December 07, 2025

King - Bitter Sweet (1985)

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*European first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CDCBS 86320
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© 1985 CBS
Bitter Sweet wasn't quite as immediate and entertaining as King's first outing, Steps in Time, but the British quartet's colorful take on arena rock ensured that the follow-up would never be boring (despite the absence of their trademark garish suits and spray-painted leathers). In fact, it's a fairly accomplished album, saved from pretentiousness at every turn by the strong melodies and Richard James Burgess' muscular production. He pumps up the fine single "Alone Without You" and "I Cringed, I Died, I Felt Hot" (a worthy successor to Steps in Time's "I Kissed the Spikey Fridge" in the canon of head-scratching King titles) with huge, crunching drums and big guitars, as gang backing vocals supply easy to remember hooks and offset Paul King's dramatic warble. As before, the band breaks up the straight-ahead dance-rock with some stylistic dabbling: "Platform One" is giddy, singalong reggae, while "2 M.B." harks back to the ska of Paul King's old band, the Reluctant Stereotypes, and "Mind Yer Toes" is a pretty piano ballad with lyrics that seem to address the problems of merry old England. Not that anyone bought King albums for their topicality: the pleasures here are sheerly aural and not to be discounted. But Bitter Sweet turned out to be the group's final platter; Paul King went on to made a 1987 solo album, Joy, before becoming an MTV VJ.
 
 tags: king, bitter sweet, 1985, flac,
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Gary Numan - New Anger (1986)

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*U.S. first pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock, Pop
Label Number: IRSD-82005
 
© 1989 I.R.S. Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
 
tags: gary numan,new anger, 1986, flac,
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Various Artists - QCD (1986)

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*This is a U.K. compilation given away for free with 
the 1986 issue of Q Magazine. 
Contains 14 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop, Pop Rock
Label Number: QCD1
 
© 1986 Q Magazine/Virgin Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
 
 tags: various artists, qcd, 1986, flac,
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December 06, 2025

Various Artists - The Mother of All Swing Albums (1996)

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*This is a UK, 2 disc compilation consisting of various UK, European 
and North American Hip-Hop & R&B acts. 
Each disc contains 20 tracks total.
 
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: R&B, Hip-Hop
Label Number: TCD2877
 
© 1996 Telstar/MCA Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release
 
tags: various artists, the mother of all swing albums, 1996, flac,
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December 03, 2025

Link - Sex Down (1998)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B
Label Number: 1645-2
 
© 1998 Relativity
Like many rappers and singers before him, Link realizes that songs about sex sell -- and, like Luther Campbell and R. Kelly, he knows that explicitness is bankable in the '90s. Taking his cue from those two trailblazers, Link pushes carnality to the forefront on his debut disc, Sex Down. There's no denying that Link has skills; positioning himself somewhere between hip-hop and smooth urban soul, he cleverly sells his tales of flesh by cloaking them with radio-ready hooks. Sex Down is pure ear candy -- beneath those slick surfaces, there's not much there (apart from some dirty talk). Link only occasionally reaches the songwriting heights of his first single "Whatcha Gone Do" or "My Body," the hit he co-wrote for LSG; when he has mediocre material, he makes it go down easy by creating alluring productions and slamming beats. So, Sex Down is frustrating -- on one hand it shows considerable promise, on the other it shows that he relies on clichés and sex talk to cover up for his occasional lack of direction. There's certainly enough good stuff to make it worth a listen, but only a handful of cuts truly deliver on Link's promise. 
 
tags: link, sex down, 1998, flac,
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Jill Scott - The Light of The Sun (2011)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B
Label Number: 527941-2
 
