Review: Kid Rock, "Kid Rock"

I was one of the biggest critics of Kid Rock's last album, the appropriately-titled "Cocky," but I have to admit it grew on me. So I was a little more prepared for the emergence of Kid Country on his latest self-titled album.

This album is an even more dramatic departure from the rock-rapper's past than "Cocky." But it's also a much better album. "Kid Rock" gives him something he's never had, a distinct personality. It's a much more coherent record than "Cocky," which bounced from one end of the spectrum to the other.

The album has a long list of contributors from Hank Williams Jr. on the Aerosmith-laced "Cadillac" to a reunion with Sheryl Crow on "Run Off to L.A." These guest spots provide some of the hottest tracks on the album, including "Black Bob," where Shreveport native Kenny Wayne Shepherd lays down a wicked wah-wah lick, and "Hillbilly Stomp" which features the talents of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons.

There are some clunkers on the album, like the Kenny Chesney-penned country ballad "Cold and Empty" - which despite being a little dull is an almost surefire crossover hit - and the sappy "Do It For You," which really doesn't fit the Kid's style. But he more than makes up for those with raucous rockers like "Jackson, Mississippi" and "Son of Detroit," an inspired take on David Allan Coe's "Son of the South."

Those looking for the Kid Rock who recorded "Bawitdaba" and "American Bad Ass," may not find him on this album. There's only one rap, "Intro" (which for some odd reason is the album's seventh song.) But those who come to this album prepared for Kid Rock's transition into a Southern rock crooner should enjoy it.

Get "Kid Rock."

Review: Blind Guardian, "Live"

If you're a fan of Blind Guardian, this two-CD collection of some of the best songs from the band's seven studio albums is a must-have. If you're not a fan, this collection of tunes fueled by fantasy and legend is a fantastic introduction.

The album, recorded at venues all over Europe and Asia, show that the rest of the world knows what the American metal community is just starting to pick up on - that Blind Guardian is one of the most original and distinctive bands out there.

"Live" provides a quick overview of the band's progression from a fairly straightforward power metal outfit on songs like "Majesty" and "Valhalla" to the symphonic powerhouse they've become on numbers like "Nightfall" and "The Soulforged."

The focus on the album, is on the later, more complex works. They play six of the nine songs on "Imaginations From the Other Side" and five tunes from "Nightfall in Middle-Earth."

The album provides more than two hours of Blind Guardian in fine form, making the smooth transition from blistering power metal to minstrel songs. It's the latter that often get the bigger reaction from the crowd.

Numbers like "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" get the crowd clapping along, and the audience is singing louder than vocalist Hansi Kursch on "Lord of the Rings." (I still think Peter Jackson missed a great opportunity by not getting this song somewhere in the film trilogy; it's a perfect fit.)

The performances are solid, the fan reaction is fantastic and it's two solid hours of Blind Guardian. What more could you ask for?

Interview: Staind

When the members of Staind came together to write their latest album, "14 Shades of Grey," they had some big shoes to fill. Their sophomore effort "Break the Cycle" topped the charts and went quadruple platinum. But guitarist Mike Mushok said the band didn't really feel any pressure in making the new album; they just went about business as usual.

"None of us expected `Break the Cycle' to sell as well as it did; that just doesn't happen very often," Mushok said. "We figured we were just going to write the best record that we could possibly write, then go out and do what we do. All you can ever do in anything is the best you feel you're capable of, and that's what we did."

It seems to have worked. Though sales of "14 Shades of Grey" haven't been quite as brisk as "Break the Cycle," the album did debut at No. 1. The latest single "So Far Away" currently holds the No. 1 position on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. A big reason for that success, Mushok thinks, is that fans identify with Staind's songs.

"I think (vocalist) Aaron (Lewis) writes lyrics that a lot of people can relate to," he said. "I've heard a lot of people say, `You said what I felt; you put it into these songs.' I think that's what touches people."

Staind's major label debut "Dysfunction" was more metal than melody. But with the release of the breakthrough hit, the acoustic "Outside," recorded live in Biloxi, Miss., the band found another outlet for its angst. Likewise, the biggest hit from "Break the Cycle," was the acoustic "It's Been a While," and Staind continues to explore a lighter direction on "14 Shades of Grey" that's earned them critical acclaim.

"In contrast with earlier albums, `Grey' is more light than dark," wrote USA Today's Edna Gunderson. "The new songs are sturdier and more melodic, and the band deserves credit for taking the sunny side of the street instead of the genre's low road to gloom wallows and celebrations of adolescent fixations."

Mushok says the change was a natural one. He said, looking at the bands that made a big impact on the rock world - the Beatles, the Police, Led Zeppelin - they all had one thing in common.

"I look at the music that I still listen to that's been around for a long time, and it all has great melodies," Mushok said. "That, to me, is what a good song is. It's something that has melody that, hopefully, someone can relate to and want to listen to again. I think that's one thing that has been around forever."

The guitarist is also quite pleased with the package the band has put together for this tour. They've recruited old friends Sevendust, who they opened for once upon a time, and newcomers Lo-Pro, the first signing to Lewis' record label.

"I'm a fan," he said. "I pretty much go out and watch every night and enjoy it every night. It's one of the benefits of being able to tour with bands you really like."

Mushok admits it is a little strange to follow a band that they once opened for, but he said Staind enjoys the challenge and the camaraderie with old friends.

"It's hard to go on after (Sevendust) because they put on such a great show," he said. "We've been wanting to go back out on tour together, but this is really the first occasion that we've been able to do it."

As for Staind's live performance, Mushok said fans shouldn't expect a lot of bells and whistles. They prefer to let the music speak for itself. He said Staind's performance is an emotional one that should give fans a hint about where the songs come from.

"We don't believe in a lot of production," he said. "It's really just us playing with lights, which to me is what a rock show is about. It's just about going out there and playing our songs for the people who came to hear them."

Review: Fireball Ministry, "The Second Great Awakening"

If Black Sabbath had come from Birmingham, Ala., instead of Birmingham, England, it might have sounded a little like Fireball Ministry.

With all the hype surrounding the band, I'm not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this Sabbath-laced slab of stoner rock. That's not a bad thing, though. The album grows on me more with every listen.

The sound is hard to classify. The title track and intro reminds me a little of Judas Priest's "The Hellion," and the Sabbath influence is all over the record, but the album itself isn't entirely metal. There's a lot of classic 1970s rock influence here, particularly on the power harmonies.

The band provides a solid base that alternates between a brick wall of power chord sound and Southern-fried sludge grooves that are surprising since the group calls California home.

The key ingredient that sets the band apart is singer James Rota, whose voice falls somewhere between an early Ozzy Osbourne and Glenn Danzig. These days, it's refreshing to hear a metal vocalist that actually sings, and it takes the listener a bit by surprise.

Add to that Fireball Ministry's quirky melodies on songs like "Master of None" - the album's hottest track - "In the Mourning" and "He Who Kills," and you've got a recipe for success. Fireball Ministry are primed for an explosion. If this album doesn't make them one of the the biggest bands in rock, something is seriously wrong.

Get "The Second Great Awakening."

Johnny Cash, 1932-2003

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."

Those four words, spoken in a deep bass rumble, are instantly recognizable to almost everyone, regardless of age or background.

The death of "The Man in Black," country music legend Johnny Cash, saddened both fans and his fellow recording artists on Friday. It was not just a loss for country music, but the music world in general, said Tim McGraw, who is in town for his annual Swampstock concert.

"Bigger than any musical genre was Johnny Cash," McGraw said in a statement through his publicist. "He was an American music icon that set the standard for how to make music on your own terms. We will miss him."

Country singer Andy Griggs remembered growing up listening to Johnny Cash before making his own way to Nashville.

"Johnny Cash was bigger than life on Charlie Griggs' road," he said. "That road grew intrastate to interstate, and I found Cash was bigger than life everywhere. I don't think any of us will be the same without The Man in Black."

