Intruder - Higher Form Of Killing

1989

Straight foreword Thrash that's recorded real well, so you don't notice sometimes in between the sure fire thrashin parts there are some riffs that are a bit less than awesome. If you like background Thrash while your driving or cleaning you would probably never notice.

The Bottle Doom Lazy Band - Blood For The Bloodking

2008

Big big heavy slow monstrous riff doom. Much like early Melvins or Grief. If these guys were a local band I'd go see them every time they played. Listening to the CD reminds me of other CD's I already own and have listened to a million times. That's not to say this isn't good stuff. The only thing that sets it apart is the vocals. WHen they get into the groove everything seems fine. The really slow parts however border on comedy. The album has some interludes to break up the doom.
Slow and long songs for fans of heavy rock doom. Not that wimpy goth doom.

Hard Stuff - Bullet Proof

1972

A couple guys from Atomic Rooster. Some Jimmy Page inspired guitar rockin'. Sounds a bit like the Leslie West Mountain songs but not that simple. Little bit of Sir Lord Baltimore type rockin' maybe even Montrose. Better than average 70's hard rock. A lot better than average. These guys are pro! Vocals sometimes remind me of Joe Walsh.

Black Elk - Black Elk

2006

If they were on AmRep in the late 80's early 90's they'd be one of the better bands, but hey this album came out in 2006. They remind me of Hammerhead sometimes, but don't really sound like them. They sound pissed and they rock. I like this one.
Noise rock metal. Rip apart the room.

The Beat Of The Earth - The Beat Of The Earth

Sounds like some hippies on acid jamming. Comes together pretty good sometime at their best they sound like a surfy/Velvet Underground/Jim Morrison all night jam. At the worst they sound like the Doors wondering all over themselves lost but not giving up in a hippie kind of way. These hippies don't seem all that friendly though.

Kyuss - Wretch

1991

First album. Raw and angry. The production sucks you in, it's almost murky. The music sounds squashed.
Killer.
I keep wanting to turn it up.
Like your in a tunnel and the throbbing marshmello of the band is taking your oxygen.
Guitar amp sounds like it's shredding it and you've got your head stuck in there.

Cheap Trick - Rockford

2006

On this CD you never forget your listening to Cheap Trick. I love the sound they make as a band. I like Robin Zanders voice. I'm probably a bit nostalgic over this. Songs lean on the side of slower/mid tempo pop rock. Well crafted pop songs, middle of the road stuff. Searching for that elusive hit song that will put them back on top. I like it. Lots of Cheap Trickisms. A lot of familiar sounds, wher I think to myself,
"Oh, I've heard that before".
Just little reminders. Very Sparking recording. The slickness robs the songs of energy. It doesn't sound like four guys in a room rockin'. It sounds like recordings perfected with computers. I'm not blown away by it, but this is one of the better Cheap Trick albums since '84? or so.

Yardbirds - Roger The Engineer

Anybody who wonders why The Yardbirds never achieved superstardom even though they had Clapton, Beck, Page, Nugent and Van Halen all pass through their ranks, needs to look no further than their singer. The band is already outgrowing his poor Mick Jagger imitation by this release. Still, this is really good stuff. Catchy pop songs (well, they're not that catchy. This isn't the Beatles were dealing with here) with guitar really breaking lose every once in a while. All original tunes here. Jeff Beck playing better than anything I've ever heard him do. Bluesy British invasion type pop. Harmonica too.
Not totally outgrowing their R and B roots, or not really advancing and growing. Little bit though.
Sounds more like early Rolling Stones than anything else.

Fleetwood Mac - English Rose

1969

Very similar to the first album but better. Production is better, vocals sound good. They sound more like a rock band playing the blues this time around. I would recommend this before the first album.
Blues.
Mellow.
I'm feeling this one even more than the first.

Fun Facts: This is a compilation album released in 1969. U.S. Only. Six of these songs are from the UK only Mr. Wonderful. Their second release.

Cheap Trick - Woke Up With A Monster

Ted Templeman's production cuts my head in half and not in a good way. Among the very worst Cheap Trick or The Eurythmics or Power Station has to offer. Worse than the Worst AC/DC album...I think. Also some of the worst examples of a early 90's metal ballad. Way watered down like second generation White Lion. The last few songs almost become listenable if you're a big Cheap Trick fan.

The Who - The Who Sings My Generation

1965

Awesome!
This is a good one. Rockin' British envasion pop harmonies. The band rocks, but it's all about the guitar and drums. Up front may be a bit technically advance term to describe, louder may be a more appropriate description of the guitar and drum placement. There's a lot of catchiness and a surprising amount of aggression. A song towards the end that's a James Brown type song that borders on being parody. Rockin' Wipeout trip fest too.

The Rolling Stones - 5x5

1964

Slow dance at the sock hop.
Organ.
Primitive hypnotic blues rock.
Harmonica.
Chuck Berry cover.
Pretty groovy stuff.

