Your Blues
4. China Town
5. Blood And Fire
6. Bullethead
7. As Is
8. Honeybabysweetiedoll
9. The Trouble With Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin

Well, this is something of an oddball review here, but I'm gonna write it anyways. A little outside my normal scope, but I'd say there's enough interest in this one in Metal circles to give it a go. I'll preface this review by saying I've always been more of a Hagar VH fan, but I do enjoy EVH when he's on so this was something I had to listen to. Note that I would not qualify this album as metal, strictly speaking, and it will not be eligible for year end top lists, etc, etc.

I'll start off by saying that I almost didn't want to listen to this album, even if like I said, I sorta had to. This is because of intro track and first single Tattoo which is just plain awful. The song has no life/energy to it, is completely goofy, and is not remotely catchy. The sound of this song practically turns my stomach and had me fully prepared to listen to something on the level of Van Halen III. Everyone kept telling me that the rest of the album was better though and in fairness I've actually heard one worse single this year already (thanks Freedom Call).

After Tattoo ends things do immediately improve at least. She's The Woman is pretty upbeat and rocking. Does have all the energy and heaviness that Tattoo was completely lacking. Sounds pretty classic VH really. Maybe not single quality as compared to some of their classic albums, but certainly it would have been a better single than Tattoo and wouldn't sound out of place on an older VH album. The chorus and guitar have a nice sound here and at the least this song kept some hope for the album alive when I was listening to it.

From there on what I found from this album was kind of a mixed bag. There's everything from decently catchy songs with good flow like Blood & Fire, Big River, and Outta Space to awkward numbers like Bullethead where David Lee Roth seems to not really get the rhythm of the song and things end up sounding tossed together. There's also tracks where DLR just plain rambles like Honeybabysweetiedoll. It seems to me listening to this that the weak link really is DLR. Sometimes when he starts droning on in a flat middle range or becomes too random this album loses me. The guitar is certainly the hero of the show and EVH is in pretty good form on songs like Chinatown which has a nice classic EVH guitar intro and some strong leads. Once again though the vocals of that one don't quite hit it home. I can't help thinking the addition of some good backing vocals by one Michael Anthony might have helped a bit as well.

I think A Different Kind Of Truth, judging by what the album is and the early press I've seen, is the sort of release that's destined to be overrated early and then not played that frequently. I can see DLR Van Halen fans getting excited he's back and that the band at least isn't sucking like they did with Cherone, but I can't see the same fans reaching for this album nearly as much as the classic releases either. I think the hard truth about this one is that while it certainly is more palatable and familiar, it doesn't really have songs that will stand the test of time. Middle of the road is better than where this band was, but I think a reality check is also in order. I don't really hear new classics or overall Great songs. The vocals don't quite come through with anthemic rock choruses and the guitar doesn't quite hit me with an unforgettable solo.

The bottom line.... This isn't a bad release and for Van Halen fans that is a huge improvement (even if rock bottom makes an improvement easier). I do think people are getting carried away with this album judged on it's own merits however. To me it sounds like what it is... a bunch of old dudes getting together and trying to conjure up memories of the glory days. They don't do a half bad job of it, but is this on par with what Van Halen has done in the past? I wouldn't go that far. Sounds a wee bit forced to me.

Highlights: Big River, She's The Woman, Blood & Fire

Rating - 3.0/5