It was Cash's independent and rebellious nature that many fans remember. The famous middle finger ad in Billboard after he won the Best Country Album Grammy in 1998, despite little or no radio support; the way he introduced country audiences to acts like Bob Dylan, via his TV show; the way he redefined himself in the 1990s with rock-rap producer Rick Rubin and reintroduced himself to a whole new generation of fans.

"It was an independent spirit that he brought to the whole music industry, especially for the last 10 years or so with the American Recordings," said musician and radio host Monty Russell, whose band the Hardcore Troubadours closed their set with "Folsom Prison Blues" on Thursday night, just hours before Cash's death.

Russell said he admired Cash for what he did in 1993, by just sitting down with his voice and guitar to record the first "American Recordings" album.

"It was so powerful, just him and his guitar," he said.

Over the course of those four albums, Cash created a new audience for his music through both originals and versions of songs by rock bands such as Soundgarden, U2 and Danzig. Most recently, Cash had a hit with a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt." The video, which chronicled Cash's life, was powerful and moving for most fans. Russell said he was disappointed that it didn't win best video at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

"I thought it was sad they didn't give him that award, because that video laid out his whole life," he said. "It makes you want to cry."

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails told The Associated Press on Friday that he was honored when he heard Cash was interested in recording his song.

"To hear that Johnny was interested in doing my song was a defining moment in my life's work," he said. "To hear the result really reminded me how beautiful, touching and powerful music can be. The world has truly lost one of the greats."

Cash's turn on "Hurt" was not so surprising to long-time fans. It was the kind of thing he'd always done, said country singer Edd Greer. Cash shared both his triumphs and his pain through his music.

"What made him such a star was that he went through life sharing his hard times, along with his good times, with his fans," Greer said. "His music reflected his life, and he will be missed by millions."

Greer said Johnny Cash's legacy for musicians is in the way he showed them how to stay true to themselves. Like so many others who spoke about Cash on Friday, he used the word "original." Most people said there was no one else like Cash, and likely never would be again.

"I remember Johnny Cash as a great guy who was a total American original," said fellow country star Charlie Daniels. "He shall be missed."

Despite his checkered past and rebellious nature, most people believe that Cash has earned his place in the pantheon of music greats.

"All saints wear white, but I believe the good Lord will welcome The Man in Black," Griggs said.

Review: Allan Holdsworth, "All Night Wrong"

Even us hardcore metalheads have to mellow out every now and then.

Somewhere between Arch Enemy's "Anthems of Rebellion" and Children of Bodom's "Hate Crew Deathroll," I popped in Allan Holdsworth's latest release last week. It was like a douse of cold water over the head - but in a good way.

Recorded in May 2002 at the Roppongi Pit Inn in Tokyo, the album is a collection of light and airy fusion. Though my usual tastes lean to the heavier, I appreciate great guitar in any form, and "All Night Wrong" has plenty of it.

Numbers like the bouncy "Lanyard Loop" and "Water on the Brain, Pt. II" are pretty much what you expect when you hear the word fusion, but other tunes show another side of Holdsworth.

You can hear shades of Holdsworth's progressive rock past on "Alphrazallan." And his ability to coax cool sounds out of a guitar shows on "The Things You See" and "Above and Below," which feature some volume swells that mimic a string section.

My personal favorite, "Zone," showcases the rhythm section of Jimmy Johnson and Chad Wackerman. It's a brilliant reminder of how thin the line between rock and jazz really can be.

Get "All Night Wrong."

Review: Arch Enemy, "Anthems of Rebellion"

Arch Enemy's second album with new vocalist Angela Gossow shows the band continuing to grow and broaden its horizons.

While Gossow spent much of her debut album with the band, last year's "Wages of Sin," proving that she could hang with the boys, she stretches out a little on this album. On some of the songs, you can actually tell the vocalist is female. That's not to say there's any angelic crooning here. It's just as aggressive as ever.

The music continues to drift more and more toward thrash and the band continues to add some nice melodic touches. The psychedelic influence of Michael Amott's side project Spiritual Beggars invades the dark corners of the album, and "Exist to Exit" is an unabashed homage to the band's forefathers Slayer.

Overall, "Anthems of Rebellion" is a pretty daring album for a band in a genre where fans love to toss around the word sellout. Arch Enemy breaks new melodic ground on tracks like "Instinct" and the outstanding track of the album "Leader of the Rats." Of course, there are still the burners like "Despicable Heroes" and "Saints and Sinners" for those longing for the band's older sound.

Arch Enemy has hit its stride with "Anthems of Rebellion." It's a perfect blend of guitar-fueled aggression and dark melodic sensibilities. It lives up to the promise made on "Wages of Sin" and promises even better things to come.

Get "Anthems of Rebellion."

Review: Brainstorm, "Soul Temptation"

Where has this band been hiding from me?

This album has that perfect blend of prog and old school power metal that usually makes me stand up and pay attention. From the lead song "Highs Without Lows," it drew me in.

"Soul Temptation" mixes galloping riffs and powerful vocals, with just a taste of mystical moodiness. It's a potent combination.

The songs on the album range from blazing speedsters to the dramatic "Fading." One of the most impressive turns on the album is the trilogy of songs "Trinity of Lust," which includes "Shiva's Tears," "Fornever" and the title track. The songs switch from exotic middle-eastern flavors to full-on metal grooves.

The only weakness the album has is in the lyrics, which are often awkwardly constructed. To be fair, English isn't vocalist Andy Franck's first language, and these lyrics are much better than anything I could produce in German. So I guess I really can't complain.

Brainstorm has two previous albums out on Metal Blade that I somehow managed to overlook. I don't intend to miss them again.

Get "Soul Temptation."

Review: Nevermore, "Enemies of Reality"

If you're not familiar with Seattle's reigning kings of melodic metal, it's time to get acquainted.

Nevermore's last two albums "Dreaming Neon Black" and "Dead Heart in a Dead World" set a high standard for the band, so they took their time crafting "Enemies of Reality." It was time well spent.

While this album isn't incredibly different from Nevermore's previous offerings, it does seem to have a little more depth. "Enemies of Reality" has all the speed the band's fans expect on songs like the title track and "I, Voyager" and the progressive rock flair on "Noumenon." But there's also a mellower side that comes out on this album, it's a side that fans may have only caught glimpses of before. The most obvious manifestation of this is "Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday," which is perhaps as close to a ballad as Nevermore has ever come.

Warrel Dane's distinctive vocals warble between dramatic, soaring singers like Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson, but also occasionally drift into the snarls and growls of extreme metal. The rest of the band follows his lead, alternatively offering up spacey interludes, crushing riffs and ferocious bursts of speed. It's that versatility that sets them apart from other bands in the genre and makes Nevermore one of the best bands out there.

Get "Enemies of Reality."

Interview: Brian Fair of Shadows Fall

So what do you do as a band, when you've already accomplished all your goals?

That's the question Massachussets thrashers Shadows Fall are currently faced with, but it's not a bad problem to have, said vocalist Brian Fair.

"When we originally got this band together, we just wanted to play some local shows and then maybe get out and tour a little," he said. "At this point, we've already been to Japan, all around Europe and played Castle Donnington with Iron Maiden. After this, it's all gravy."

The show at Castle Donnington in England, one of heavy metal's most hallowed venues, was the pinnacle of the band's young career so far, said Fair, allowing them to open for two metal legends and putting them in front of tens of thousands of fans.

"It was unreal," Fair said. "To be able to play with a band as amazing as Iron Maiden on their classic home turf was just unreal. Then, the next day Metallica showed up and did a surprise set, so within the same weekend, we covered two metal dreams, which was opening for both Iron Maiden and Metallica."

Next up on the heavy metal hit parade, the prince of (bleeping) darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, as Shadows Fall is set to rip up the second stage on this summer's Ozzfest tour. Fair said the band has already played with most of the other bands on the second stage, and they're looking forward to seeing old friends like Killswitch Engage, Sworn Enemy and Hotwire. Fair said it's nice to be playing with people you know, but even nicer to be able to bring your music to masses of new people.