© 2011 Blues Babe/Warner Bros. Records
Jill Scott has been through many changes since 2007's The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3: a divorce, a brief but intense love affair that produced a child, acting roles in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? and Hounddog, her starring role in HBO's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and signing with Warner Bros. The Light of the Sun is a record of the rocky road to empowerment. Scott and Lee Hutson, Jr. are the album's executive producers; they also collaborate in songwriting and arrangements on numerous selections. Opener "Blessed," produced by Dre & Vidal, kicks it off in slippery, hip-hop soul style; a harp, strings, and a fluttering dubwise bassline underscore the shuffling rhythm. Scott expresses spoken and sung gratitude for and about her new baby, career, life, and support system. Poetry and song are woven with elegance in a nocturnal groove. The hit pre-release single "So in Love," produced by Kelvin Wooten, is a modern Philly soul fan's dream, with its lithe, fingerpopping bassline, shimmering drums, and seeming bliss arising between Scott and Anthony Hamilton, who turn in a grand duet performance. "Shame" (featuring Eve & the A Group), is grand, old-school funk with killer backing vocals that range from P-Funk-esque vocal choruses to doo wop with sampled classic ska as Scott raps defiantly with Eve. One of the sleepers on the set is the stunning "La Boom Vent Suite," a sultry number produced by Scott and Hutson. It's a militant, funky soul, kiss-off tune, that declares: "I've been waiting for so long/but somebody else has been sniffing at my dress." "Hear My Call" is literally a prayer for healing; with its elegantly arranged strings, it's as heartfelt and humble as desperate need can be. There is one misstep here: "So Gone (What My Mind Says)" didn't require Paul Wall's tired, generic, boastful rapping to work. That said, the rhythm collision with human beatbox Doug E. Fresh on "All Cried Out Redux," complete with ragtime piano sample, is a novelty number that works. After the album's first third, it's all Scott, and (mostly) all sublime. The sparsely produced "Quick" (produced by Wayne Campbell) records the heartbreak in the brief relationship that produced her son. "Making You Wait" is another self-determination anthem that addresses romance, with spacious Rhodes and synth strings weaving beats together. Scott lays down the spoken word "Womanifesto" that recalls the poetry of her early career, just before the steamy, sexual "Rolling Hills" touches on jazz, blues, and late-'70s soul with effortless ease to close it. On The Light of the Sun, Scott sounds more in control than ever; her spoken and sung phrasing (now a trademark), songwriting, and production instincts are all solid. This is 21st century Philly soul at its best.
 
tags: jill scott, the light of the sun, 2011, flac,
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Syleena Johnson - Chapter 6: Couples Therapy (2014)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B
Label Number: GBP-CD-6811
 
© 2014 Blakbyrd Entertainment
After a couple albums with Shanachie, including a set of reggae duets with Musiq, Syleena Johnson moves to the eOne-affiliated Blakbyrd for her eighth studio album. Chapter 6: Couples Therapy doesn't have the most appealing title, but it reflects what Johnson has been through and covers a broader spectrum of emotions than indicated. At the dark end -- an area she has never shied away from exploring -- she is in particularly vivid form on "Perfectly Worthless," holding her head high in the wake of mistreatment. Opposite to that, there's "My Love," a blissful, traditionally styled ballad in which she uses her upper register to maximum effect. There are many moods between those two highlights, and they're all revealed with the same high level of conviction heard in Johnson's previous output. All but one of the songs were made with either Pierre Medor (Mary J. Blige, Monica) or the team of Kajun (Avant, Ronald Isley) and Andre Henry (Isley, Avery Sunshine). These songwriters and producers provide sufficient support for Johnson, who had a hand in the creation of each song. Also credit Johnson for going against the grain by not sharing the vocal booth with any rappers. Instead, the unmistakable voices of Leela James and Dave Hollister are each present on one cut. This is yet another pleasing, down-to-earth addition to one of the steadiest R&B discographies of the 2000s and 2010s.
 
 tags: syleena johnson, chapter 6 couples therapy, 2014, flac,
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November 26, 2025

Uriah Heep - ...Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble... (1970)

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*European first pressing.
Contains 8 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 258 294
 
© 1970-1987 Bronze
This album was the debut of Uriah Heep, an English band that would become one of the Titans of the '70s heavy metal sound. Despite their eventual hard-rocking reputation, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble finds the band trying on different stylistic hats as they work towards finding their own sound. At this juncture, their music falls halfway between the crunch of heavy metal and the dramatic arrangements of prog rock. When this style jells, the results are quite powerful: "Dreammare" blends psychedelic lyrics and a complex vocal arrangement with a stomping beat from the rhythm section to create an effective slice of prog metal fusion while "I'll Keep on Trying" presents a head-spinning, complex tune with enough riffs, hooks, and tempo changes to fill three or four songs. However, the album's finest achievement is "Gypsy": this heavy metal gem nails the blend of swirling organ riffs, power chords, and leather-lunged vocal harmonies that would define the group's classic tunes and remains a staple of the band's live performances today. Unfortunately, the focus of the album is diluted by some unsuccessful experiments: "Lucy Blues" is a dull, unmemorable stab at a Led Zeppelin-style heavy blues tune and "Come Away Melinda" is an overproduced, melodramatic cover that tries to marry the band's full-throttle musical style to a message song. Despite these occasional moments of stylistic schizophrenia, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble is a likable album that shows the promise that Uriah Heep would soon realize. Those unfamiliar with Uriah Heep may want to try out Demons and Wizards or a compilation first, but anyone with a serious interest in Uriah Heep or the roots of heavy metal will find plenty to like on Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble. The American edition of this album was retitled Uriah Heep and omits "Lucy Blues" in favor of the track "Bird of Prey" from Salisbury. 
 
