Artist: The 69 Eyes Title: “Motor City Resurrection” (remaster) Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 4/3/20075 Genre: Glam Rock/Punk Rating: 8/10
If you have only recently heard the music of The 69 Eyes and are enjoying their brand of Dark Gothic Rock & Roll, then this CD serves as almost the origin issue to their identity as a band. Reading interviews that have been conducted with lead singer Jyrki69 you will find a man whose band and sound are very influenced by early New York City Punk and the scene that surrounded it. This collection of band classics comes from a time before they adopted the Helsinki Vampire motif and if you were a fan of the sleazy Motley Crue and Pretty Boy Floyd sound you would find a lot in common with the stuff these guys were doing in the beginning. I admit that I found quite a few of the songs to be fun such as “Mrs. Sleazy” and “Stop Bitching!’” but the greatest appeal to me on this CD was the inclusion of all the covers that the band did. Hearing their respectful renditions of classics by KISS, The MC5, Glenn Danzig, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Dictators & The New York Dolls just truly painted the picture as to what exactly inspired this band. From this part of the collection I really loved the take on “Deuce” that was here since it is so dead-on. A good job is done on the Iggy tune “TV Eye” and the Dolls “Vietnamese Baby” also. As a New Yorker, I was particularly impressed in how influential this group thought my city and its early Punk scene was to their music. The album was originally released in 1994 and until recently only available as an import. Continue reading “Motor City Resurrection” (remaster) by The 69 Eyes→
Artist: The 69 Eyes Title: “Blessed Be” (remaster) Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 11/21/2006 Genre: Gothic Hard Rock Rating: 4/5
Even though this release from 2000 would be the bands fifth album I would have to say that If there is one release to own by the Helsinki Vampires then this is the one that is a must have without any question. With “Blessed Be” we find them moving a little bit farther from their Punk and Glam roots and delving deeper into Gothic with a healthy taste of Metal thrown in for good measure. As they fine tune the genre they will soon call Gothic Hard Rock to perfection we find the lyrical content and songs becoming all the more dark and at times sinister. This release is one of my favorites for in addition to stellar tunes like their anthem “Brandon Lee” and “The Chair” (which are guaranteed to become your instant favorites) we have “Gothic Girl. This quirky number and the subject of the song made the band become popular among that circle of their female demographic and had Jyrki 69 instantly become the dark god of the dreams that they held in their cold, Goth-Vampire hearts. “Velvet Touch” crunches along and has the most Metal feel of the tracks on this one and it’s a great change from the sleazier brand of Rock they had done in their earlier years. This modification to the band style and image would open far more doors for them going forward. The groups love of comic books and the occult finds several references to the film “The Crow” on the album along with the track Brandon Lee who starred in this same film which was also the cause of the Actors untimely and tragic death. Jyrki 69 sings in a lower register on most of the bands tracks and does a similar monotone to that of Peter Steele from Type-O-Negative. Fans of that band might really get into the brand of Rock that they deliver. If this is an introduction to you then there is no better place than to jump on board than with this one. Continue reading “Blessed Be” (remaster) by The 69 Eyes→
Artist: Cinderella Title: “In Concert” Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 3/29/2005 Genre: Rock & Roll Rating: 3/5
Filmed during the band’s musical peak in 1991 while in performance on one of their “Heartbreak Station” shows; Cinderella is captured live in Detroit in front of a sold out crowd. By the time their third album had been released on the fans the band had become one of the more reliable standouts musically from the other L.A circuit “Hair Bands” around them. As expected, this concert finds Cinderella performing all of their hits of the day and as I watched this DVD I was reminded of how different the Hard Rock and Metal scene was at the time. “Hair Metal” as it had become referenced was slowly being edged aside by the Grunge Movement (or Seattle Sound) but by the look of this show you could see that Cinderella as one of the biggest bands of the day was not going quietly into that good night. Since this DVD is from a 1991 show there are certain limitations to the overall production in terms of lighting, sound and angles but overall there is enough good music here to make you look past that. It’s the kind of release that you cannot compare to the same that is delivered today with 18 different cameras used all over the theatres – this is a professionally shot concert that brings you seventeen of the bands best songs. Continue reading “In Concert” by Cinderella→
Artist: Various Artists Title: “Armageddon Over Wacken 2004” Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 11/15/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 4/5
In the Heavy Metal Halls Of Honor there is probably no other festival that is as respected and as aspired to be a performer at as the Wacken Open Air festival. It runs for three days each year in Wacken, Germany and when it arrives, the Metal heads that come from all parts of the world number in the tens of thousands. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult festival to review and of course document but this DVD does its best to bring a little bit of the far away action right into your living room. The double DVD does seem to deliver much of what you can expect if you attended and really serves as one of those things that might prompt the adventurous Metal aficionado to map out his travel itinerary for their own visit. I enjoyed watching this more than I did listening to the companion CD’s that were released in tandem to this, as a festival of this type is better seen than merely listened to. Continue reading “Armageddon Over Wacken Live 2004” by Various Artists→
Artist: Various Artists Title: “Hollywood Rocks: Audio Companion” – Boxed Set Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 6/21/2005 Genre: Glam Rock Rating: 5/5
Return with me now to the big-haired Hard Rocking 80’s where hair spray and lipstick were in abundance and spandex pants were as far as the eye could see – and I am talking about the guys! Yes, “Hair Metal” was one of those offshoots of the doomy thunder originally created by Black Sabbath and had been tempered to sharpened steel by bands such as Judas Priest. The scene in L.A. was like no other when it first hit us as literally band after band was popping up and securing major label record deals. It was a memorable time for those who lived it, and a historical point of reference for those who found religion based on some of the groups it launched. Resulting from this boom in music the world got Poison, Ratt, Motley Crue, W.A.S.P., Dokken as some of the bigger and more popular names while also making some room for the popular but not as famous King Kobra, D’Molls and Pretty Boy Floyd. It also features contributions from bands whos names you might only recall from interviews with musicians who came from that particular band before joining one who got mega famous. One such band which seemed to be the group many sprang forth from was London and Steeler. London giving us members of Motley Crue while Steeler Yngie Malmsteen. This boxed set was released as the audio companion to the book that bears the same name. “Hollywood Rocks” is a colossal volume loaded with band promotional photos, images of band flyers, ticket stubs and club marquees along with comments from the widest variety of Glam Rock personnel you could imagine. Continue reading “Hollywood Rocks: Audio Companion” by Various Artists→