"It's cool to be part of something that huge and also to play in front of a lot of people who have never heard of us before," he said. "That's always a fun thing - it's a challenge. If you keep playing to the same kids over and over, you really don't have to try as hard. With this, it's going to be a lot of faces we've never seen, and we just want to go out and try to make as many new fans as possible."

Every year at Ozzfest, there's usually a second-stage band that really breaks out and creates a tremendous buzz among fans. Could it be Shadows Fall this year? Fair hopes so, but he's not going to get cocky.

"We've got a lot of competition on the second stage this year," he said. "There are a lot of great bands, and there are a lot of high energy bands. I think it's going to be non-stop brutality on the second stage."

Whether or not they emerge from Ozzfest the champions of the second stage, a buzz is already building around Shadows Fall. Other musicians constantly cite them as one of the best up-and-coming bands and their videos for "Thoughts Without Words" and "Destroyer of Senses" are mainstays of MTV2's resurrected "Headbanger's Ball" and Much Music's "Uranium." Fair said the renewed interest in metal on television has been a big boost for Shadows Fall and a lot of other bands.

"Even just a few years ago, any band on an independent metal label, if you made a video, the most it was going to end up on was probably a VHS compilation that would get seen by 100 or 200 people," he said. "Now they're actually giving airtime to some of these underground bands, and it's really amazing. We're pretty much a grass roots, word of mouth kind of band, so to have that mass exposure, with that many people we normally wouldn't be able to reach, is a huge help."

But Fair is quick to point out that metal fans can be a finicky bunch and don't buy into a lot of hype. He said the band won't buy into it, either.

"We're trying not to really think about it too much, but to live up to it by playing everywhere we can and as hard as we can every night," he said. "Sometimes the metal kids are looking to knock you off the high horse when you have too much hype going on. We don't want it to be hollow praise. We want it to be because we're out there playing and kicking as much ass as possible."

Interview: Johnny Solinger of Skid Row

Even though he joined the band more than 3 years ago, vocalist Johnny Solinger is still "the new guy" to many Skid Row fans. These days, he doesn't mind it so much, though.

The group is currently crossing the country with Poison and Vince Neil of Motley Crue, and they've got a new album and DVD on the way in August. For a band that hasn't released an album of new material since 1995's "Subhuman Race," it's a whirlwind of activity, and Solinger can't wait for it to reach a fever pitch.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," he said. "With all the touring we did to keep food on the plate, we had to work on it in between, so it was a long time coming. We finally got it right, and we finally got the record we want to put out. I just can't wait."

After more than three years of singing someone else's songs, Solinger said it will be nice to have a Skid Row record that he's played a part in making. But the worldwide release of "Thickskin" means even more to him.

"I'm an old hat at making independent records and trying to sell them to make a living, but to be able to go to the four corners of the Earth, wherever you buy records, and have me on a record, it means the world," he said. "It's like finally I've arrived. That's awesome."

Solinger was fronting his eponymous band in Dallas, which had attained moderate regional success, when he got an e-mail from Skid Row founders Rachel Bolan and Dave "Snake" Sabo in late 1999. They were looking to put the band back together and needed a replacement for departed singer Sebastian Bach (real name Sebastian Bierk). Solinger auditioned in January 2000 and about six weeks later he found himself opening for Kiss on a worldwide tour.

Though most fans of Skid Row consider Solinger's predecessor to be one of the best singers in rock, he said the challenge of filling those shoes never bothered him. He said the fans saw his confidence and warmed to him quickly.

"Everybody was kind of nervous about that, thinking there were going to be picket lines and sit-ins," Solinger joked. "But you know what? That just didn't happen. I'd say 99 percent of the fans are really cool with it, and if they're not, they don't come. It was actually a pretty easy transition."

He also looks forward to returning to the Smirnoff Music Theater in his hometown of Dallas on every tour. He said the homecomings are always fun.

"The audiences are always great in Texas, and I love that venue," he said. "I saw concerts there when I was in junior high and high school, so playing there means a lot to me."

Skid Row will play two songs from the new album, "Thick is the Skin" and "New Generation." Solinger said they've been playing them for the entire tour, and fan reaction so far has been good. People are even singing along with "Thick is the Skin," which is available in MP3 format on the band's Web site.

"I think it's cool, and the crowds are responding well to songs they haven't really heard before," he said. "We're the only ones out here playing new material, so it's really working in our favor."

Not every song is pleasing every fan, though. The new album also includes a punked-up version of the band's hit "I Remember You." Solinger said the song does signal a changing of the guard in a way, but it really comes down to doing something fun. They began playing the version in rehearsals, then tried it out live before putting it on the new album.

"It was never meant to be a part of the record, it just kind of worked out that way," he said. "I think it takes a lot of cojones on the original members' part to do something like this. I know Rachel has gotten some flack, someone e-mailing him and saying `how dare you mess with my high school song.'"

Solinger said on days when they play headlining shows with a longer set, the band plays both versions.

These days, it's common for bands from the same era as Skid Row to throw together a subpar album quickly and go out on tour, but Solinger said a lot of love and crafting went into their upcoming album. In the end, he's proud Skid Row didn't take the easier route.

"We kind of did everything backwards," he said. "We toured and started really getting the chemistry together before we made the record. There's a lot of pride involved in this record. I just can't wait for everybody to get a chance to hear the whole thing, because it's really, really good."

Review: In Flames, "Trigger"

Rather than just toss out a single for the song "Trigger" on the eve of their U.S. tour, In Flames has decided to treat their fans to an EP with a couple of new tracks.

The disc starts out with the single edit of "Trigger," but what I find odd is that they didn't include the album version as well. The song plays smoothly enough, but chunks have been carved out.

The new original song, "Watch Them Feed," is an aural assault that will please fans of the band's older work. This song eschews the more melodic touches of their "Clayman" and "Reroute to Remain" albums for old school Gothenburg-style metal.

An interesting, and kind of funny, twist is their cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion." In Flames gives the song a good thrashing, and I think it's a vast improvement. Then again, I didn't like the original all that much. Fans of Genesis will probably be horrified by it.

The last two audio tracks, I'm not so sure about. I don't know if they're joking or not by doing a club mix of their last single "Cloud Connected." While the melody of the song lends itself well to the treatment, I'm not really sure I'm ready for Gothenburg dance metal. Likewise, a version of their song "Moonshield" done on a Commodore 64 is a fun lark, but not something I'd listen to regularly.

In addition to the audio tracks, the disc also features the videos for "Trigger" and "Cloud Connected." I had to open up Windows Explorer and rummage around a little to find them, but they're there.

The band have already begun work on their next album, but won't be able to complete it until touring is done. This is a nice nugget to hold the fans over until then.

Get "Trigger."

Review: Circle II Circle, "Watching in Silence"

Nearly four years after his last performance with Savatage, singer Zak Stevens returns with a vengeance.

On "Watching in Silence," Stevens debuts his new band and gets by with a little help from his old friends. Savatage founder, vocalist and keyboard player Jon Oliva helped produce the album and also co-wrote many of the songs with Stevens. Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery also contributed to the writing process.

The result is something that sounds a whole lot like the symphonic metal masters, but at the same time Stevens tweaks the sound enough to make it his own. While songs like "Into the Wind" and "The Circle" obviously evoke his former band, the music is perhaps a bit less complex than his later work with Savatage. It's also very strongly influenced by Queen.

The album has a nice mix of heavy, symphonic blasts and soft piano-laced interludes, and Stevens, who has one of the finest voices in the business, is in top shape here. On "F.O.S.," he even provides the layered vocal breakdowns that became a highlight of Stevens-era Savatage.

Though it's uncredited, and I'm not 100 percent certain, I believe the menacing whispers on "Forgiven" may be Oliva. If so, it's a bit of a letdown for me. I've been waiting a long time to hear those two magnificent voices swapping vocals the way they do on the live versions of some songs - maybe one day I'll get it.

In the meantime, I've got a great album from Zak Stevens, with a new Savatage album in the works for later this year. What more could I ask for?

Get "Watching in Silence."

