The Scrounger's Report

Jun. 02, 1999

The stuff I got in yesterday...

Ok, I've had a chance to listen through the stuff I got in
yesterday.

Thor - Ride of the Chariots (An-Thor-Logy). 1997. Star USA.
   Ick. Yuck. A buffed blonde Norse Manowar wannabe.
   I like Manowar despite the triteness, because at least
   musically they have their act together and the execution
   is good. This guy should just be executed. Rating: 40%

Iron Angel - Winds of War. 1986. Steamhammer/SPV
   Musically, and productionwise, OY, it's hurting,
   but it is a good historical reference piece.
   Underproduced mid-1980s heavy metal. Rating: 68%

Waysted - Vices. 1997 (1983). Zoom Club Records.
   Although slightly better produced than TGTBTW,
   musically, it's a little more punkish/glam than
   TGTBTW. I picked these Waysted discs up just for
   completist purposes; it's like a completely
   different band than "Save Your Prayers" and it may
   very well be. Rating: 72%

Kamelot - Eternity. 1995. Noise Records.
   It's "ok", nothing more. I don't have a problem with
   the album musically, but the lead vocals make my
   teeth hurt. I think they made a BIG leap forward
   with Dominion. Rating: 76%

Waysted - The Good, The Bad, The Waysted. 1992. Music for Nations
   I owned this once before and traded it away. Now that
   I'm listening to it again, it's not nearly as bad as
   I initially thought. It's weakest point seems to be
   the lead vocals. Rating: 78%

A.S.A.P. - Silver and Gold. 1989. EMI (U.K.)
   Adrian Smith's project. It's good but kinda bland
   and nondescript. The execution is good, but there's
   nothing innovative happening here...dunno. It just
   bores me. Rating: 78%

Romeo's Daughter - S/T. 1989. Jive Records (Australia)
   Some good stuff happening here. All the songs are
   produced by either Mutt Lange, John Parr, or both.
   Kind of a Pat Benatar meets Heart thang going on.
   Rating: 82%

GTR - Nerotrend (unreleased demos)
   I really wish they had released a 2nd album; the first
   showed *SO* much promise. This set of demos features
   Robert Berry on lead vox for half the tracks, and
   Max Bacon on the other half. The overall feel is a bit
   lighter, IMO than the debut. Rating: 83%

Korea - S/T. 1992. Rammit Records/BEI/MCA (Canada)
   This album shows brief flashes of brilliance. Imagine
   a minor-label version of Zebra with slightly more AOR-ish
   tendencies. The occasional use of female backing vox
   is interesting, and I think the album could benefit
   from them being used a bit more....Rating: 85%

Jeff Scott Soto - "L.A. Rocks demos".
   Take into account that these are demos, so the
   overall sound quality isn't up to par with studio
   releases (this was taken from cassette). That being
   said, musically, this is some KILLER stuff! I wonder
   what time frame they are from, as well as what
   projects/bands....Rating: 88%

And the surprise of the bunch:

Aces High - Pull No Punches. 1998. GMR Music
   I had absolutely no clue who this band was when I
   opted to trade for it....and I *still* have no idea
   who they are. A bunch of Scandinavians doing extremely
   well-executed AOR. Good harmonies, etc. Rating: 89%

S'all 4 now...

-Dan