The Scrounger's ReportJun. 02, 1999The 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 Steamhammer/SPV Musically, and productionwise, OY, it's hurting, but it is a good historical reference piece.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 |
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