Hello gang,
This is the first year i have purchased cd's of the bands that I have never heard of who are playing at the next PP. Typical me, I have never heard of most of the bands and decided instead of seeing if i like them live, i will go ahead and get familiar with them so i can sing along to some of the songs. This year's line-up i had heard about most of the bands but had not heard any music from the bands. Here are the bands that i did not own any of their cd's and my thoughts on their music. If you don't see the band listed, i am already familiar with their music.
StormWarrior - Heading Northe - When i first purchased this, i really liked the music and loved the simplistic anthem like songs. As i have listened to this disc, i do find it enjoyable but the lyrics are really not my cup of tea. I do like this cd and know that this will be a awesome live band as this type of music goes over VERY WELL at PP. Production is awesome on this cd, very melodic and the guitar solos are very tasty. I prefer when this band does not do the speed metal but slows it down a notch and does just a straight ahead power metal song. Singer reminds me a bit of a harsher Vince Neil and I love him. More than likely, I will not purchase another cd from them but I do like this cd and 5 of the songs made it on to my ipod. I think this will be a fantastic show. GREAT CHOICE.
Seventh Wonder - Waiting In The Wings - Had heard all the hype about this band but never heard anything from them. Put the disc in and WOW, what a vocalist. Tommy is absolutely amazing. Love his tone, power and delivery. I still can't believe that this guy sings metal. Even my wife likes this guy and she hates my music. Production is amazing, the disc just sounds huge. All musicians are very gifted musicians. The one problem I had which I had read about was how catchy and they were. I listened to the first 8 songs and while I liked them, i was having trouble finding that catchiness. The last song on the cd is a ballad and let me tell you, goosebumps. Tommy nailed it and it is still my favorite song on the disc. It took me about 4 spins of the disc before i started catching those melodies and that cachines and when it hits you, it stays. This one was a grower but a most excellent choice and all songs made my ipod. Seventh Wonder came out of the blue and hit me in the gace. Great Choice.
Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls - Liked the first one so much i decided to buy this one too. HOLY SHIT!! This cd hands down is the best cd i have purchased in a long time Right off the bat the catchiness and melody hits you square in the face. Hard to believe that Tommy could improve his vocal performance but he does. Tommy has now become my favorite singer. This guy has some serious pipes but yet keeps his voice so melodic. I will have to say that the production is not quite as bombastic on this one as on WITW. I think it may be because this is a much warmer disc and the focus is on tommy's vocals. I like this entire disc, but i have to say my favorite song is One Last Goodbye - one of the most dramatic ballads i have ever heard. Tears well up every time I hear it. Needless to say that I am a huge fan of Seventh Wonder and will be buying every cd they release. This band has made it to the ranks as one of my favorite bands. This Cd is outstanding. Can't say enough good things about this one. If you don't have this cd, go get it. As a gold badge holder, I AM VERY PLEASED with the most recent news about the extra concert on Sat. 45 minutes is just not enought for this amazing band.
Nocturnal Rites - The 8th Sin - had heard some buzz about this band here on the board but had never heard them. Picked up this cd and after the first spin i was hooked. Love everything about this band. I love the gritty vocals (similar to Jorn at times), the crunchy guitars and the huge choruses. This is the kind of music that will have the fist pumping at PP. Not too much to say about this disc besides that is is very melodic, very simplistic power metal with an 80's vibe to it. Great production for a 2007 release. Another band i have become an instant fan of and will buy more cd's. All songs made my ipod. Look forward to seeing them live at PP.
Paradox - Electrify - Had not heard a thing about this band so I picked this cd up. I was never into the Thrash Metal scene so I did not know what to think about this disc. The music is straight up thrash with a gritty vocalist. reminds me a bit of old school testament but more complex melodies. This is not my cup of tea. The disc is a dark and moody disc with plenty of crunch and lots of lead solos. I find the production to be a bit muddy and hard to hear all the instruments clearly. Not enough melody in the vocal dept for me to keep interested. I will not pursue anything more from this band. I do however think this will be a great start to Sat night. Great kick in the ass and I am sure some of those killer riffs will be awesome live.
Oceans of Sadness - The Arrogance Of Ignorance - The oddball this year. After I saw Metal Rose's review of this band I was very worried that this would not be my cup of tea. I LOVE THIS DISC!! This is totally not my kind of music but whatever they are doing, they are doing it right. Hard to explain exactly what type of music they play, it is all over the board. Heavy, jazzy, Power, Prog etc... Production is very thick on this cd and I find the emphasis on the vocals. I love the clean as well as the harsh vocals. This cd is a lot of fun to listen to because each song is a bit different. This has to be the biggest shocker of the bunch. I was totally prepared not to like this cd and it totally floored me and I love it. Have become a huge fan of the band and will be buying more from them. Great fun and believe it or not, very easy to digest. The music is all over the board but it is so easy to "get". I am very pleased with this choice and look forward to seeing them live. I really think they are going to have some new fans after their performance. Love these guys.