Fun Facts: Five songs by five guys = 5x5.

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Folk gone rock turned crazy talk.

Cheap Trick - Busted

The follow up to the biggest hit of their career.
Best to avoid this dreck.
Contender for the very worst Cheap Trick album.

-Bottom of the barrel for Cheap Trick. I'm sure this was an attempt to not broke what is fixed and try to recreate the previous top selling album. Problem is, that one sucked too.

Yardbirds - Five Live Yardbirds

This is a party!
A Rave Up!
You can feel the energy here and see what got everybody fired up.
1964 Sweaty club.
60's blues rock in it's infancy.
Swaggering.
Frenzied.
Harmonica.
Eric Clapton.
Makes you want to go into town. Get a malt and vandalise stuff.
It gets smoky too.
Raw and Loose.
The seed.

Fun Facts: Whole album is covers. Chuck Berry, Isley Brothers, John Lee Hooker ect...

Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw

Blues rock leaning towards soul.

Fun Facts: No Bloomfield + horns.

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac

1968

When I first put this on I dismissed it, "this is just the blues". Funny thing is, I keep getting drawn back to it. Great guitar blues rock.
I prefer my blues my blues to be more over driven and over the top, or by an old black guy sittin' on his porch in the south during the depression. This has some good guitar playing. That is for sure. These guys do such a straight interpretation of the blues and do it so well it's makes you wish for more. More of their own personal blues expansion. Half this album is cover and half is originals, but I can't tell any difference. 1968 seems pretty late in the game to be playing it so straight, they must be purest.Sounds like they're playing live in the studio. I like this one more each time I listen to it.

Baroness / Unpersons Split - A Grey Sigh In A Flower Husk

2007

A split CD.
Baroness: Sounds like the hardcore kids discovered Iron Maiden.
Unpersons: Sounds like the hardcore kids like Drive Like Jehu.
I like both these bands. It's just that this particular release doesn't bowl me over. I did see Unpersons live a few year ago and thought they were great.

Reverend Bizarre - In The Rectory Of Reverend Bizarre

2002

Big heavy huge plodding in the most 70's Sabbath kind of way. Vocals like Bobby Liebling/Pentagram with the sincerity of King Diamond. Awesome. Doom! Big heaviness that's reminiscent of early Melvins albums. Long Long drawn out heaviness only matched by Electric Wizards' extended fits. I think there's more of a payoff at the end with Reverend Bizarre. Six songs 74 minutes. A modern day doom metal classic.
Pure.

John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton - John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton

Urban blues funneled through 60's English dudes. Cranked up distorted Marshall stack overdrive solos. Jimi Hendrix style.
Landmark album.
Groovy Hammond organ too.
Don't forget about the drum solo.
Awesome.

This record makes Sadie dance more than any other.

Skip James - Hard Time Killing Floor Blues

Awesome dark moody blues. Just Skip James fingerpickin' his guitar. He's got a great haunting voice. Half or so of these songs were written by James in 1931 the others were new when this was recorded in 1964 and the quality is great. My favorite type of blues right here. Solitude. Depression era Delta Blues.

Fun Facts: Cream covered James' song "I'm So Glad". Which is not on this album.

DeWollf - Strange Fruits And Undiscovered Plants

2009

This is very good.
60's psychedelic blues rock like Cream, Deep Purple, a bit of early Pink Floyd. Oh, yeah and Hammond Organ. Leans a bit to the mellow side of things and gets pretty soulful in a rock and roll kind of way. Very retro sounding and they do it. Sounds authentic.

DeWolff MySpace

Reverend Bizarre - Death Is Glory...Now

2009

Old School Doom!
Pentagram meets Electric Wizard without all the distortion and a touch of Merciful Fate thrown in.
Evil.

Fun Facts: This is a 2 CD compilation of a bunch of hard to find stuff, the second CD is covers.

Reverend Bizarre MySpace

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Radio One

Recorded during five different radio sessions between February and December 1967. Really clean recordings. Jimi is rippin' it up all over the place. Lots of psychedelic blues rockin'. Nine or 10 songs that are not on the first couple albums.
"Look, Jimi. I'm terribly sorry but we seem to be getting quite a bit of distortion and feedback and can't seem to correct it". - Producer of first hendrix radio session 2/13/67.
Highly Recommended.

Fun Facts: All of these recordings are included on BBC Sessions released in 1998.

Bongzilla - Gateway

2002

I love Bongzilla. They're big and huge like High on Fire (for the rockin' hugeness) or Electric Wizard (for the drag it out riff a rama to death). Bongzilla was meant to be seen live. Because they were more about the feeling. The feeling of huge heavy and huge. Sabbath type riffs. This one production wise is the best CD they put out. Screechy screamy horse screamin' vocals. Always. I like this kind of music a lot. I don't revisit this CD too much though. If you like it big and heavy this is a must hear. It's big heavy chugging is so memorable you forget that some of these songs are pretty fast and remain just as huge.

Bongzilla MySpace