Artist : Sacred Warrior Country : USA Release : Rebellion Year : 1988 Genre : Heavy Metal File Type : mp3 VBR Info:
In 1988 the Christian metal movement was really beginning to grow.
Bands like Bloodgood and Stryper were already very popular on the scene.
However, most new bands were either moving towards the popular thrash
or pop metal sounds. There were very few Christian bands exploring the
melodic and progressive style of bands like Queensryche, Crimson Glory
and Fates Warning. Sacred Warrior were one of the very first notable
bands on the scene with "Rebellion" being their debut to the world.
Sacred Warrior fused the melodic, progressive metal sound with a heavy
American power metal style. Songs like "Children of the Light" and "The
Heavens Are Calling" are pure American power metal that would rival
Metal Church, while the title track, "Stay Away from Evil" and "Day of
the Lord" are more melodic. Of course, what really makes or breaks a
band of this style is the vocalist. Sacred Warrior vocalist Rey Parra is
often compared to one of heavy metal's elite singers, Geoff Tate of
Queensryche. While the comparison is valid, Parra also has a style and
charisma all his own. His high, soaring, glass-shattering voice is the
catalyst of Sacred Warrior's sound, combined with a tight rhythm
section, amazing guitar solos, searing riffs and memorable songs. The
band's lyrical direction stood in direct opposition to the many bands
out there using "evil" as a shock tactic to sell records. Their message
was a direct attempt to infiltrate the dark heavy metal scene with a
message of hope and faith in Jesus. In retrospect, some of the lyrics on
"Rebellion" are a bit corny, but certainly no more-so than the hordes
of bands promoting a dark, negative message at the time.
Live: Extreme Volume I
Live: Extreme Volume II
Artist : Racer X Country : USA Release : Live: Extreme Volume I & II Year : 1988 Genre : Heavy Metal File Type : mp3 320 Info:
Racer X has always been known for their speedy licks and insane
melodies. Consisting of two guitarists (who play their guitars at
incredibly fast speeds, still staying in exact synchronization with each
other) you will hear harmonies that you might have thought not possible
to be achieved live on stage. If your looking for the sheer brutality
of their speed, just listen to their solos. Each member (Paul Gilbert,
Scott Travis, John Alderete, and ex-member Bruce Bouillet) has their own
solo, that clearly show the power driven behind Racer X. Great picks to
listen to on this album is (my personal live favorite) She Wants
Control, which is a pretty bluesy song including a very chunky bridge.
Extreme
Volume II is no less than Extreme Volume. What's strange is Mr. Munoz
says this CD is lacking energy. How could one CD have Energy and another
CD Lack energy when the recording is the same and the show was the
same? It's impossible. Extreme Volume II is simply the "other songs" not
on Extreme Volume. Granted, EV has all the indivdual solos, but
frankly, EVII has the better songs with Heart Of Lion, Moonage Daydream,
Hammer Away and the best non-KISS version of Detroit Rock City.
Artist : Quiet Riot Country : USA Release : Quiet Riot [Remastered] Year : 1988 Genre : Heavy Metal File Type : mp3 320 Info:
Despite the fact that they had one of the best-selling metal albums of
the '80s (1983's massive hit Metal Health), it is probably true to say
that Quiet Riot had much more success than they ever truly deserved.
Metal Health's sales mostly derived from the band's cover of Slade's
"Cum on Feel the Noise," success arguably more credited to good timing
than to musical quality. Still, despite two unsuccessful follow-ups to
Metal Health, Quiet Riot had yet to hit rock bottom, which would finally
arrive in 1988. After years of tension, the group fired their vocalist,
Kevin Dubrow, and replaced him with Paul Shortino for QR, the band's
fourth U.S. release. Shortino sounds competent, but overall he lacks the
general charisma of Dubrow. The real problem with the album, however,
is the songs themselves, which are loaded with unmemorable lyrics and
melodies. By now, it was obvious that the bandmembers were not skilled
songwriters, but usually they managed to place a few guilty pleasures on
their past releases, which is certainly not the case here.
Unfortunately, the performances on QR make the album horribly faceless;
the record shows a once-popular rock group trying to retain their glory
days with a handful of disgustingly generic material. Not too
surprisingly, the album was a complete critical and commercial bomb, and
with just cause; this is by far Quiet Riot's weakest record of the
'80s.
Monday, December 29, 2014