DGM - Frame - had heard some hype about this band but never jumped on the bandwagon. Picked this one up not knowing what to expect and what a pleasant surprise. This is exactly what i like. Heavy Crunchy guitars, lots of keys and plenty of melody all wrapped up in a powerful punch. Excellent production with all musicians shining. On the first spin, i did have a little trouble handling the accent of the singer. After a few more spins, I did not mind the accent at all and this cd is a very enjoyable listen. Guitarist is an absolute maching. I will be buying more from this band and really enjoy the hell out of this disc. Great buy and i think this will be a very energetic show.
Delain - April Rain - Knew nothing about this band so did not know what to expect. I am about 50/50 when it comes to female fronted metal bands. Some I like and some I don't. First song April Rain hit me like a ton of bricks and the rest of the cd did as well. I LOVE THIS CD. This is not the heaviest cd in the world but it i so damn catchy it is infectious. The slower songs have even made my friends(who hate my music) say this is a damn good song. I am hooked and cant wait to see this band live. have become a huge fan of this band and will be buying everything they put out. Great vocals, lush keys and better than most anything you will hear on the radio today. If this band was put out on the airways, they would be huge here. GREAT BAND and I can't wait to see them live. AWESOME!!!
Hammerfall - Threshold - I am one of the very few people that had heard of this band but had never heard a single note of their music. I was excited about hearing this cd. Let me say i was disappointed. I don't know what it was but i found this to be very uninspiring and very bland. Production was very thick but not bombastic. Guitar solos were just okay and the crunch was there but not energetic. The only thing I found interesting was the vocalist. He is a really good metal vocalist. I was really bummed that the music did not live up to support that awesome voice of his. Not too much i can say about this disc besides that this has been done before and it has been done better. After listening to this one, i was a bit worried about how they were going to be live. This was not a good one for me.
Hammerfall - No Sacrifice, No Victory - I wanted to give this band another chance. They could not be around for as long as they have been and not be good. Every Artist has a cd or two that just does not live up to the rest so I tried again and I am glad I did. This cd sharpened up on the production. This cd has a nice crisp production. Riffs are killer and demand you band your head, the guitar solos are tasty and the vocals are even better this time out. This is a great rock record!! These guys did not event the wheel but this is very good stuff. After hearing this disc I beleive we will have a great headliner on Sat night. They better bring it cause we all know Tarot will.
I will be sending my non PP cd thoughts tomorrow. As always, I appreciate all comments and feedback. I love seeing where we all agree and disagree. Hope this finds you all well and I look forward to seeing you in September.
Glenn, Thank you again for the chance to get to know all these bands. I know I speak for all of us when I say THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK.
Thanks,
Brand
This is the first year i have purchased cd's of the bands that I have never heard of who are playing at the next PP. Typical me, I have never heard of most of the bands and decided instead of seeing if i like them live, i will go ahead and get familiar with them so i can sing along to some of the songs. This year's line-up i had heard about most of the bands but had not heard any music from the bands. Here are the bands that i did not own any of their cd's and my thoughts on their music. If you don't see the band listed, i am already familiar with their music.
StormWarrior - Heading Northe - When i first purchased this, i really liked the music and loved the simplistic anthem like songs. As i have listened to this disc, i do find it enjoyable but the lyrics are really not my cup of tea. I do like this cd and know that this will be a awesome live band as this type of music goes over VERY WELL at PP. Production is awesome on this cd, very melodic and the guitar solos are very tasty. I prefer when this band does not do the speed metal but slows it down a notch and does just a straight ahead power metal song. Singer reminds me a bit of a harsher Vince Neil and I love him. More than likely, I will not purchase another cd from them but I do like this cd and 5 of the songs made it on to my ipod. I think this will be a fantastic show. GREAT CHOICE.
Seventh Wonder - Waiting In The Wings - Had heard all the hype about this band but never heard anything from them. Put the disc in and WOW, what a vocalist. Tommy is absolutely amazing. Love his tone, power and delivery. I still can't believe that this guy sings metal. Even my wife likes this guy and she hates my music. Production is amazing, the disc just sounds huge. All musicians are very gifted musicians. The one problem I had which I had read about was how catchy and they were. I listened to the first 8 songs and while I liked them, i was having trouble finding that catchiness. The last song on the cd is a ballad and let me tell you, goosebumps. Tommy nailed it and it is still my favorite song on the disc. It took me about 4 spins of the disc before i started catching those melodies and that cachines and when it hits you, it stays. This one was a grower but a most excellent choice and all songs made my ipod. Seventh Wonder came out of the blue and hit me in the gace. Great Choice.
Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls - Liked the first one so much i decided to buy this one too. HOLY SHIT!! This cd hands down is the best cd i have purchased in a long time Right off the bat the catchiness and melody hits you square in the face. Hard to believe that Tommy could improve his vocal performance but he does. Tommy has now become my favorite singer. This guy has some serious pipes but yet keeps his voice so melodic. I will have to say that the production is not quite as bombastic on this one as on WITW. I think it may be because this is a much warmer disc and the focus is on tommy's vocals. I like this entire disc, but i have to say my favorite song is One Last Goodbye - one of the most dramatic ballads i have ever heard. Tears well up every time I hear it. Needless to say that I am a huge fan of Seventh Wonder and will be buying every cd they release. This band has made it to the ranks as one of my favorite bands. This Cd is outstanding. Can't say enough good things about this one. If you don't have this cd, go get it. As a gold badge holder, I AM VERY PLEASED with the most recent news about the extra concert on Sat. 45 minutes is just not enought for this amazing band.