 tags: uriah heep, very eavy very umble, 1970, flac,
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Uriah Heep - Raging Silence (1989)

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*First pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: LRCD 5005
 
© 1989 Lynx Records
Uriah Heep is one of the few heavy metal/hard rock outfits that can rival Deep Purple when it comes to an abundance of personnel changes; you could write a book about the many different Uriah Heep lineups that existed in the 1970s and 1980s. Because it was such a revolving door, its work became increasingly erratic as time passed -- many headbangers gave up on the band in the late '70s. Recorded in 1988 and 1989 and released in April 1989, Raging Silence is the work of a band that was long past its prime. On this CD, the five-man lineup includes founder/guitarist Mick Box as well as lead singer Bernie Shaw, bassist Trevor Bolder, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, and drummer Lee Kerslake. The material is generic arena rock -- try as it might, Uriah Heep is unable to recapture the magic and creativity of its early years. Corporate rock items like "Cry Freedom" and "Blood Red Roses" are mildly catchy, and a cover of Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" is pleasant enough. But even so, Raging Silence pales in comparison to classics like 1971's Look at Yourself and 1972's Demons and Wizards. Not a disaster but certainly unremarkable, this CD is strictly for completists. 
 
 tags: uriah heep, raging silence, 1989, flac,
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November 23, 2025

Uriah Heep - Conquest (1980)

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*UK first pressing.
Contains 8 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: CLACD 208
 
© 1980-1990 Castle Communications
Uriah Heep's first new album in almost two years, and their first, too, since the departure of vocalist John Lawton, was all but overlooked at the time of its release, and that despite Heep being very much in the forefront of the bands lionized by the then-prevalent New Wave or British Heavy Metal. Certainly, new vocalist John Sloman was cut in that mold, and if bandmates Mick Box, Chris Slade, Trevor Bolder, and Ken Hensley do sometimes seem a little uncertain about the newcomer's talents, it should also be noted that this is the freshest-sounding Heep album since the mid-'70s. No longer attempting to trade off former glories, the band is hard and sharp throughout, with the eight tracks averaging out around the five-minute mark, and all being designed according to what they could bring to the live show -- which, at this time, was seething. The one-two punch of the opening "No Return" and "Imagination" certainly take no prisoners and, while Conquest would ultimately prove a false dawn (a very different lineup recorded Heep's next album, Abominog), at the time, fans could scarcely have asked for anything more. 
 
 tags: uriah heep, conquest, 1980, flac,
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Uriah Heep - Abominog (1982)

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*UK first pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: CLACD 110
 
© 1982-1986 Castle Communications
By the dawn of the 1980s, Uriah Heep was considered a relic in the heavy metal world and no one was surprised when they disbanded shortly after 1980s half-hearted Conquest album. However, everyone listening received an unexpected surprise when the band returned with a new lineup and a sleek, revamped sound on 1982's Abominog. If one can get past the Spinal Tap-like title and the gruesome cover art, this outing quickly reveals itself to be one of the most consistent and engaging albums in the group's lengthy catalog. The new Uriah Heep that debuted on this outing was a different animal from the gothic metal ensemble that barnstormed its way through albums like Look at Yourself and Return to Fantasy: echoes of the group's old style could be heard in the drama and instrumental firepower of the new songs, but the overall sound owed a greater debt to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and harder-rocking AOR groups of the time. The tone is set by opening track "Too Scared to Run," a dynamic rocker that contrasts its furious guitar-laden verses with a harmony-drenched chorus worthy of Queen. Other sharp rockers in this vein include "Running All Night (With the Lion)," a punchy rocker that pairs an ascending guitar riff with a singalong chorus, and "Hot Persuasion," a lusty metal opus that sounds like Foreigner gone metal crazy. Elsewhere, the band balances the hard rock with mid-tempo tunes that marry their energy to sweet AOR melodies: "Chasing Shadows" allows John Sinclair's keyboards to take the lead on a tune that marries power chords to synth pop hooks, while "That's the Way That It Is" became a hit single thanks to its combination of slick harmonies and an insidiously catchy melody. It's a diverse bill of fare but it manages to cohere nicely thanks to a tight, unified attack from the band that is built on the synthesis between Mick Box's thick guitar riffs and John Sinclair's symphonically layered keyboards. Special note should also be taken of the group's new vocalist, Peter Goalby: His emphatic vocal style suggests a cross between Ronnie James Dio and Lou Gramm. It fits the music's powerful-yet-slick style like a glove and provides the emotional intensity necessary to put the songs over the top. In the end, "Abominog" rocks hard enough to please heavy metal addicts but is slick enough to win over AOR fanatics and this combination makes it one Uriah Heep's most enduring achievements in the album format. 
 