Interview: Bjorn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork

When two bands are constantly compared to each other in the media, why not take the show out on the road and prove to the fans which one is actually the best?

That's just what Swedish acts Soilwork and In Flames decided to do with the In Flames vs. Soilwork tour, which is currently winding its way through the U.S.

The two bands have also fanned the flames of their rivalry with their dueling videos, which debuted on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" a few weeks ago. The Soilwork video for "Rejection Role" and the In Flames video for "Trigger" feature members of each band heckling the other as they perform. There are also cutaway scenes which show some street meetings and a water balloon fight between the bands.

"They're pretty funny and different from most metal videos," said Soilwork vocalist Bjorn "Speed" Strid. "We're always getting compared to each other in reviews and so on, so I think it's a pretty cool thing that we're acting like rivals in the videos."

In fact, the bands are friends. The idea for the videos was born when the members of In Flames came to visit Soilwork in the studio. They were both planning videos with the same director, who pitched the idea. Strid said both bands thought it would be fun.

"Metal videos are always supposed to be five angry guys standing in a warehouse with chains hanging all over the place, so we're kind of making fun of the whole thing," he said.

The two bands are also following a similar path with their recent albums and venturing into a new, more melodic brand of metal. So far, Soilwork's "Figure Number Five," has received positive reviews. Strid says the changes aren't intentional, it's just the natural direction the band's writing has taken in recent years.

"The main elements in Soilwork's music are melody, atmosphere and intensity, and I think we've got a perfect balance between those elements on this album," Strid says.

"Figure Number Five" also finds Strid again stretching his vocal abilities from the typical screams that were one of the hallmarks of the "Gothenburg sound" to more melodic, clean vocals.

"I've rehearsed a lot on my vocals, sometimes six hours a day singing to a lot of different kinds of music," Strid said. "Just like the other guys in the band, I want to develop as a musician."

But, as always in the metal world, with a more melodic sound comes a certain number of unhappy fans. Strid thinks most of the fans will come around in the same way they did for the band's last album "Natural Born Chaos," which was panned by metal fans and critics at first, but later ended up on most 2002 year-end "best of" lists.

"We get some angry e-mails about `sellout,' but it's always like that," he said. "I think most of the Soilwork fans are growing with the sound, and I think most of the people who liked `Natural Born Chaos' will like this one as well."

Once the In Flames vs. Soilwork tour is done, the band still has plenty to do. Strid said they'll be heading to Germany, Japan and Australia, before they land back in the states for a second U.S. tour. Strid said it's all about getting their music in front of the fans.

"It's going to be hectic," he said. "But it's great."

Tribute: Ozzy Osbourne

For those who only know Ozzy as the doddering, slightly addled father on MTV's "The Osbournes," it may be hard to figure out why legions of hardcore fans are so dedicated to him, why stadiums erupt in chants of "Ozzy, Ozzy" when he takes the stage or why almost every hard rock outfit worth its salt claims him as an influence.

To understand that, you'd have to go back and look at the life and times of the godfather of metal.

The story began in 1970, when a new band and new sound were about to be unleashed on the world. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album hit record store shelves. The four young men from Birmingham, England, began as a blues band called Earth, but then hit on a brand of music that distilled their industrial roots into pure musical energy.

Though some might argue that heavy metal began with Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix or even the Beatles' "Helter Skelter," when you hear the first three haunting, hollow notes of the song "Black Sabbath" - notes that echo like the tolling of a lone bell over a bleak landscape - you know instantly this is a different beast entirely.

The band was built around the crushing guitar riffs of Tony Iommi. Though not the most technically proficient guitarist, Iommi reigns as undisputed master of the riff. Three decades later, he still owns the copyright on most of the best metal riffs ever written.

Giving the band its personality was a slightly overweight, blond singer named John "Ozzy" Osbourne. His vocals weren't as impressive and versatile as his peer Robert Plant, nor were they as powerful as later metal vocalists like Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio, who later replaced him in Sabbath. But they were unique, and his mocking voice fit seamlessly into the band's gloomy sound.

Thus began a 10-year run that would shake the music world to its core, giving rise to bands like Metallica, Slayer and Pantera. The influence of Sabbath even echoes in the percussive rhythms of today's hard rock.

But like all good things, Sabbath eventually came to an end (at least for Ozzy.) In a drug-addled confusion at the end of the 1970s, Ozzy and Sabbath parted ways. At the age of 30, most people wrote Ozzy off as a washed-up has-been. They were wrong.

Enter Sharon Arden, daughter of Ozzy's manager, who worked tirelessly to get him signed to a solo deal before becoming Mrs. Osbourne. A shrewd businesswoman, most people speculate that Sharon is the only reason Ozzy has lived to see 54, and certainly the main reason for the singer's success.

In 1980, Ozzy released his solo debut, "Blizzard of Ozz," which would become one of the seminal recordings in heavy metal history and spawn classic songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley." He went on to surpass his former bandmates in Black Sabbath, becoming the epitome of metal, while they faded into obscurity as a revolving door for musicians.

One of the primary reasons for Ozzy's success is the bands that he has built around him over the years. One thing fans count on from Ozzy is great guitar.

He found a soulmate in the early 1980s in Randy Rhoads, a virtuoso guitarist whose untimely death in a 1982 plane crash robbed the world of a promising talent. Rhoads' two albums with the Ozzman, "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" remain fan favorites and classics of the genre.

Though Rhoads' death hit Ozzy hard, he soldiered on, lining up flashy guitarist Jake E. Lee for his next two albums, "Bark at the Moon" and "The Ultimate Sin." While Ozzy and Lee produced some great songs, they failed to capture the same magic as the Rhoads albums.

But in 1989, Ozzy found another guitarist to fill the void, a fresh-faced kid named Zakk Wylde. The new guitar hotshot had his own unmistakable style, blending lightning fast licks with ear-piercing harmonic shrieks. His first album with Ozzy, "No Rest for the Wicked," was the fastest and heaviest of Ozzy's solo career, a sharp contrast to the more commercial "Ultimate Sin."

Nearly 15 years later, Wylde isn't so fresh-faced anymore (in fact, he's pretty grungy-looking), but he's still Ozzy's right-hand man. He's been partially responsible for some of Ozzy's greatest musical triumphs, including the critically-acclaimed 1992 release "No More Tears" and the highly underrated 2001 release "Down to Earth."

But there have been a few potholes in the road to success for Ozzy - his arrest for urinating on the Alamo in a drunken stupor, his attempt to choke Sharon in a drug-induced rage, a lawsuit brought by parents who claimed his anti-alcoholism anthem "Suicide Solution" caused their children to kill themselves and, of course, the legendary bat-biting incident.

"No matter what achievements I make in my career, I will always be known as the guy who bit the bat's head off," Ozzy said in a 2001 interview with the Associated Press. "Even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers my career a joke because of it."

Indeed, that could have something to do with the reason Black Sabbath has been passed over for induction time and time again, despite the obvious influence they've had on music. But it's not the Hall of Fame that Ozzy cares about, it's the oceans of chanting fans that pack venues wherever he plays - the fans that have allowed him a 30-plus year career. He's never deserted them, and they've never deserted him.

Evidence of that can be found recently, when his insurance company refused to cover a June 11 show in Toronto, because of the SARS scare. Ozzy played the date anyway.

"I'm not afraid of SARS," he said in an interview with Much Music. "I have a commitment and somebody needs to be there for the fans in Toronto."

Despite the ups and downs of his career, and even a temporary retirement in 1992, Ozzy has made one of his biggest contributions to rock `n' roll in the late 1990s with the launching of his annual Ozzfest tour in 1996. The shows, which pair established, big-name hard rock and metal bands with some of the top up-and-coming groups, have been among the top grossing summer tours every year. Now in its eighth year, Ozzfest has helped launch the careers of some of today's biggest hard rock acts, including System of a Down, Static-X, Powerman 5000 and Disturbed.

Ozzfest also gave the world the moment metal fans had been waiting 20 years for in 1999 and 2001, when the reformed original lineup of Black Sabbath headlined the tour.