Nocturnal Rites - The 8th Sin - had heard some buzz about this band here on the board but had never heard them. Picked up this cd and after the first spin i was hooked. Love everything about this band. I love the gritty vocals (similar to Jorn at times), the crunchy guitars and the huge choruses. This is the kind of music that will have the fist pumping at PP. Not too much to say about this disc besides that is is very melodic, very simplistic power metal with an 80's vibe to it. Great production for a 2007 release. Another band i have become an instant fan of and will buy more cd's. All songs made my ipod. Look forward to seeing them live at PP.
Paradox - Electrify - Had not heard a thing about this band so I picked this cd up. I was never into the Thrash Metal scene so I did not know what to think about this disc. The music is straight up thrash with a gritty vocalist. reminds me a bit of old school testament but more complex melodies. This is not my cup of tea. The disc is a dark and moody disc with plenty of crunch and lots of lead solos. I find the production to be a bit muddy and hard to hear all the instruments clearly. Not enough melody in the vocal dept for me to keep interested. I will not pursue anything more from this band. I do however think this will be a great start to Sat night. Great kick in the ass and I am sure some of those killer riffs will be awesome live.
Oceans of Sadness - The Arrogance Of Ignorance - The oddball this year. After I saw Metal Rose's review of this band I was very worried that this would not be my cup of tea. I LOVE THIS DISC!! This is totally not my kind of music but whatever they are doing, they are doing it right. Hard to explain exactly what type of music they play, it is all over the board. Heavy, jazzy, Power, Prog etc... Production is very thick on this cd and I find the emphasis on the vocals. I love the clean as well as the harsh vocals. This cd is a lot of fun to listen to because each song is a bit different. This has to be the biggest shocker of the bunch. I was totally prepared not to like this cd and it totally floored me and I love it. Have become a huge fan of the band and will be buying more from them. Great fun and believe it or not, very easy to digest. The music is all over the board but it is so easy to "get". I am very pleased with this choice and look forward to seeing them live. I really think they are going to have some new fans after their performance. Love these guys.
DGM - Frame - had heard some hype about this band but never jumped on the bandwagon. Picked this one up not knowing what to expect and what a pleasant surprise. This is exactly what i like. Heavy Crunchy guitars, lots of keys and plenty of melody all wrapped up in a powerful punch. Excellent production with all musicians shining. On the first spin, i did have a little trouble handling the accent of the singer. After a few more spins, I did not mind the accent at all and this cd is a very enjoyable listen. Guitarist is an absolute maching. I will be buying more from this band and really enjoy the hell out of this disc. Great buy and i think this will be a very energetic show.
Delain - April Rain - Knew nothing about this band so did not know what to expect. I am about 50/50 when it comes to female fronted metal bands. Some I like and some I don't. First song April Rain hit me like a ton of bricks and the rest of the cd did as well. I LOVE THIS CD. This is not the heaviest cd in the world but it i so damn catchy it is infectious. The slower songs have even made my friends(who hate my music) say this is a damn good song. I am hooked and cant wait to see this band live. have become a huge fan of this band and will be buying everything they put out. Great vocals, lush keys and better than most anything you will hear on the radio today. If this band was put out on the airways, they would be huge here. GREAT BAND and I can't wait to see them live. AWESOME!!!
Hammerfall - Threshold - I am one of the very few people that had heard of this band but had never heard a single note of their music. I was excited about hearing this cd. Let me say i was disappointed. I don't know what it was but i found this to be very uninspiring and very bland. Production was very thick but not bombastic. Guitar solos were just okay and the crunch was there but not energetic. The only thing I found interesting was the vocalist. He is a really good metal vocalist. I was really bummed that the music did not live up to support that awesome voice of his. Not too much i can say about this disc besides that this has been done before and it has been done better. After listening to this one, i was a bit worried about how they were going to be live. This was not a good one for me.
Hammerfall - No Sacrifice, No Victory - I wanted to give this band another chance. They could not be around for as long as they have been and not be good. Every Artist has a cd or two that just does not live up to the rest so I tried again and I am glad I did. This cd sharpened up on the production. This cd has a nice crisp production. Riffs are killer and demand you band your head, the guitar solos are tasty and the vocals are even better this time out. This is a great rock record!! These guys did not event the wheel but this is very good stuff. After hearing this disc I beleive we will have a great headliner on Sat night. They better bring it cause we all know Tarot will.
I will be sending my non PP cd thoughts tomorrow. As always, I appreciate all comments and feedback. I love seeing where we all agree and disagree. Hope this finds you all well and I look forward to seeing you in September.
Glenn, Thank you again for the chance to get to know all these bands. I know I speak for all of us when I say THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK.
Thanks,
Brand