 tags: uriah heep, abominog, 1982, flac,
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Uriah Heep - Head First (1983)

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*UK first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: CLACD 209
 
© 1983-1990 Castle Communications
After rising from the ashes with 1982's impressive Abominog, Uriah Heep continued to pursue a similar combination of heavy metal firepower and AOR sleekness on Head First. This album lacks the consistently strong tunes and unified feel of its predecessor, but it still offers enough highlights to make it worth a listen. Head First does best when it concentrates on songs that evenly balance power chords and pop hooks: "The Other Side of Midnight" cleverly balances a boisterous pop-tinged melody built on a pulsating bassline with plenty of powerful guitar riffing while "Weekend Warriors" layers its shout-along chorus over a slick rock backing that fuses programmed synthesizer lines with high-flying guitar work and relentless double-time drumming from the ever-reliable Lee Kerslake. However, Head First occasionally loses the plot when it strays from this balancing act: "Love Is Blind" works too hard to ape AOR conventions and comes off sounding faceless as a result, while "Roll-Overture" is an ornate prog instrumental that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album due to its lack of hooks and guitar riffs. The album also runs into problems in the lyrical department due to its overt AOR-styled reliance on the travails of love as its main subject matter (see "Sweet Talk" and "Love Is Blind"). Despite these occasional shortcomings, Head First manages to work, thanks to its consistent high level of energy. Even at its poppiest, the album throbs with guitar-fuelled energy: for a good example look no further than the band's cover of Bryan Adams' "Lonely Nights," where the poppish quality of the melody is boosted into the hard rock stratosphere by a lengthy succession of guitar riffs and a relentless backbeat. In the end, Head First's adherence to AOR stylings may turn off some hard rock fans but there is enough energetic, well-crafted music here to please anyone who liked Abominog.
 
 tags: uriah heep, head first, 1983, flac,
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Uriah Heep - Equator (1985)

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*Reissued on CD for the first time 
in 1991 by Columbia Records. 
This pressing contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 493339 2
 
© 1985-1999 Columbia
Uriah Heep were perhaps a little traumatized back in 1985. They had endured the commercial disappointment of Head First and the subsequent loss of their recording contract. Fortunately, CBS imprint Portrait Records offered the free agents another chance that was sadly squandered with the release of Equator. The Def Leppard knockoff "Rockarama" is a desperate opener that sets a contrived tone for what's to follow on this pop-metal mistake. Some formulaic lyrics ("Bad Blood") and inane power balladry ("Lost One Love") follow, essentially choking the life out of Equator before the fourth track even begins. Listeners brave enough to venture more deeply into this set are not rewarded for their effort, as numbers like "Skool's Burnin'" and "Party Time" do nothing to lower this record's high-schmaltz rating. Another lackluster '80s outing from Uriah Heep, Equator tightly circles the commercial rock format of its day: a treacherous territory that the band had no chance to successfully navigate. 
 
 tags: uriah heep, equator, 1985, flac,
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November 16, 2025

Shy - Excess All Areas (1987)

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*Japanese first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Glam Metal
Label Number: R32P-1109
 
© 1987 RCA
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
 
tags: shy, excess all areas, 1987, flac,
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T. Rex - Bolan Boogie (1972)

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*U.K. first pressing. 
Contains 14 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Glam Rock
Label Number: CLACD145
 