All of these things and more have combined to give Ozzy one of the largest, most dedicated followings of any rock band on the planet. But there's an easier way to explain it. Just ask any fan, and they'll give you a much simpler answer - "Ozzy (bleeping) rules." Indeed, he (bleeping) does.

Review: Blind Guardian, "Live"

If you're a fan of Blind Guardian, this two-CD collection of some of the best songs from the band's seven studio albums is a must-have. If you're not a fan, this collection of tunes fueled by fantasy and legend is a fantastic introduction.

The album, recorded at venues all over Europe and Asia, show that the rest of the world knows what the American metal community is just starting to pick up on - that Blind Guardian is one of the most original and distinctive bands out there.

"Live" provides a quick overview of the band's progression from a fairly straightforward power metal outfit on songs like "Majesty" and "Valhalla" to the symphonic powerhouse they've become on numbers like "Nightfall" and "The Soulforged."

The focus on the album, is on the later, more complex works. They play six of the nine songs on "Imaginations From the Other Side" and five tunes from "Nightfall in Middle-Earth."

The album provides more than two hours of Blind Guardian in fine form, making the smooth transition from blistering power metal to minstrel songs. It's the latter that often get the bigger reaction from the crowd.

Numbers like "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" get the crowd clapping along, and the audience is singing louder than vocalist Hansi Kursch on "Lord of the Rings." (I still think Peter Jackson missed a great opportunity by not getting this song somewhere in the film trilogy; it's a perfect fit.)

The performances are solid, the fan reaction is fantastic and it's two solid hours of Blind Guardian. What more could you ask for?

Get "Live."

Review: Metallica, "St. Anger"

June 5, 2003.

It's a day that I thought I'd never see - the day Metallica released another album I liked.

Like many other Metallica fans that discovered the band in their thrashing early days, I had given up hope after more than a decade of overproduced, radio-friendly rock tunes. But with "St. Anger," their first album of original material since 1997, Metallica returns to the top of their game.

Is it a return to their thrash roots? Not exactly. If you take tapes of everything Metallica has ever recorded since their 1983 debut "Kill `Em All," chop them up and splice the pieces back together at random, what you'd end up with might sound something like "St. Anger." There are elements that would have been right at home on their classic "Master of Puppets" album, and others that sound like they came off the band's mid-1990s albums "Load" and "Re-Load" - quite often within the same song.

The result is utter chaos - but it's a good kind of chaos. It put me in mind of the first time I heard "Kill `Em All." The execution of the songs was a little rough, but the energy coming off the album was incredible. It's been a long time since Metallica has captured that feeling.

From the machine-gun riffing of the opening track "Frantic," to the Southern-rock-on-steroids shuffle of "Sweet Amber," there's something on this album that every Metallica fan, old or new, can appreciate.

In the days after its release, fan opinion on Web forums dedicated to the band has been sharply split. Some of the criticisms are legitimate. The production is pretty rough, and I would have liked to hear Kirk Hammett lay down a couple of monster guitar solos. But the raw energy on this album more than makes up for those problems.

There are a couple of snoozers, like the vanilla "Unnamed Feeling" and "Invisible Kid," which wears out its welcome long before its 8 plus-minute runtime is over. On the other hand, songs like the album closer "All Within My Hands," the thrashing title track and the groove of "Shoot Me Again" easily justify their 7-plus minutes with wild tempo shifts, insane bursts of speed and soft, melodic interludes.

Metallica is also one of the first bands to hit on the real way to combat song-trading online - by adding value. For the price of the "St. Anger" CD, you also get a DVD of the band rehearsing all 11 songs live (with new bassist Rob Trujillo's talents added on the DVD, some of the rehearsal versions sound better than the songs on the album) and a code that gives you access to the Metallica Vault Web site, where you can download live performances. The site will be updated regularly with new stuff. The result is a package that makes me feel like I got my money's worth.

Of course, no matter what special features the package has, the real treat is the return of Metallica. It's not the same Metallica I remember from my youth, but a new Metallica with the potential to be even better.

In the end, "St. Anger" is a big middle finger to people like myself who have accused Metallica of going soft over the past decade - and I, for one, love it.

Review: Metallica, "St. Anger"

It's a day that I thought I'd never see - the day Metallica released another album I liked.

Like many other Metallica fans that discovered the band in their thrashing early days, I had given up hope after more than a decade of overproduced, radio-friendly rock tunes. But with "St. Anger," their first album of original material since 1997, Metallica returns to the top of their game.

Is it a return to their thrash roots? Not exactly. If you take tapes of everything Metallica has ever recorded since their 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All," chop them up and splice the pieces back together at random, what you'd end up with might sound something like "St. Anger." There are elements that would have been right at home on their classic "Master of Puppets" album, and others that sound like they came off the band's mid-1990s albums "Load" and "Re-Load" - quite often within the same song.

The result is utter chaos - but it's a good kind of chaos. It put me in mind of the first time I heard "Kill 'Em All." The execution of the songs was a little rough, but the energy coming off the album was incredible. It's been a long time since Metallica has captured that feeling.

From the machine-gun riffing of the opening track "Frantic," to the Southern-rock-on-steroids shuffle of "Sweet Amber," there's something on this album that every Metallica fan, old or new, can appreciate.

In the days after its release, fan opinion on Web forums dedicated to the band has been sharply split. Some of the criticisms are legitimate. The production is pretty rough, and I would have liked to hear Kirk Hammett lay down a couple of monster guitar solos. But the raw energy on this album more than makes up for those problems.

There are a couple of snoozers, like the vanilla "Unnamed Feeling" and "Invisible Kid," which wears out its welcome long before its 8 1/2-minute runtime is over. On the other hand, songs like the album closer "All Within My Hands," the thrashing title track and the groove of "Shoot Me Again" easily justify their 7-plus minutes with wild tempo shifts, insane bursts of speed and soft, melodic interludes.

Metallica is also one of the first bands to hit on the real way to combat song-trading online - by adding value. For the price of the "St. Anger" CD, you also get a DVD of the band rehearsing all 11 songs live (with new bassist Rob Trujillo's talents added on the DVD, some of the rehearsal versions sound better than the songs on the album) and a code that gives you access to the Metallica Vault Web site, where you can download live performances. The site will be updated regularly with new stuff. The result is a package that makes me feel like I got my money's worth.

Of course, no matter what special features the package has, the real treat is the return of Metallica. It's not the same Metallica I remember from my youth, but a new Metallica with the potential to be even better.

In the end, "St. Anger" is a big middle finger to people like myself who have accused Metallica of going soft over the past decade - and I, for one, love it.

Get "St. Anger."

Interview: Ty Tabor of King's X

What King's X fans want, they get. The proof of that is in the band's latest album, "Black Like Sunday."

The album contains newly-recorded versions of some of the oldest songs in the band's catalog - songs that go back beyond the first record deal to the days when King's X was an unkown band touring the country out of Springfield, Mo. Guitarist Ty Tabor said the band members constantly field requests from hardcore fans for their favorite tunes from that era, and they finally decided to dedicate an album to those tunes.

"We wrote hundreds of songs that were never put on a record, but they were favorites of people in different areas of the country," he said. "People have been begging us to do an album of all that material for all these years, and we finally got to a point where it made sense to us to do it. It's the most representative album of what this band is really about and where we come from. It's some of our favorite music ever."

Tabor does warn that "Black Like Sunday" isn't a typical King's X record. In recent years, the band has become more and more experimental, but this album has a more primitive sound than even their early albums like "Out of the Silent Planet" and "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska." Based on the reactions he's gotten, he thinks most people will come around to the sound.

"If people listen to it not thinking that it's King's X, they love the record," he said. "If they listen to it thinking it's a King's X record, they already have this idea in their head of what they think it's supposed to be, and it throws them a bit at first. But all of them, after listening to it a few times and letting it grow on them, have come to just really love the record."

Tabor admits it was a chore combing through tons of old tapes and trying to find the right songs to put on the record. He said they were searching for the songs they thought were most effective, as well as the ones that were fan favorites.

