REO SPEEDWAGON: Live At Moondance Jam: CD / DVD

Broadcast on Palladia, Direct TV and VH1 Classic in early 2013, Live at Moondance Jam features a baker’s dozen classic REO SPEEDWAGON tunes. This is a review of just the audio since I never received the DVD portion.

REO SPEEDWAGON has been going strong in one form or another, with founding member and keyboardist Neal Doughty the only constant, for more than 45 years. Though their studio output of the last few decades hasn’t been prolific or as successful as their chart-topping time in the early ’80s, the band keeps on touring, mostly on the fair, festival and casino circuit.

The band is captured on a very good night with the band at top form and Kevin Cronin’s voice sounds fantastic. The first four songs are from the first side of Hi Infidelity, celebrating its 30th anniversary and for good reason, that album was huge for the band and has the most recognizable songs by the band on it, and they include for the first time ever live, the song “In Your Letter.” Basically at this point in their career you’re getting a greatest hits selection and for most people that’s all they want to hear, but one or two newer songs would have been nice. You also get to hear “Golden Country” from the band’s second album, 1972’s R.E.O./T.W.O., and “Like You Do” from the same album both recorded live for the first time. It’s also pretty cool that the band included “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” and “157 Riverside Avenue,” both recorded originally with Cronin singing. Most bands usually skip over those years altogether, but they’ve embraced those songs.

The band shows their skill at playing these songs and the love that they have for the material, as well as the love for their fans. It’s a rare treat to hear a band that still gives everything in a performance after all these years and it will definitely make fans love this band for years to come. If only I had the DVD to watch as well…oh well, maybe one day.

https://www.facebook.com/reospeedwagon  http://www.speedwagon.com/

https://www.facebook.com/frontiersrecordsofficial  http://www.frontiers.it/

OUR SOULS EVOLVE: Origins: Download

This metal band based in Montreal, Quebec plays a mix of ambient, Djent and metalcore that blends together a lot better than you would think. This debut EP contains eight songs, three of them instrumentals that show a ton of talent.

The band gets hings started with an instrumental intro that has a nice light ambient feel to it before blazing into “Wasteland” and getting right down to the nitty-gritty. Lots of riffing, growled vocals, and hammering drums get things going. This continues throughout the rest of the songs with the vocalist actually growling at times during songs like “Evolve” and making the album an angry, wild ride, but hold on kids because all of a sudden the band throws in some mellow playing to bring things down on the instrumental “Just A Memory.” Just as you bask in the serene sounds, the band kicks things back into high gear with the heavy-hitting “Afraid.” The album also concludes with an instrumental version of this song, while being cool, it would have been nice to have another new song instead.

Other than one tiny complaint, this was a very cool album, with tight playing, crisp production and it shows a lot of potential that I hope will be carried over to a full-length album.

https://www.facebook.com/OurSoulsEvolve  http://oursoulsevolve.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/silverwingsstudios  http://www.swstudios.ca/

xMOMOx: Stop Time And Break Out: 7″

xMOMOx is a Hardcore-Band from Germany, founded in 2010 by some former members of xBREED APARTx. All members of the band are vegan and straight edge.

This is some thick, angry and heavy hardcore mixed with metal that wipes clean the horizon. Where these guys go, nothing will grow, they just are a devastating force of nature that you need to hear to believe. They say that one of their major influences is CHOKEHOLD and since I’ve seen them live years ago, I can say that these guys have taken that influence to heart.

Three songs that are incredible and brutal and need to be heard to believe.

https://www.facebook.com/xmomoxhc  http://xmomox.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/anchoredrecords  www.anchoredrecords.de

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Defiant-Hearts-Records/127094047318596

http://defiant-hearts.bandcamp.com/album/xmomox-stop-time-and-break-out

http://www.defiant-hearts.com/index.php?kat=dh_site&subkat=news

MY TURN: Dead Weight: 7”

This hardcore band based in Athens, Greece has been together since the summer of 2010. They’ve had a few singles and an album out before this and this shows them getting tighter and better than ever.

The band just blazes on these four songs, one hitting as hard as the next, knocking you back and kicking your ass. You can hear the anger and feel the energy in these songs as soon as the first note hits. Shouted vocals, blistering guitar playing, and the bass and drums combining to give the songs a nice thickness propel this single into the realm of contained insanity.

The band just reaches out and demands your attention from start to finish. These guys devastate the weaker bands that pretend to be punk / hardcore.

https://www.facebook.com/MyTurnHC  http://myturn.bandcamp.com/album/dead-weight-7

https://www.facebook.com/anchoredrecords  www.anchoredrecords.de

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scarecrow-Records/230502947003649

http://www.scarecrow.gr

GRIM GOAT: Fear Keeps Us Small: 12″

GRIM GOAT is a four man band from Münster, Germany that do hardcore, mixed with punk rock melody. After the releases of their demo For Your Life, the LP Answers Follow From Questions, and tons of shows with national and international bands, they went back into the studio to lay down the heavy tracks we have on here.

Some no-frills hardcore with melodic parts that come in all the right places and it’s go-go-go with no chance of taking the foot off the accelerator. With the gruff vocals shouted at you, the crushing sound that the band puts forth and the great lyrics, this is the kind of stuff that should be on your playlist, not that over-hyped crap passed off as punk / hardcore. These guys burn through these songs and make you want to hear more and more.