© 1972-1988 Castle Communications
The first (but certainly not the last) of the compilations issued in the wake of T. Rex's U.K. chart breakthrough, Bolan Boogie was also many of the band's new fans' first chance to acquaint themselves with all that Marc Bolan had done in the past -- a point which the compilers certainly kept in mind. The catalog at their disposal was vast, reaching back to the acoustic birth of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Sensibly, however, Bolan Boogie concentrates on the material that lived up its title -- aside from one cut drawn from 1969's Unicorn, the entire album dated from the arrival of Mickey Finn, and the attendant headlong dive into electricity launched by the Beard of Stars album, and culminating with the epochal Electric Warrior album. Some incontrovertible classics emerge. "Beltane Walk," "The King of the Mountain Cometh," and "Fist Heart Mighty Drawn Dart" prove that Bolan's early flair for myth-weaving had effortlessly survived the move to amplification, while "Jewel" allies that assurance with some of the most gratuitously dirty guitar of the age. "Raw Ramp," a five-minute rock opera buried on the back of "Get It On," too, bristles with dynamism -- it opens gently, lavish strings and sad ballad sweet, pauses for a moment, then returns as a shuffling blues putdown ("you think you're champ, but girl, you ain't nothing but a raw ramp" -- whatever that may be), then concludes with a heads-down electric boogie. Perhaps the crowning glory, however, comes with T. Rex's take on "Summertime Blues," simultaneously the most unexpected track of them all, and the most appropriate one as well -- the ultimate anthem of youth disaffection, from the ultimate symbol of teenaged rebellion. The first new pop idol of the new decade, the first since the Beatles disbanded, Bolan hadn't simply shattered all predictions and preoccupations for the new decade. He had, single-handedly, dragged rock & roll out of a premature grave, then gift-wrapped it back to the kids who needed it most. They'd never have to work late again. 
 
tags: t rex, bolan boogie, 1972, flac,
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The Four Horsemen - Nobody Said It Was Easy (1991)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 9 26561-2
 
© 1991 Def American Recordings
For a brief moment at the start of the '90s, everyone seemed to be doing the retro-rock thing, and while most bands were digging back to the late '60s for inspiration, the Four Horsemen's ambitions went no further than the late '70s -- more specifically AC/DC. There's not a single original riff on all of their first full album, Nobody Said It Was Easy, mind you, but the band's raunchy guitars and gritty delivery make up for this in spades. And had he not been arrested seemingly every six months for one misdemeanor or another, outlaw frontman Frank Starr may have even challenged Axl Rose for his "king of the bad boys" crown. Starr's whiskey and broken glass vocal style literally ignites the album's best moments, including the title track, "Can't Stop Rockin'," and the incredible "Rockin' Is Ma' Business." And while "Hot Head lifts its main riff directly from AC/DC's "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," the slightly more original "Tired Wings" actually received some MTV rotation thanks to its mellower Southern rock vibe and slide guitars. Rounded out by the easy strut of "Moonshine," the all-out fury of "Lookin' for Trouble," and the lazy jamming of "I Need a Thrill/Somethin' Good," this album scores low on originality, but high on honesty and charisma. A sure winner for lovers of no-image, no-class rock & roll. For a brief moment at the start of the '90s, everyone seemed to be doing the retro-rock thing, and while most bands were digging back to the late '60s for inspiration, the Four Horsemen's ambitions went no further than the late '70s -- more specifically AC/DC. There's not a single original riff on all of their first full album, Nobody Said It Was Easy, mind you, but the band's raunchy guitars and gritty delivery make up for this in spades. And had he not been arrested seemingly every six months for one misdemeanor or another, outlaw frontman Frank Starr may have even challenged Axl Rose for his "king of the bad boys" crown. Starr's whiskey and broken glass vocal style literally ignites the album's best moments, including the title track, "Can't Stop Rockin'," and the incredible "Rockin' Is Ma' Business." And while "Hot Head lifts its main riff directly from AC/DC's "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," the slightly more original "Tired Wings" actually received some MTV rotation thanks to its mellower Southern rock vibe and slide guitars. Rounded out by the easy strut of "Moonshine," the all-out fury of "Lookin' for Trouble," and the lazy jamming of "I Need a Thrill/Somethin' Good," this album scores low on originality, but high on honesty and charisma. A sure winner for lovers of no-image, no-class rock & roll. 
 
tags: the four horsemen, nobody said it was easy, 1991, flac,
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November 15, 2025

Alcatrazz - Disturbing The Peace (1995 Reissue)

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*Reissued in 1995 by Capitol Records. 
This pressing contains 11 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: TOCP-3026
 