"We ended up with enough to do a double or triple album, so we just gathered the ones that we liked and some of the ones that we got the most requests for, even if we didn't like them," he said. "Several songs were actually like that."

In the end, he's proud of the album.

"After we did it, because of how we're playing these days and how we're interpreting things, we got very excited about these songs," he said. "We realized that these were good songs, and we shouldn't have just thrown them out."

He also thinks the tracks on the album are relevant to today's music scene, even though some of them are 20 years old.

"In the earliest days of the band, we were doing some stuff that was really high-energy, almost punk, and we were doing a lot of the stuff that's like the alternative music now," he said. "Some of it sounds like it fits with what's going on now with no problem. The only difference is this was written in a different time period, when it was much more radical music."

If "Black Like Sunday" goes over well with fans, Tabor says there's plenty of early material left that they'd love to put out. But, he adds, King's X won't live in the past. The band is constantly writing new material as well.

As for the future of King's X, Tabor said the critically acclaimed power trio is stil alive and well. Though they don't pop up in the media as often, they've managed to build a hardcore, dedicated fan base. In fact, Tabor says their last headlining tour was one of the best attended and most successful in the band's history. It's those fans that King's X is banking on.

"We did drop out of spending money to keep our faces in the media," Tabor said. "We decided to spend our money in different ways to keep this thing going and build it in a different way. Although it doesn't have all the appearances that it used to, King's X is rolling on."

Review: M.O.D., "The Rebel You Love to Hate"

On M.O.D.'s latest album, the first since 1996's "Dictated Aggression," he takes the music in a different direction. After watching, of all things, "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Behind the Music," Milano was inspired to introduce parody and satire into M.O.D.'s arsenal. He's done it well on "Rebel You Love to Hate."

It starts on the cover with parodies of Michael Schenker Group and Kiss covers, and continues with the music. He takes on all-comers, with jabs at rapper Eminem, German rockers Rammstein and, of course, the easiest target in entertainment, Osama bin Laden. One of the most poignant attacks comes in "Rage Against the Mac Machine," where Milano points out the fundamental flaw in the reasoning of highly successful bands that rail against the evils of capitalism.

The album also offers some different sounds for M.O.D., from the incorporation of Eminem's "please stand up" chorus in "Wigga," a statement about white suburban rap fans who style themselves gangstas, to perfectly aping the techno-metal sound of Rammstein on "De Men of Stein" and Kiss on "Get Ready," which could be considered either a parody or a tribute.

There are of course some typical hardcore M.O.D. numbers like the title track and "He's Dead, Jim," a tribute to an extra on "Star Trek." Then there are the fiercely patriotic thrashers "Making Friends is Easy" and "Assghanistan."

The only downside of this album is that there isn't enough of it. There are only eight new songs, and Milano fills out the album with semi-live versions that change very little and radio edits, which no one wants to listen to anyway. Still, he packs plenty to be happy about into those eight tunes. M.O.D. is reborn and better than before.

Get "The Rebel You Love to Hate."

Review: Anthrax, "We've Come For You All"

In the years since their last album, the members of Anthrax have seen their band name become a household word. Unfortunately for them, the word is usually spoken in fear, rather than out of respect for their music.

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the threat of biological attack with anthrax bacteria became very real. The band members went through a period of questioning and anger, even briefly considering changing their name. In the end, they decided to remain Anthrax and take all of those frustrations out on their latest album, "We've Come for You All."

The record, released earlier this month, is fully locked into the groove the band has gained since vocalist John Bush came on board in the 1990s. The bashing and speedy riffs in songs like "What Doesn't Die" and "Nobody Knows Anything," may take fans back to the 1980s thrash sound, but those tunes are the exception rather than the rule on this album.

Far more than any other album, "WCFYA" showcases Anthrax's influences. Shades of AC/DC come through in the chorus of "Strap It On," an ode to old school metal. Who vocalist Roger Daltrey guests on "Taking the Music Back." "Cadillac Rock Box," featuring Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dime, is aptly described by drummer Charlie Benante as "Lynyrd Skynyrd meets 1976-1977 Kiss." Throw a touch of ZZ Top in, and you've got the sound of one of the tastiest morsels of feel-good hard rock I've heard in a while.

But it's not just the bands that came before them that influence this album. The insane frenzy of the pre-chorus in "Black Dahlia" even calls to mind their contemporaries, Slayer.

Fans may miss the tongue-in-cheek humor of the past that's lacking on this album, but that's to be expected considering the turmoil the songs grew out of. What it lacks in the fun factor, the album more than makes up for in raw power.

Ultimately, guitarist Scott Ian gives the bottom line on the album - "It sounds like Anthrax."

Indeed it does, but not the thrash-happy Anthrax of the 1980s, nor even the grunge-tainted sound of early '90s Anthrax. Instead it sounds like a growing and evolving organism - a band that remains loyal to its roots, yet at the same time, isn't afraid to try a new approach here and there.

Get "We've Come For You All."

Interview: Tony Rombola of Godsmack

With two multiplatinum albums under their belts, you'd think that rockers Godsmack wouldn't be "Faceless" anymore, but the band members would disagree with you.

In fact, they chose the name for their latest album for that very reason. Despite the success of their first two albums and last summer's smash "I Stand Alone" from the "Scorpion King" soundtrack, the band still felt they were flying under the public radar. Even the debut of their new record at No. 1 on the Billboard charts hasn't changed the mind of guitarist Tony Rombola.

"It was awesome (to debut at No. 1), but I think we still are (faceless)," he said. "I don't feel any different."

While the sound of "Faceless" obviously marks it as a Godsmack album, the band experimented with some subtle melodic elements and singer Sully Erna used songs like "Changes" and "Re-Align" to stretch his vocal skills a little. Rombola attributes the difference to producer David Bottrill of Tool and King Crimson fame. Rombola said he challenged the band to do some things they hadn't done before.

"We did `I Stand Alone' with him, and we liked what he did with the band," Rombola said. "He worked with Sully on some vocal things, and he's a great engineer. We were really confident with using him again."

A lineup change brought more new energy to the band during the recording of "Faceless." Drummer Shannon Larkin joined the fold and took over all drumming duties. In the past, Erna - who played drums for underground thrashers Meliah Rage before forming Godsmack - had laid down all the drum tracks. Rombola said Larkin fit seamlessly into the band's sound.

"Sully's talked about Shannon for years," he said. "This is actually the first record that Sully gave up the drumsticks for, but they have similar styles so it was a great fit. It's like we didn't miss a beat."

While the members of Godsmack may think they haven't reached the pinnacle of the rock world, they're enjoying the fruits of their success on stage. Their last tour to promote their second album "Awake" gave them the opportunity to unveil the elaborate new stage show that they'd always wanted to do. Though he wouldn't give away any secrets, Rombola said this time out the production is going to be even bigger, and he's excited about playing the new tunes for an audience. With ever-increasing ticket prices, he said it's important to give fans their money's worth.

"That's always been our philosophy, to go out there and just kill - do the biggest show that we can do," he said. "Every tour we've always added something and tried to make it different, new and exciting."

That's part of the approach that's earned Godsmack one of the most dedicated fan bases of any new band in heavy rock - that and the fact that there are no gimmicks in their music, said Rombola. While trendy styles like rap metal and techno-metal disappear after a while, he said real, straight-ahead rock will never go away.

"I hope people take (our music) for what it is and dig it," he said. "When we write a song, we all get off on the groove, the guitar riff, the beat, everything. It's pretty exciting to know that other peole are feeling the same thing from our music."

Rombola said the band has a lot of music left in them, and he thinks Godsmack is close to a worldwide breakthrough. In any case, they've set lofty goals for themselves.

"We want to be the biggest rock band in the world," Rombola said with a laugh. "We're setting our sights high. Maybe we won't be disappointed if we're the second biggest rock band in the world."

