Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer

This album is a mush biscuit. Once in a while something stands out to grab your attention, but the rest of the time I feel like I'm just waiting it out.

The songwriting is the biggest problem, along with the weird production and annoying drum sound. At least it's got Dio and Iommi and Geezer. Didn't Geezer write most of these songs and have a lot to do with the production? Was that this album?

This came out in 1992 and it sounds like they're trying to hang in with where metal was at in '92.

All these songs are heavy, dark and heavy. I don't think anyone was accusing Black Sabbath of selling out when this album was released.

Nothing memorable happening here. I listen to it once in a while. Dio is Dio you know. Barely above average tunes and Dio brings it up to a B-. Barely.

Uriah Heep - Very 'eavy...Very 'umble

Similiar to Deep Purple but more epic.

Pacific Ocean - Purgatory

R&B rock.

Luz Atomica - Luz Atomica

These guys have got a grimey Alice Cooper kinda thing going on. Sleazy glammy grime rock. Sounds like they're gettin' into whatever L.A. Guns was gettin' into. Later in the album there's a song that sounds like The Clash covering Duran Duran.

The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation - Remains To Be Heard

Blues rock.

Santana - Abraxas

Everybody's jammin and rockin out! Lots of percusions. Sparse vocals...and Carlos Santana playing the guitar.

Early Man - Death Potion

Old school thrash and you can certainly hear the NWOBHM influence.

-Angelwitch-

The Firebirds - Light My Fire

Psyche rock somber vocals blues rockin' similar to Blue Cheer. Raw recording

The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds get all country on your ass with this one. Great album. Gram Parsons pretty much put this all together. Parsons joined the Byrds just before they recorded this album and left the band by the time it was released. It was a commercial failure at the time. Sounds like a bunch of old country songs to me, cover songs, traditional songs I don't know, but it's good stuff.

Fields - Fields

Hippy rock... sorta. Not the best recording, production wise, in the world. Tasty guitar work throuout. Bluesy rockin' too. Pretty cool. Like chatting on-line with babes all day. Like your friends band, where your surprised they sound as good as they do. Fields actualy get a little over ambitious in the next to last song. Finishing off with a blues rocker that sounds like an informal jam going nowhere then they throw in some horns and guitar solo out like they know what they're doing...almost. Cool record. They not afraid of epic jams or not quite able to pull 'em of. They do manage to keep it interesting. They can always fall back on the guitar player. I'll give 'em an A for effort, or maybe a B+. The last song goes on for an unbelievably long time.

James Gang - Yer' Album

Little bit trippy. Little bit groovin'. Got that organ going. Cool guitar playing. Joe Walsh has a cool voice (I think all the band members share vocals). Catchy hard rock. Some funky drumming. Some orchestration. A bunch of good songs. There's one wanky bluesy time jam that goes on too long, but everything else is top notch. A little bit hippy sometimes, but not too bad. Hard rock. Last song jams out forever like they're Lynyrd Skynrd or something.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping

Sweet Home Alabama

Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

Ramesses - Take The Curse

Original rythym section from Electric Wizard. Better than anything Electric Wizard MK II has put out. Crushing Doom with some noisey atmospherics. Somewhere black metal and Black Sabbath. Not really black metal at all. Sorry I said that.

Monster Magnet - Spine Of God

At this point Monster Magnet had a raw RAW rockin' sound. They were touchin' on psychedelia ...They really reminded me of early Mudhoney. The two bands went in completly different directions, but early on they seemed to be drawing from the same influences. Probably the Stooges and a bunch of weed and beer. Maybe a few hits of acid here and there. Think I'll wet my pants doing whippetts. Lots of spacey-ness, but it's all got an aggressive edge to it.

Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado

I think this one more than any other ELO album features the orchestra as a core part of the band and music. They live up to their name here. Pop music utilizing orchestral instruments. Big thanks to the Beatles, I suppose, is due...or at least George Martin. Each progressive ELO album after this seems to use the Orchestra less and less as the main structure of the songs, but more for accents. I'm pretty sure they abandonded the Orchestra all together by the end of their run. Anyway, it's in full effect here. Lots of sounds. Good stuff.

Across Tundras - Western Sky Ride

Post-Rock. I'll have to come back to this one.

Crippled Black Phoenix - The Resurrectionists

Post-Rock. Any band that gets labeled "Post-Rock" might as well be call Post Neurosis, or maybe Neurosis-Core. I'm sure each band is bringing their own thing to the mix, but you know, fuck it I'm old. You could probably add to the latest bunch, Neurosis-Floyd-core. I just don't have the patience. I'm gonna have to come back to this one.

Wicked Lady - Blow Your Mind

Heavy bluesy rock. Real dirty rockin' like Blue Cheer by way of The Stooges. Heavier Grand Funk type break downs and jam groovin'. Really raw recording. I don't know that fancy production would really help. This is music for people who don't like to take a bath. Totally diggin' this, but I think I might have to take a shower. Keep it simple stupid. A couple songs might seem to go on too long, but they start to take on a Flipper quality to them, and if you took as many bong hits as the band then they probably won't seem that long at all.

Trouble - Psalm 9

Keeping the Doom flag burning even when it wasn't cool. Should have been Metal enough to keep the kids happy, back in the day anyway. Tinny production, I have an old cassette so that may be the problem. The tunes rock plenty good. Metallic Doom 80's style. Is thata Cream cover at the end? I think it is.

Jex Thoth - Witness

Heavy mostly slow Doom with melodic female vocals. Organ sounds like church. Mostly depressing, sounds like Come if they were a lot heavier. Sounds like it was recorded on a boom box. Which is fine with me. It doesn't take away from it's effectiveness. This is a three song EP. Good stuff.

Burning Saviours - Hundus

Traditional doom, but not all slowed down. It's the regular stuff like Pentagram, Black Sabbath...Witchcraft is what it really reminds me of. It's hardly heavy enough to be called Doom. Lightweight, but appealing.

UFO - Lights Out

Couple good songs and some nice soloing. This doesn't do much for me. You know, it's kinda crappy.

Raven - Wiped Out

On their first album they got some rock mixed in with their metal. On this, Ravens' second album it's all Metal all the time. Falling somewhere between Priest and Maiden. Lots of shredding going on. Metal to the bone.

Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation

Hard Rock/Metal like Y&T or Keel. Seems like this type of Metal was out of fashion in 1991. I'm told this is the best Armored Saint album. I'm only familiar with March Of The Saint and that one is not bad at all. This one is more in the pocket and driving.

Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition

Old school thrash with a post Pantera influence. As good as they've ever been. Big modern day wall of hugeness prodution. Regular guy Hetfield type vocals. No monsters of screaming memes here. (Although the vocals do get a little superhuman once in a while that's OK the kids dig it). This record punishes.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced 'leh-'nerd 'skin-nerd

Southern rock! Their first album and a virtual greatest hits collection. Guitars rule. Melodies and all the playing and singing are great. It comes across as emotional and honest. File this under awesomely great...oh, and Freebird.