© 1985-1995 Capitol Records
Confirming vocalist and leader Graham Bonnet's lack of personality, Alcatrazz's second album has more in common with guitarist Steve Vai's next project (David Lee Roth's first solo album) than with the band's previous work. Released in 1985, Disturbing the Peace is a lifeless and uninspired affair that also displayed Vai's own limitations as a principal songwriter. From the cliche-ridden pop-rock of "God Blessed Video" to the failed attempt at drama on "Desert Diamond," there is little saving this record from rightful rock & roll oblivion. Disturbing the Peace will interest only musical masochists and Steve Vai completists. 
 
 tags: alacatrazz, disturbing the peace, 1985, 1995, reissue, flac,
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Fear Not - Fear Not (1993)

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*First pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 7012522267
 
© 1993 Word/Pakaderm Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
 
 tags: fear not, fear not album, fear not band, 1993, flac,
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Broken Silence - Discerning The Times (1995)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: ALCB-3062
 
© 1995 Brunette Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

tags: broken silence, discerning the times, 1995, flac,
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November 12, 2025

Dødheimsgard - 666 International (1999)

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Country: Norway
Language: English, Norwegian (Norsk) 
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: FOG 020
 
© 1999 Moonfog Productions
At the close of the 1990s, a number of the older Norwegian black metal bands had started experimenting with programmed beats and other electronic sounds, among them Ulver, Arcturus, Mayhem, and (perhaps most aggressively) Dodheimsgard. The latter group's use of electronics, on this album at least, runs in a more industrial direction -- but "industrial" in the sense of such slick, modern metal acts as Marilyn Manson or even Rammstein. It is surprising to hear this turn, given Dodheimsgard's history as more of a raw black metal band. It's also surprising because of how the album starts, with a brief piano intro (reprised from the end of the group's Satanic Art EP) and then a bludgeoning, fuzzed-out blast beat; in this context, hearing a drum machine dance beat is downright weird. But whatever slick surfaces Dodheimsgard is dealing with here only magnify the inherent strangeness of the songs. Jarring transitions and unexpected tempo changes abound, with spiraling black metal guitar riffs often popping out of nowhere, then giving way to sedate solo piano sections or glossy techno-metal breakdowns. And throughout it all, vocalist Aldrahn presides over the ceremonies like a mad carnival barker, ranting, bellowing, hissing, and growling his way through puzzling, disconnected lyrics such as these from "Shiva-Interfere": "Directly from an ocean of flowers/Visual contact, planet B8 -- 18/Sonar disturbance/Asmodeus comes with terror/In spontaneous air corridors." Written over a period of four years, this is an elaborate, ambitious, and creative album that is bound to frustrate purists, but if the tag of "surrealist industrial black metal" is at all appealing, then this 666 International is recommended. 
 
 tags: dodheimsgard, 666, international, 1999, flac,
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Triumphator - Wings of Antichrist (1999)

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Country: Sweden
Language: English 
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: NR 048
 
© 1999 Necropolis Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
 
tags: triumphator, wings of antichrist, 1998, flac,
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Various Artists - Dude, Where's My Car? (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2000)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Punk Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Hip-Hop
Label Number: 31156-2
 
© 2000 London Records
Dude Where's My Car was a crummy film, and the soundtrack is surprisingly better. Instead of the same songs that executives think put teen butts in theaters (i.e., Third Eye Blind's catalogue), the CD Dude Where's My Car features lesser-known post-grunge, punk-pop bands. Highlights include Ween's 1994 song "Voodoo Lady," from Chocolate and Cheese, Superdrag's "Lighting the Way," and Dangerman's "Listen to the Music." That is not to say that there aren't some insufferable clunkers here, too. Does anyone think Young MC's "Bust a Move," which has been on no less than 30 albums, is an undiscovered gem? The moment of Zen on this album is also an example of the smooth-running corporate machine; LiveonRelease's "I'm Afraid of Britney Spears" includes a hilarious rant against the teen marketing machine, which is hard to take seriously while looking at Anton Kutcher's mug. The music supervisors did a great job getting bang for their buck by securing some inconsequential but pleasant songs. It is hard not to be cynical about a record from a film that tanked for good reason. Dude Where's My Car is like cotton candy: your teeth might hurt after eating it, but it won't fill you up. Buy this used or you might be asking yourself "dude where's my money?" 
 
tags: various artists, dude wheres my car, motion picture soundtrack, ost, 2000, flac,
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