Review: Opeth, "Damnation"

It's not every day you get to invoke the name of James Taylor when talking about a death metal band, but I can think of no better comparison for Opeth's "Damnation." The companion piece to last year's moody masterwork "Deliverance" has more in common with the folksy singer-songwriters of the 1970s than Opeth's previous albums.

Unlike some of their counterparts, Opeth are no strangers to melody. For quite a while now, they've danced on the edge of an album like "Damnation" with dreamy acoustic passages and soft refrains. But they've never taken it quite as far as they do here.

Dark and moody, "Damnation" has no distorted vocals and very little distorted guitar. It's a bold album for a band associated with the more extreme subgenres of metal, and one that's likely to draw those dreaded cries of "sellout" from the hardcore stalwarts of death metal.

But a closer listen to the album will reveal the truth of things. It's a different approach, but the feel of the album is similar to "Deliverance." If anything, "Damnation" draws deeper emotions from the listener with its sparse arrangements and Mikael Akerfeldt's understated vocals.

Distorted guitars, one of the hallmarks of the metal genre, are used sparingly and only to provide depth, texture and ambience to the music on songs like "Closure." Other songs, like the powerful "Death Whispered a Lullaby" don't really need them at all. The dark lick under the Akerfeldt's crooning of "Sleep My Child" on the chorus are more than enough to get the mood across.

This album should silence critics that say extreme metal bands use distorted vocals and guitars to hide a lack of ability. While it may be true in some cases, it's certainly not in all - and especially not in the case of Opeth.

"Damnation" features some excellent guitar work and is as emotionally moving as any music being produced today. It may throw their fans for a loop, but those who listen with an open mind will find perhaps Opeth's best work to date.

Get "Damnation."

Review: Black Label Society, "The Blessed Hellride"

In a world where heavy rock bands are constantly trying to put a new spin on metal through the use of rap or techno elements, Zakk Wylde is a refreshing change of pace.

"The Blessed Hellride" is 11 tracks of Black Sabbath-fueled, straight ahead, no-nonsense heavy metal. Heavy riffs are punctuated by Wylde's trademark harmonic squeals on the rockers and his powerful voice takes over on the slower numbers.

Wylde's long-time metal mentor and partner in crime Ozzy Osbourne makes an appearance on "Stillborn," and Zakk himself has honed his Ozzy impersonation as evident on "We Live No More," which sounds as though it were originally written with the godfather of metal in mind.

And it's probably a good thing Zakk's tight with the Ozzman, otherwise he might have to pay some royalties on "Suffering Overdue," which is ripped straight from the Sabbath songbook. Put a young Ozzy on vocals, and it could have easily come off "Master of Reality" or "Sabotage."

Surprisingly, the real shining moments of the album are not the lightning fast rockers or the homages to Black Sabbath. Instead, they're the slower songs. The Southen rock twang of the title track and the dark and moody "Blackened Waters" really put the focus on one of Wylde's strongest attributes (after his guitar work, of course.) His gruff, soulful voice packs an incredible amount of emotion into the slower songs, making them, in many cases, outshine their heavier counterparts.

At the end of the day, though, BLS is all about metal, and they deliver it better than just about anyone out there right now. If you're longing for some no-nonsense metal grind, hop aboard "The Blessed Hellride."

Get "The Blessed Hellride."

Review: Godsmack, "Faceless"

Godsmack roared onto the nu-metal scene with their self-titled 1998 album, one of the most impressive debuts in recent memory. Their second effort "Awake" was a solid album, but lacked the individuality of the first. But with "Faceless," the band finally gives its fans a worthy follow-up to their debut.

Sound-wise, there's not much that's changed with Godsmack since 1998. They still blend the moody grind of Alice in Chains with the commercial crunch of Metallica's "Black Album," then throw in a little extra flavor of their own with singer Sully Erna's distinctive vocals. What makes "Faceless" superior to their last offering is the catchiness of the tunes.

"Faceless" is filled with solid rock grooves that will have listeners bobbing their heads and singing along. There are a number of strong performances, from "Releasing the Demons," with its funky bridge delivery, to the catchy riff of "Dead and Broken." Even though it got a little old last summer, "I Stand Alone" - originally from the "Scorpion King" soundtrack - is still a great song.

The vitriol-filled rant "I Fucking Hate You" will probably be soundly thrashed by critics, but it's a beautiful song to crank up after a rough day at work - and one of my favorites on the album.

The only disappointment on "Faceless" is the melancholy "Serenity," this album's answer to the band's hit "Voodoo." While "Serenity" is a good song, it lacks the mystique of the former.

Of all of the hard rockers to hit the scene in the late 1990s, very few have staying power for the long haul. "Faceless" proves that Godsmack is one of those.

Get "Faceless."

Interview: Gary Allan

Soccer moms can stay at home when country artist Gary Allan comes to town.

You see, Allan has a problem with the direction of country music today. He said he thinks there's too much fluff and not enough honesty, too much production and not enough real-life.

"I keep hearing this demographic that everybody goes after called soccer moms, and I know none of my heroes ever cared whether the soccer moms bought their album," he said. "I don't think country music was meant to be politically correct. There was always a cool factor and an honesty to it, and I try to do that with my records."

There's certainly not a lot of political correctness on Allan's most recent offering, "Alright Guy." It features the title track, an ironic ditty about a clueless jerk, and "What Would Willie Do?" a decidedly un-PC ode to country crooner Willie Nelson. Allan had the opportunity to play that one in front of the country legend shortly after he recorded it, when he played a string of dates with Nelson.

"He got a kick out of it," said Allan. "I'm a big fan of his."

Like Nelson, Allan's not your typical country singer. He grew up in California, surfing and listening to punk rock. But he always had one foot in country.

"My dad played country music, and so did my brothers, so I've played bars and been in country bands since I was 12," he said. "A lot of my heroes were those California guys, you know, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Lefty (Frizzell), Dwight Yoakam. Although, I was on the West Coast, I definitely grew up in the thick of country music."

Though many people associate country with the South or middle America, Allan said there's actually a thriving scene in California. But there's a difference between the music that comes from Nashville and the music that comes from out West.

"We always wrote music to play live in front of people in a bar, to take them through a night of drinking," Allan said. "When I first got to Nashville - which wasn't until I was like 26 - that was the first time I'd ever heard the word radio-friendly when I was writing a song. I think it's just a little more raw and a little less polished, the stuff that comes off the West Coast."

Allan hopes to advance the cause of West Coast country more with an upcoming album. He just finished recording his fifth album and is waiting for it to be mixed and mastered. He thinks it's some of his best work.

"I'm way fired up about it," he said. "We've got some good stuff. It's definitely got some edge to it, but it's definitely different. I think with each record, you just get a different piece of me."

Fans can expect to hear some of the new tunes in his live show. Allan said he's currently throwing four or five of them into the set each night.

While Allan still may not be a darling of Nashville, his albums continue to perform well. It's music that appeals to people who are tired of the pop influences that have invaded country music. While Allan doesn't know whether country music will return to what it once was, he has a clear idea of what he'd like it to be.

"The music, to me, should be rootsy and reflect the heritage of country music, but still be modern at the same time," he said. "To me, country music was always about what happened Monday through Friday, and pop was about what happened on the weekends."

Interview: Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot

They're the band that taught the world to "Bang Your Head." In 1983, Quiet Riot brought heavy metal to the mainstream with their U.S. debut "Metal Health," which became the first heavy metal album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Their cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel the Noize" from the album became one of the most enduring anthems of the decade.

But almost as quickly as they appeared on the scene, Quiet Riot faded into obscurity. Internal strife and management problems caused the band to self-destruct, perhaps stunting their potential. But two decades later, the band is back on the road, and lead singer Kevin DuBrow says their fans are responding.

"We love our fans," he said. "We get up there and we feel appreciated, and it's flattering. It's what you work years for, and it's a wonderful thing for us."

In an era when rock bands from the 1970s and '80s tour with only one or two original members, Quiet Riot is a rarity. They've got all four members from "Metal Health" in the fold - DuBrow, drummer Frankie Banali, guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Rudy Sarzo. DuBrow said that makes the fans even more responsive.