Seeing these guys live would probably be incredible, but for now, this will have to do and I loved every second of it…if only they would play around where I live…sigh.

https://www.facebook.com/grimgoat  http://grimgoat.bandcamp.com/album/fear-keeps-us-small

https://www.facebook.com/anchoredrecords  www.anchoredrecords.de

https://www.facebook.com/Berrymoreandflare  http://www.berrymoreandflare.com/

CONTRASTS: Every Second / Every Minute / Every Hour: 7″

CONTRASTS is a five piece hardcore band from Munich, Germany, founded early 2012 by former members of CLOSELINE and WITH OPEN ARMS. The band released a demo tape in October 2012 followed by this five song debut EP.

The EP is powerful hardcore with strong grooves, some metal and punk riffs mixed together. This has a wonderful raw energy that makes the five tracks never boring or contrived. Gruff vocals give the songs a nice angry edge and makes you want to turn this up as loud as possible and slam dance in your room.

The five songs are tight, full of energy and make you want to hear more, what more can you ask for? Go out and grab this one today!

https://www.facebook.com/wearecontrasts  http://contrasts.bandcamp.com/album/every-second-every-minute-every-hour

www.anchoredrecords.de  https://www.facebook.com/anchoredrecords

BURNS LIKE FIRE: To The Ground: Download

BURNS LIKE FIRE is a punk rock band from Athens, Georgia, who have released an EP and a full-length prior to the release of this new EP. They play punk rock with gravelly vocals, melodically ringing guitars, killer bass and smashing drums.

The playing is a bit sloppy and the songs have some memorable hooks and luckily this isn’t that fabricated radio friendly punk rock that the kids think rocks, but doesn’t, so thumbs up for the real deal on display here. This sort of gravelly vocals and raw, rough-around-the-edges guitar melodies are exactly up my alley and the dirty production suits the songs perfectly. It gives everything an extra edge of grit and realism that pushes this into the great pile. “Jean Shorts” finds lead vocalist Web Couch in full-on throat-shredder mode, and “Abandon Ship” has wiry leads that give it a nice edge. The other songs all kick formidable ass as well.

A great taster from these guys and now I’m going to have to hunt down their previous releases…kick-ass!

https://www.facebook.com/burnslikefiremusic  http://www.burnslikefiremusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/autumnandcolour  http://www.autumnandcolour.com/

BRAIDED VEINS: Future/Forever: 12″

 

 

The debut EP from Flint, MI’s BRAIDED VEINS featuring members of EMPTY ORCHESTRA, THE SWELLERS, KID BROTHER COLLECTIVE, THE CONQUEROR WORM and more. Seven tight, blistering songs that grab you by the throat and hammer you into submission with the devastating sound that comes ripping out of your speakers. EPs never last long, but this one seems to be over far too quickly. From the moment you start listening, the energy levels hit the roof without dropping for a second. The pounding drums, the wicked riffs, the pounding bass and the shouted vocals are all working together with the well written songs to create an EP that begs for a whole album to be delivered. “Watch Carefully” and its follow-up “How Did You Imagine the End?” are down-to-business post-hardcore rockers, “The Future Lasts Forever” is a short burst of pure energy, “The Nature of the Cruise Century” has a garage punk feel to it, “Some Fundamental Questions on the Nature of Being” and “On the Limits of Tomorrow” keep the high energy going and “To Whomever Finds This Document:” ends the album on a high note.

Get this one and tell them to get going on a full length album soon.

https://www.facebook.com/BraidedVeins  http://braidedveinsmi.tumblr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Your-Generation-Records/253003344820954

http://saveyourgenerationrecords.bandcamp.com/album/future-forever

KIM WILDE: Select: CD

One year after her first album, Kim Wilde put out her second and it was a bit of a change in sound from the predecessor. This one was more electronic, but still retained the high energy and edge that was present on her first album.

Starting off with “Ego,” a fast-paced song that will get you up and dancing, it flows perfectly into “Words Fell Down,” another fast song with great synthesizer playing adding a very atmospheric feel to the song. This album could really fit in with the emerging new romantic sound at the time, lots of dancey synths, tons of bass and a general feel that the album would sound incredible in the club. The single “View From A Bridge” is every bit as exciting to hear now as it was when it first came out. “Action City,” “Chaos At The Airport,” “Can You Come Over,” and the other single “Cambodia” are all standouts on this album.

With remastered sound giving clarity and dynamics to the music, and the replica vinyl jacket all add to this great release that gives her one-two punch that started a career that is still going to this day. Great music that still stands up in this day and age, you can’t go wrong.

https://www.facebook.com/officialkimwilde  http://www.kimwilde.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culture-Factory-USA/161614307253980

http://www.culturefactoryusa.com/

KIM WILDE: Self-titled: CD

Kim Wilde’s first and in my mind, best album remastered and in a copy of the original vinyl release. I still remember reading about her in Creem magazine and finally seeing the cassette in a record store downtown…I had to have this album right there and then. I purchased this and IRON MAIDEN’s Number Of The Beast and put Kim into my trusty walkman and had a huge smile on my face the whole way through the tape.

Every song was something new and exciting for me and being thirteen, I had a huge crush on her. No MTV in Canada and not too many outlets for videos at the time so I only had the magazine article and the tape for any kind of information about her or what the video was like. I played the damn thing over and over and learned these songs and after all these years, it still puts a smile on my face and I still love the album. The songs that really stand out for me are “Kids In America,” “Water On Glass,” “Our Town,” “Young Heroes,” “Chequered Love,” and “2-6-5-8-0.” Not a bad ratio, six out of ten songs that I love and four that I like…lol.

With the cleaned up sound, the cool little sleeve reproduction and the ton of classic tracks, this is a definite album to be put into your collection. New wave done well, with feeling, emotion, and energy all done before things got watered done in a few years by the proliferation of pop taking over the new wave scene.

https://www.facebook.com/officialkimwilde  http://www.kimwilde.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culture-Factory-USA/161614307253980

http://www.culturefactoryusa.com/