"It shows a loyalty to each other that people respect," he said. "It's the public's favorite lineup, so it makes it fun for us."

But then, Quiet Riot has always been a little different. Their biggest hit, "Cum On Feel the Noize," was a song the band didn't want to record; they had to be convinced by their record company. (Later, band members would say they went so far as to play it as badly as they possibly could so it would get cut from the final album.)

DuBrow says Quiet Riot wasn't looking for the rocketship to fame that many of their 1980s counterparts sought and were reluctant to focus on hit singles. They wanted to be in it for the long haul.

"We were the one band from the '80s that didn't concern ourselves with writing hit singles," he said. "We wanted to be like the bands from the '70s that were album bands."

While things have changed since 1983, Quiet Riot is still alive and well, and judging by the crowds at their shows, still a guilty pleasure for many. They just celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Metal Health" in mid-March, but DuBrow said the band doesn't have any big plans for the occasion. Instead, they're just going to keep doing what they do best.

A new live DVD is set for April release, and DuBrow promises it will please fans.

"We're trying to make it the best we can, with a bunch of extra stuff besides just the concert," he said.

As for what the extra content will be, even DuBrow is not sure at this point. But it could feature some footage with original guitarist Randy Rhoads, who rose to fame as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne before dying in a 1982 airplane crash.

"I know they filmed a lot of backstage stuff," DuBrow said. "They have a lot of footage from the '70s with Randy Rhoads, and they have a lot of stuff from the '80s. I don't know what they're using."

What DuBrow does know is that what you see on the DVD will be what you see any night of the week at their show. He said the band isn't going to doctor the performance.

"We didn't go in and fix anything," he said. "Every band in the world goes in and fixes errors and stuff they played badly. We kept it all live."

And that means a good time. During days where the news is usually dark, people may be seeking an escape. Quiet Riot is happy to oblige with fun songs like "Slick, Black Cadillac," "Party All Night" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." DuBrow sums up a Quiet Riot show in three words.

"Fun, excitement and party-time."

So, "Bang Your Head."

Review: Ted Nugent, "Full Bluntal Nugity"

If you've never experienced Ted Nugent live, it's something any rock 'n' roll fan ought to see. Whether you agree with Uncle Nuge's political views or not, you can appreciate the raw, ripping chainsaw noise channeled from a Gibson Byrdland through amps cranked up to ear-bleeding levels. It's rock 'n' roll power in its purest form.

His latest DVD, "Full Bluntal Nugity," is the next best thing. The video is the companion piece to the album of the same name. The show was recorded live in his hometown of Detroit in August 2001 and features most fan favorites, and even a snippet of "My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Gritz," from his excellent 2002 album "Craveman," which was still a year away from release at the time.

While Nugent, at age 53, isn't the same wild man that he was on stage in his youth, there's still plenty of energy in his performances. While he's not climbing amps and swinging from vines anymore, he channels all of that into his playing now.

One of the most striking things about this DVD is Nuge himself. Despite the fact that we know he's played most of these songs a bazillion times, it's still obvious that he loves what he's doing. He loves being on stage and in command of the audience, but most of all, he loves playing his music. Just take a look at his face as he cranks out the opening riff of "Cat Scratch Fever."

As always with Nuge, there is that air of cocky self-confidence, bordering on conceit. For example, when he calls that same riff the "greatest guitar lick in the history of the world." I'm not sure if that's the case, but it is certainly one of the most recognizable.

The concert performance is cut with some quick scenes from Nugent's daily life from rehearsals to an afternoon on the shooting range to an inspired jam version of "Red House" at the wedding of his long-time manager Doug Banker.

In addition, on several songs, an icon pops up which allows you to access classic performances of the same songs from the 1970s and '80s, and even a stirring acoustic version of "Fred Bear" from his 2000 Whiplash Bash. These and other features on the DVD give you an overview of Nugent's career from a 1967 performance of "Journey to the Center of the Mind" with the Amboy Dukes, to the 2001 version of the right-wing anthem "Kiss My Ass," to his latest video for "Crave."

Get "Full Bluntal Nugity."

Review: Dream Evil, "Evilized"

Dream Evil's debut "DragonSlayer" was a collection of solid, if a bit unremarkable, retro power metal. It was easy and fun to listen to, but it didn't really stick with me.

I expected more of the same from "Evilized," but from the cutting riffs of the opening track "Break the Chains," the album sucked me in. With knife-edge guitar riffs and a nostalgia for the golden days of metal, this album will capture the hearts of old school metal devotees.

For those who catch the reference in the band's name, it will come as no surprise that there's a heavy Dio influence on songs like "Bad Dreams," "Fear the Night" and "Invisible." (I have to confess when I saw the title "Invisible" I was hoping for a cover of the Dio classic. Alas, I was disappointed, but it's still a great song.) But there are also shades of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Savatage and plenty of other classic bands.

Fast, heavy and melodic are the hallmarks of Dream Evil's music and they do those things as well as anyone out there. If you're one of those people who wonders why they don't make metal like they used to, then you'd do well to check out "Evilized."

Get "Evilized."

Interview: Tim Roth of Into Eternity

In the more extreme subgenres of metal, fans can be fiery and fickle. Bands that stray from the norm walk a fine line between adulation and anathema. The line has been widened recently by Canada's Into Eternity.

The hybrid band takes elements of the progressive rock of Rush, Dream Theater and Fates Warning, and blends them with the snarling, brutal sound of death metal. It's a mix that band members weren't sure would fly, but they knew it was what they wanted to do.

"When we originally did it, we weren't signed or anything, so we didn't have anything to lose," said vocalist Tim Roth. "We were doing it because that's what we wanted to hear in a band. That's just always how we were going to do it, no matter what."

So far, Into Eternity has been lucky. Their latest album "Dead or Dreaming," which was released in the U.S. last year, has created quite a buzz in the metal community for its marriage of soaring three-part harmonies and ethereal keys with fire-breathing growls and even the occasional blastbeat from drummer Jim Austin.

"People either like it or they don't," Roth said. "But the people who really dig it, they seem to be really hardcore into it, so that's pretty cool."

Into Eternity began with Roth, Austin and bassist Scott Krall in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The area didn't have a lot of opportunities for rock and metal musicians, so the band's task was difficult from the start.

"No bands ever came through our town - it just never happened," Roth said. "We weren't influenced like if we were living in L.A. and saw wicked metal bands everyday, but I guess that kind of worked for us."

Instead of working their way up through a club scene, Into Eternity self-financed their debut album and bombarded record labels and rock radio stations with it. Roth says there was a lot of interest, but no one was willing to offer a contract. Eventually, they signed with DVS Records in Holland to produce "Dead or Dreaming" and spent time building a fan base in Europe. When they returned home to Canada, Century Media signed them to a five album deal and released "Dead or Dreaming" in the United States.

This week, Into Eternity made the 40-hour drive to New Orleans to kick off their first ever U.S. tour, which will stop in 24 states over the next two months.

"I can't wait," says Roth. "I want to leave today. Just over the Internet, we've gotten e-mails from people in all of these states who like the album."

Roth expects the tour to be a bit more successful than the band's first U.S. date, the Milwaukee Metalfest this summer. Into Eternity drew a bad slot on that show, playing at the same time as thrash metal titans Exodus. Roth says there was no competition - even he wanted to see Exodus. Still there was a silver lining in the small crowd.

"There weren't a lot of people there," Roth says with a laugh. "We were playing next to Exodus, and I was so mad because Exodus was a band that I grew up on. But the people that were there, they dug it for sure."

Following the Valentine's Day opener in New Orleans, Into Eternity will criss-cross the country through March, then play dates across Canada on their way back to their hometown. There won't be a break after that. They're set to go back in the studio in April to record a new album, and possibly their first music video. The album should hit shelves in the summer, and then it's back on the road.

"As long as you're in the public eye, I think it's a good thing," Roth says. "You can only do so much over the Internet. We don't have videos and we're not on a ton of radio, so you've got to tour to build that fan base. We plan to tour as much as possible."